Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano announced that seniors Eric Foster
(Homestead, FL), Brian Leonard (Gouverneur, NY), Ramel Meekins (Westwood, NJ)
and Shawn Tucker (Parkland, FL) will serve as captains for the 2006 season.
Foster earned a starting spot along the defensive line following an outstanding
training camp last season. He opened the season with a strong showing at
Illinois, registering eight tackles, including 2.5 TFLs. The outspoken leader
sustained a season-ending leg injury early in the Scarlet Knights’ second game
of the season against Villanova which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
In 2004, Foster posted 22 tackles and had two or more tackles in six games.
A Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the most versatile players in the nation,
Leonard returns for his fourth season as the Scarlet Knights’ starting fullback.
Leonard has been named to the 2006 watch list for the 70th Maxwell Award, which
is given annually to the Collegiate Player of the Year. A two-time All-America
selection by Pro Football Weekly, Leonard enters his senior season just 19
points shy of being the all-time leading scorer in Rutgers history. He earned
All-BIG EAST honors for the second-straight season in 2005, leading the team in
receptions (55), scoring (102 points), and all-purpose yards (1,308). The
punishing fullback is sixth all-time in rushing yards (2,352) and fifth all-time
in rushing touchdowns (27) at Rutgers. He is also third all-time in RU history
in career receptions with 169 and seventh all-time in receiving yards with
1,574.
Meekins
has been named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) pre-season
Outland Trophy watch list for the 2006 season. The Outland Trophy has been
awarded to the best offensive or defensive lineman in college football since
1946. Meekins earned a starting assignment at defensive tackle in the 2005
training camp and turned in an outstanding season. He finished fifth on the team
in tackles (63), second in tackles for loss (15.0) and third in sacks (9.0).
Meekins also ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in both sacks and TFLs. He tied for
30th nationally in sacks per game (0.75) and tied for 42nd in TFLs per game
(1.25). Meekins was also named to The Sporting News 2006 Pre-Season All-BIG EAST
Second Team.
Tucker started all 12 games at wide receiver last season and caught 32 passes
for 484 yards. He ranked ninth in the BIG EAST in receiving yards per game
(40.3/game) and enters the 2006 season tied for 10th on the Rutgers all-time
reception list with 109. He caught six passes for 72 yards in the 2005 season
opener at Illinois and totaled a season-high 80 yards on four catches against
Navy. Tucker returned to form last season after missing all but the first two
games of the 20004 campaign with an injury. In 2003, he led the team with 726
receiving yards on 50 catches.