PISCATAWAY – Kaj Sanders accomplished something last season very few Rutgers football players had ever done before.
Just one, to be exact.
The safety out of Bergen Catholic started the Scarlet Knights’ season opener against Howard, becoming just the second true freshman ever start a season opener as a defensive player under coach Greg Schiano.
Sanders was filling in for the injured Flip Dixon, but the fact Schiano placed that much trust in him spoke volumes.
“It meant a lot because I love Coach Schiano, I love the school, I love my teammates,” Sanders said following a recent spring practice. “So for them to be able to trust me as a true freshman and trust me to do my job and make plays, it means everything to me.”
That game was only the start.
Sanders went on to play in all 13 games and started a total of six of them. He finished with 43 tackles and four pass breakups, making a strong impression in his true freshman season.
The focus this offseason and in spring camp for Sanders is to build on that valuable experience and continue to develop into an elite defensive back under safeties coach Vic Hall and Schiano, who’s well known for developing NFL-ready defensive backs.
Hall is new on the Rutgers coaching staff, but he’s been impressed by the young safety so far.
“When I first met Kaj, we talked about how his career had jumpstarted,” Hall said. “He played as true freshman. My impression on him is just the growth since I’ve been here, seeing him out there taking command of the defense and growing that way from a maturity standpoint. It’s been a great experience so far for me with Kaj.”
Sanders committed to the Scarlet Knights as a highly touted recruit. He was a four-star prospect and the No. 8 overall recruit in New Jersey, according to the 247Sports Composite, which also ranked hm as the No. 41 overall safety in the nation for the Class of 2024.
Along with Rutgers, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin were the finalists to land Sanders, who ultimately chose to stay close to home.
“It means everything to me, especially being able to play in front of my family and have some of my friends, my teammates from high school,” Sanders said. “It means everything. I can show them they can come to Rutgers do, show out, make it to the league and do everything they want to do in life.”
But for now, Sanders said his focus is on taking the next step in his development so he can have an ever greater impact on the defense.
“I really need to focus on watching film more and the things I eat,” Sanders said. “I want to keep gaining weight. I want to weigh more but also be as fast as I was. Those are the two main things I really have to focus on outside of meetings and stuff.”
Sanders is a long way from where he was a year ago, when he was an early enrollee true freshman trying to learn Rutgers’ culture and defensive scheme.
Now he has a full Big Ten season under his belt with plenty of production and experience to show for it.
“I’m way different of a player,” Sanders said. “I’m way comfortable now. I’m not as nervous as I was last spring, I feel like I’m getting to know the defense a lot more now. It feels amazing.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football: Kaj Sanders looking to build on big freshman season
