Before he headed home to begin a crucial offseason this winter, Rutgers cornerback Kevin Levy received a challenge from his head coach Greg Schiano.
“He just told me: when I come back, he needs to see me on full go,” Levy said. “As I’m training, as I’m lifting, as I’m doing anything in the back of my head, (I’m thinking), it’s time to go now, full head of steam every day,” he said.
The early returns show that the message resonated with the promising prospect.
In his first meeting with the media this spring, when Schiano was asked about the wide-open competition at cornerback — a position that lost three starters from last season to graduation (Cam Miller) or transfer (Bo Mascoe, Jacobie Henderson) — he pointed out Levy by name.
“Kevin Levy’s had an unbelievable offseason,” Schiano said. “I just want to see him keep going on that course. I’ve said all along that Kevin’s a guy that we really believed was going to be a big-time player, and now is his opportunity.”
A three-star recruit out of Florida, Levy saw limited action in his first two years at Rutgers. In 99 snaps across 10 appearances, he made six tackles and conceded three catches on six targets for 56 yards.
But that was enough to give Levy an idea of what it takes to compete in the Big Ten.
“It was definitely helpful getting my feet wet, being out there, seeing how the game feels, knowing I got to slow it down more,” Levy said. “Now I could just play like (the version of) myself that Coach Schiano recruited.”
That is what the coaches have seen on the practice field during the spring.
“Kevin’s had a good spring so far,” cornerbacks coach Eric Finney said. “I think the best thing about him is his confidence. His comfortability in the program is definitely starting to shine through. ... We’re going to lean on him a lot this year. I know Kev still has a lot of work to do to be able to do the things that he wants to do this year, so not only is he doing a good job now, but we need to push him to continue to do those things.”
There are months to go before the 2026 season opens against Massachusetts, and based on comments from the coaching staff, still plenty to sort out in the highly-competitive cornerback room.
But based on how Levy embraced the offseason challenge and the many snaps up for grabs at the position, he has put himself in a good spot to spent a lot of time on the field this fall.
“I think Kevin’s just made up his mind, ‘It’s time,’” Schiano said. “The way he prepared all offseason, in the winter program, came out in spring, and just kept it up. He’s performing with confidence, attention to detail, taking care of his body, all the things that a big-time player does, he’s doing. And he’s got the God-given ability. So if he can just continue on that trajectory, he’s going to be a really good corner.”
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