Good News as Rutgers Running Back Returns for 2026

As if the fall athletic season wasn’t enough of a gut punch, Rutgers Scarlet Knight fans were greeted with sobering news on New Year’s Day when star receiver and fan favorite, Ian Strong, announced he was entering the transfer portal.

There’s more to this story that will unfold during the coming days, but according to sources close to the program, Rutgers faced the reality back in November that bringing back the star trio was highly unrealistic, based on the portal asking price for NFL-caliber receivers, which is reported to be close to two million annually. Hence, the Knights made the calculated move to focus on bringing back two of their three prized offensive stars, while preserving the remaining funds from revenue share and Keli Zinn’s fundraising efforts to help rebuild the defense and retain key offensive pieces from last season.

That started with yesterday's news that offensive linemen Tyler Needham and Kobe Asamoah will return in 2026 to help anchor the line. That news was followed today with the announcement that star running back Antwan Raymond will return for his junior season. Raymond was the 2026 winner of the Jon Cornish Trophy, awarded to the top Canadian in NCAA football. The Montreal native certainly earned the award, rushing for over 1,200 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, becoming the first winner from Quebec.

Unfinished Business… pic.twitter.com/Rqhcb1Zqut
— Antwan Raymond. (@antwanraymond8) January 3, 2026

The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder joined the Scarlet Knights a year ahead of schedule, reclassifying from the class of 2025 to 2024 after Clearwater Academy International in Florida announced it would be closing its doors following his junior season of high school.

With key offensive weapon Raymond back in the fold, Rutgers’ next goal is to lock in star rising junior receiver KJ Duff. Duff came to Rutgers through his connection with Ian Strong, both of whom played at Saint Anthony's High School on Long Island. The two developed a very close bond, with the elder Strong picking up Duff on their drive west to the high school in the morning.

Strong's announcement on New Year's Day that he intended to enter the transfer portal generated the expected panic among fans and media. Many assumed it was only a matter of time before Duff announced his intentions to follow his good friend Strong and enter the portal.

There’s more to this story, though: one likelihood is that Strong likely knew Rutgers couldn’t afford both receivers and decided to enter the portal and seek a payday while continuing to raise his draft stock, allowing Rutgers to pay KJ. Another possibility is that Rutgers was realistic about how it could spread the money around and still retain Raymond and one of the star receivers, putting itself in a position not to miss a beat on offense in 2026.

Of course, fans won’t breathe easier until the official return of Duff is announced, but it should also be mentioned that Duff’s mother has clearly stated she loves Rutgers University and enjoys watching his games in person at SHI Stadium, a relatively modest drive from Riverhead in eastern Long Island. It’s expected that Rutgers has made a competitive offer to KJ, and that should be enough to keep him on the banks.

On this second day of January, as the portal chaos begins, Rutgers fans can enjoy the fact that they retained one of the top running backs in the country, as coach Damiere Shaw continues to get the best out of his running backs room. For Raymond, returning is a win-win situation as he’ll be guaranteed the bulk of carries while he grounds and pounds his way towards the NFL, following in the footsteps of Isiah Pachecho and Kyle Monangai.

Keep tuned into Rutgers on SI over the following days as more portal announcements are made.

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