Rutgers Studs coach Charlie Noonan talks Spring Practice: Press Conference

Rutgers Football continued spring ball this week on Tuesday afternoon, and Studs coach Charlie Noonan spoke to the media for his first spring football press conference of the season.

Noonan spoke for roughly eight minutes and addressed a range of questions, including his switch to a new position group this offseason, being the lone holdover from last year’s defensive staff, and much more.

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Full Charlie Noonan Presser Transcript

Coach, could you just fill us in a little bit about the role change and everything in your learning process? How’s that been going so far this spring?

It’s been going great. It really has. I really enjoyed working with this staff and being a part of this program. I mean, this is who I am, right? I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve been a player here, learned here, you know, learned as a player, learned as a coach. You know, my role now, it’s, you know, working with the studs. You know, in playing defense here, it’s, you know, you’re always going to have your core values, and I think that’s really something that we really believe in, in terms of, you know, you got to run to the ball, you got to tackle, you got to set the edge, you got to do a bunch of different things. So, you know, we’re really excited about, you know, what that position has and the guys in it, and, you know, I really enjoy myself so far. 

What have been your early impressions of Travis Johansen and the system that he’s brought in? 

He, you know, just first and foremost, I mean, he’s just, he’s got that head coach aura about him. You know, whether that’s, you know, real or not, you know, what exactly that is, sometimes it’s hard to explain, but he’s just really, he’s just a leader, you know, in every aspect of it.You know, and I think not only just of the players, but I think the staff too. He does a great job, you know, and, you know, I get to, you know, talk to him about things like, you know, just in terms of, you know, the staff, in terms of, you know, how things, you know, used to be done here and whatnot, and he’s so open-minded, and I think he’s also, you know, has his way in doing it and really knows and has a vision. You know, that’s the thing about him. He has a vision, he knows what he wants to do, and it’s been great. It really has. 

Coach, could you just describe a little bit of what the studs category means? 

Yeah, so the studs is gonna be a flexible position.I mean, it’s gonna be as versatile as you probably can get. I mean, you know, in terms of what that looks like week per week, it can change. But yeah, I mean, you’re gonna ask him to do a lot of different things, like you’re gonna ask every position on defense, but the studs, you know, he’s gonna have to be a guy that can run, a guy that can, you know, set the edge, and the guy that can, you know, cover somebody, too.So he’s gonna, again, that’s gonna be really flexible. I think it’s gonna be a position that, you know, varies from week to week.

As one of the main holdovers, one of the few holders from last year’s defensive staff, how do you feel like you’ve meshed with all the new coaches and new faces coming into this room? 

Great.Yeah, I mean, unbelievably, these guys are, you know, couldn’t ask for a better group of guys. I mean, they’re just so open to everything. You know, they’re also, they’re tight.They want to get to know, you know, myself. I want to get to know them. They couldn’t have been, you know, because there are a lot of the guys that, you know, that were from South Dakota and have worked in the past together, but that doesn’t mean, like, hey, I’m the, you know, the odd man out. It’s, they’ve been unbelievable in terms of that, in terms of just every day asking about my family, asking about, you know, you know, just your everyday type of thing that you go through. That’s the, we’ve, you couldn’t ask for a better group. I mean, really, they’re a really great group of guys.

A little bit past halfway through spring, any guys in your position group stand out so far? Do you have an idea who will be starting there in the fall? Just kind of where they, player-wise? 

Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty early to name a starter, but yeah, there’s definitely guys that just jump right out. I mean, Jesse Ofurie, he’s probably playing the best football I’ve seen him play, you know, in terms of being here for quite some time, and again, I have the advantage to have seen Jesse grow, and I remember him as a kid that, you know, you talk about a kid that’s care level. You know, I remember him as a recruit coming down for spring practice and driving down from Massachusetts by himself, right? And he was here every practice.You know, it’s like, it’s kind of like when you’re going to school, but I don’t know. He, but he was here literally every, I’m like, God, is he, is he here? Like, you know, so, but that just tells you how much he cares. When he was a committed player, how much he cared, and that’s the same way he is now. The kid doesn’t leave the Hale, you know, he’ll come in and just, you talk about care level, you know, usually those guys, you know, from being here for quite some time and coach’s, you know, system and program, usually those guys do work out. You know, I think those guys are usually guys, if they have the ability and they care enough, they usually end up working out. So, and then, you know, there’s a bunch of guys, you know, DK Gilley, he’s another really talented young guy that, you know, he unfortunately was injured last year, but I remember him, you know, in the bowl game against Kansas State. I mean, he, he showed some real promise and we’re like, wow, that is explosion true, you know, athlete that can do some really nice things for us. And I think he’s going to do really nice things. I think in general, it’s going to be a mixed bag, you know, by committee type deal. I think every player in the room has different attributes that suit different types of teams and schemes. So again, when you talk about the role, it’s kind of sometimes that that’ll be changing. So some guy might be better against other types of looks.

