Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai embracing patience ahead of 2024 season | NBC Sports

Why he chose to return for his senior season leading rusher in the Big 10 last year over 1,00 rushing yards but here you are opting to come back for your senior season how hard was that decision for you uh at first it was a lot it was definitely difficult but then um just lean to the people that were in my circle my support system my family teammates obviously and um after a while a bunch of guys that decided to come back and I think it just made more sense for me to come back one more year help guys and uh help this team this program finish out on the right note from from the guys that came in my year and to just go out with a better uh but a better feeling honestly you know we made it to the pin strike ball last year and then now we're trying to do bigger and better things yeah winning record you Building off of a bowl win said the bowl game Victory how do you build off of that into a new season uh I think we just came back with a different hunger this offseason you know we attacked it from the get-go um the bow game ended like the last week of December and then had a few weeks break CU you know it's a long year uh training all year round so like you just need a break to get away and then once we got G we hit the ground running so uh guys are just hungry to do more you know we got a little taste of success in uh going out with the bowl game win but it's not our our final goal so we're trying to do better the rushing production speaks for Passing protection itself but when you turn on the tape you are maybe the angriest pass protector in the country how much pride do you take in that aspect to your game yeah definitely a lot um like you said I mean pass protection to me is a big part of the game uh it's been something that's been instilled in me since I was young growing up playing football you know my coaches used to say if you want to get the ball in the Run game you got to be able to protect the quarterback in the pass game as well so um something I definitely take pride in and uh I think it's just something that since I I put so much detail and focus into it that when it comes to game day I'm able to just like hone in and uh let loose everything I know it makes coach giano Favorite part of coaching super you know happy to see that what's your favorite part about playing for him in this program uh I think it's it's uh playing for Coach it's demanding but I tell people all the time it's really rewarding you know if you stick with it and um he's taught me a lot in my four going on five years now being playing for him and U I couldn't be more grateful for it you forced 73 missed Weight room tackles last year in one season what are you doing in the weight room and in the off season that's leading to this kind of production coach Jay Butler strength and condition coach he gets us right and uh you know whether it's power clean squatting benching like he gets your body feeling as most optimal point and uh I think it really just allows me to just go out there and just play like I'm not thinking you know I want to do this or that I'm just playing freely out there uh my old Line's blocking well for me I see a see and you know it makes it easy for guys to Just Bounce Off me and Inside Zone in this run game it seems like you had so much production in inside Zone what about this scheme is tailored so well to your strengths where you've had so much success in inside Zone yeah uh inside Zone I was just telling somebody else like it's you know it's plain it's boring you know people just going in playside gap and all that but for me it's a I'm very a patient Runner and I like to let my my blocks kind of set up for me and uh my old line does a great job of what they do and you know whether it's combo blocks or if we don't get any Combos and everybody just working to one man allows me to just get a picture go anyway with the ball so I mean inside Zone although it's basic it gives me a lot of options so you get a transfer cak Manis quarterback in cak Manis what have you gotten to see from him in such a limited time uh his work ethic yeah like when he got here in the winter time he kind of just hit the ground running and um one one thing that coach does well with transfer guys is that he he makes sure they're cultural fit and you know aan and his brother Dino as well who came with him from Minnesota they they just assimilated perfectly into the into the culture we have here and they're great locker room fits too you know they're great funny guys and uh we get along well but his work ethic for sure so four challenges with new teams new teams in this conference it feels like a big change how much excitement does that bring but also what are the challenges with those four new teams arriving uh I don't say challenge I think it's more just opportunity you know four different faces you get to see you know after a while you kind of feel like you played everybody and we've gone away with the East and West type of things so now it's all just one uh conference and uh we get to play some West Coast teams this year playing UC uh UCLA and USC so it's going to be fun you know just being able to go against those growing up in Cameroon guys so I know your parents originally from Cameroon what was it like when you and your brother started playing American football did they think you guys were crazy yeah so um my mother didn't want us to originally yeah football to them is soccer you know that's that's what football is so when they were introduced to the game my mom was worried about injury obviously of course you know she didn't want her babies going around with the helmet and running into people but um uh she was eventually convinced and my brother started off playing I think in sixth grade and uh you know he was pretty good at it and then I want to say I said Mom I want to play too I started playing in third grade and then uh we just became a football family over the years speaking inspiration from his brother of your brother Kevin great career of Villanova he got a taste of the NFL him making it to the NFL how has that inspired your own dreams of being a pro yeah I mean I've been watching my brother play football since I was you know a young kid he's the reason why I wanted to play football originally just seeing the fun that he had with it and um yeah I was always kind of just chasing after him you know I I just wanted to always be better than him and he he pushed me to be better whether it was you know setting the standard high and then me wed to grab forward him actually helping me vocally and verbally being there for me as like a mentor for me so um yeah it's just been somebody that I've always wanted to to Chase and and be better than you're one of the workhorse mentality true Workhorse backs in this conference is there a different mentality you have to have going into a season knowing listen I might need to take the ball more than 20 times today I got to keep my body right is there just something different about that approach as that kind of player yeah I mean being a running back in this league I mean the big 10 is is gritty you know it's tough and hard-nosed football and uh week in and week out you're going up against a great defense it feels like every week so um definitely taking care of the body like you said but um you know my my guys up front take take a good job or do a good job of taking care of me in that aspect you know I'm taking hits but you know the seams are there for me to make plays and you know I got other running backs in the room that are doing a great job Sam Brown and uh Desa Benjamin that just came in last year that's is on the scene a little bit and uh you know we're we're just looking forward to being able to be the Workhorse of our offense yeah whats different about this team what's different about this Rucker team heading into 202 before uh the difference I say it's just another year of maturity you know we got the core guys back we didn't lose too many guys except for you know Max and the guys didn't have any more eligibility but um you know everybody's back and uh for the offense you know coach rock is the second year in the offensive scheme for us and you know people say the biggest jump in your in your scheme is obviously from year two of installing it and I see it already in the offseason you know guys are more comfortable more confident in the offense and uh I think that'll allow us to play smarter play faster and uh it make us better players at at the end of the day when your college career memories at Rutgers is over what will you look back on fondly at Rucker something that you just loved about the program over the years uh the relationships and uh just all the crazy stuff we did in terms of like working out like I think we work harder than anybody in the country and you know I have friends that play at different schools different programs and uh we'll compare like oh we did this today we did that and like you know whatever I say to whatever they did is always like 10 times as hard it feels like so I think just like my group of brothers we have here when we look back you know 10 years from now and say oh remember when we used to do that with JB and you know what coach used to make us do at practice it'll just be the the fun memories that always hold on with me forever thanks Kyle thank you have appreciate you having thanks man good luck this season all right