Wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond have been named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media, according to an announcement from the conference on Thursday. Offensive lineman Kwabena Asamoah and wide receiver Ian Strong received honorable mention in both polls. Offensive lineman Gus Zilinskas was recognized as Rutgers football’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Duff finished the regular season with 1,084 receiving yards, ranking second in the Big Ten and third among Power 4 players nationally. He had three games with over 100 receiving yards, including a high of 241 yards against Purdue. This performance was the fourth highest in a single game nationally for 2025, the most by any Big Ten player this year, and the second most in Rutgers program history. Duff became only the seventh player at Rutgers to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season and is the first since 2014 to do so during Rutgers’ time in the Big Ten. He caught at least five passes in eight games for a total of 60 receptions, which ranks ninth all-time for a single season at Rutgers. Duff led the league with an average of 18.1 yards per reception and scored seven touchdowns. “A Biletnikoff Award watch list member, he scored seven touchdowns on the way to joining Leonte Carroo (2014-15) as Scarlet Knight wide receivers voted All-Big Ten.”
Raymond was one of ten semifinalists for the Doak Walker National Running Back Award after rushing for 1,241 yards on 244 carries with 15 total touchdowns—13 rushing and two receiving. His rushing yardage placed him third in the Big Ten and eighth all-time for a single season at Rutgers. Raymond recorded four games with more than 100 rushing yards; his top performance came against Maryland where he rushed for 240 yards on a school-record-tying 41 attempts. In that game, he gained 105 rushing yards in just the fourth quarter alone and earned Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honors. He scored at least one touchdown in ten games this season and ranked third in conference touchdowns while being second with an average of 122.2 all-purpose yards per game.
Asamoah started every game at right guard this year and has started each of Rutgers’ last 25 games at that position dating back to last season. He helped block for an offense that averaged nearly 390 total offensive yards per game during Big Ten play—the best mark since joining the conference—and contributed to team milestones such as having a passer over 3,000 yards, rusher over 1,000 yards, and receiver over 1,000 yards for only the second time ever.
Strong earned honorable mention status again after catching 52 passes for 762 yards and five touchdowns across ten games this season. He had four games with more than 100 receiving yards.
Zilinskas concluded his career having started each of Rutgers’ past three seasons at center—a streak totaling thirty-eight consecutive starts—and served as team captain while blocking for an offense that achieved several statistical milestones mentioned above.
The full list of honorees includes:
– Second Team (Coaches): WR KJ Duff, RB Antwan Raymond
– Second Team (Media): WR KJ Duff, RB Antwan Raymond
– Honorable Mention (Coaches): OL Kwabena Asamoah, DB Jett Elad, DB Bo Mascoe, PK Jai Patel, WR Ian Strong
– Honorable Mention (Media): OL Kwabena Asamoah, P Jakob Anderson, LB Dariel Djabome, DB Bo Mascoe, WR Ian Strong
– Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: OL Gus Zilinskas
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