To go off that, there’s a lot of young guys who may not have that playing experience yet. What have you seen with the freshmen and sophomores who don’t have that game experience, but are on track in their development? 

Yeah, I mean, you know, some things that like, you know, in terms of having the in-game experience, you can’t, you can’t make up for that. You’re absolutely right.I mean, that is something that you, you love to have, you know, from a group of guys, you know, but also in a sense that with this group, it’s been nice, again, seeing it from my perspective, there’s a, there’s a fresh start. You know, it’s 2026, there’s a new, new look, new, you know, Coach Johanson’s unbelievable with that. He’s like, he makes sure that whole psyche, that whole, you know, sometimes as a coach, you get, you don’t really get into as much.You’re a position coach, you kind of don’t see the big picture, but, you know, Coach Johanson does an unbelievable job of keeping the guys. All right, what are they, what are they feeling like right now? You know, because again, not, not looking back to last year, but it is something that he’s very aware of in terms of, hey, making sure those guys have that, have that workman’s mentality or every single day that no matter what, I mean, again, the process is going to be the same, whether or not they have success on the field or don’t have, it’s still going to stay the same. And that’s the, that’s the real thing that we’re trying to teach them right now. So no matter what, that’ll kind of stay the same, whether or not you got experience or not. So that’s really the thing we’re trying to teach.

When Coach Schiano came to you and told you about the position change for yourself, just how did you take that and how have you approached having to move back a little bit, the guys you’re coaching? 

Yeah, so, I mean, I loved it. I mean, I was, I was super excited to get the opportunity to, you know, work in the secondary. I think it’s something that, you know, I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve worked in different, I’ve worked, you know, linebackers, I’ve been defensive line. I think, you know, in my experience, you know, you’ve been around, I’ve been around for a while. I’ve studied for tons and tons of hours and watched tons and tons of film. And I think, you know, also being in a room, in a staff room for, you know, six years, for the last, last six years here with Coach Schiano, number one, Coach Johansen. I mean, there’s some really great conversations that people pay a lot of money to be a part of. And, you know, I’m sitting there as a, you know, now engaging in those conversations.It’s been great. But no, it’s, it’s, I’ve really been excited about it. It’s been an awesome transition.

You touched on it just a little bit right now, but you came here, you coached linebackers, then defensive tackles. Now you’re working the studs package. How much of a learning curve is there to this process? Do you rely or lean at all on your time at Holy Cross as a defensive coordinator, kind of holistically?

Yeah, I mean, again, the system in which we’re going in through right now is, it’s pretty laid out in the sense that, you know, you’re going to have your, everything always kind of comes out of teaching, right? So it’s, whether or not you’re teaching a new material or you’re teaching, you know, the same material you’ve taught for the last 15 years, right? So it’s still material that you’re teaching and how do they learn? How do they learn through words and pictures and all that stuff is, we’re always trying to get better at that. Whether it’s a new, a new, you know, app or a new, something that the guys are using that’s better or for whatever reason, a better picture showing this or a better way to say things. That to me is where the secret is in teaching.I mean, I think the material in itself in the sense that, you know, what are you, you know, learning and teaching in that regard? I mean, yeah, there’s definitely, you know, time you got to spend on making sure that you have all the answers to every single question, you know, but that’s something that, you know, Travis and Coach Schiano, as everyone works together, it’s pretty laid out. I mean, we’re not afraid to sit down and have a bunch of conversations, you know, about how things are being taught and how things are, how we’re going to explain this to the player because that’s, that’s everything, right? It’s our job, you know, kind of what’s the easiest way to, for this kid to learn how to do X and how fast can you, you know, adjust to that on the field? That is ultimately what we do.