Earth, Wind, and Fire: Rutgers' Antwan Raymond Establishes New Identity

Entering Thursday night's season opener against the Ohio Bobcats, the Rutgers running backs room lacked the familiar presence of old No. 5, Kyle Monangai, who carried the ball 669 times during his Scarlet Knights career, not fumbling once, and providing as certain a security blanket as Head Coach Schiano could ever want, grinding out the tough yards in tense situations to seal a victory.

Entering 2025, with Rutgers finally possessing an explosive passing attack that opposing coaches are forced to scheme for, the running backs trio of sophomores Antwan Ryamond and Ja'Shon Benjamin, along with impact transfer CJ Campbell, was expected to complement the offense.

Antwan Raymond picks up in 2025 where the Scarlet Knights ground game left off from last season, with a strong season debut. — Aug 28, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Antwan Raymond (3) fights for yards as Ohio Bobcats linebacker Cameron Hollobaugh (24) pursues during the first half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

After Ohio's Parker Navarro carved up the Rutgers work-in-progress defense in the opening game, it's clear that if Rutgers is going to grind out wins during the Big Ten conference slog, the running game's success will once again be key. Sixth-year coach Damiere Shaw can't replace a workhorse like Monangai and his 256 carries last year, but in Antwan Raymond, he has a young, capable back who's willing to run through tacklers and fight for every extra yard.

Raymond graduated from high school early and was reclassified and should only be a freshman this year by all accounts. The Montreal, Quebec native is no stranger to carrying a heavy load, piling up gaudy stats in his final season at The Clearwater Academy in Florida with 233 carries, 1884 yards, and 22 touchdowns.

As a true freshman last season, Raymond became Rutgers' best backup option to spell Monangai with Sam Brown injured, rushing 100 times for 457 yards and eight touchdowns, and becoming a reliable and formidable goal-line weapon. Raymond continued his strong play Thursday night, leading all Knights backs with 14 carries for 87 yards and scoring a touchdown.

What became apparent as Ohio marched up and down the field in the second half, erasing a 17-point deficit against a struggling Knights defense, is that the Scarlet Knights may finally be able to throw the ball all over the field, but if they are going to reach a third consecutive bowl, it's going to come down to how well they can run the football and keep the defense rested and off the field.

Raymond spoke to the media after the victory over the Bobcats and had an interesting take on the 2025 trio of running backs. Here's what he said, as per Ryan DeAgazio of The Knight Report:

"Earth, Wind, and Fire. For sure, Earth, Wind, and Fire. These guys are amazing, and I'm just super blessed to share the running back room with these guys, like not just football players, but they're great humans. Ja'Shon Benjamin, he supports me so much. I support him so much. CJ Campbell, he was a new guy, we supported him, he supported us. We just have a really tight-knit relationship and it's great for sure," Raymond said.

It's no surprise that Raymond spoke of the family-first culture in Head Coach Schiano's program. And it's no surprise that all three running backs had a successful season opener with coach Shaw guiding them. Lastly, it's no surprise to fans that Rutgers, once again, will lean on the running game for success.

The biggest surprise may be a young player like Raymond referencing a '70s/'80s soul and funk band, Earth, Wind, and Fire. As the band's hit, September, plays all across stadiums this weekend, Raymond and his running back mates hope to be dancing and beyond this season.

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