5 Rutgers Defense/Special Team Players Named All Big Ten Honorable Mentions

The 2025 football season’s all-Big Ten teams for defense and special teams were announced today, and five Rutgers players earned an honorable mention. Safety Jett Elad, Corner Bo Mascoe, and Kicker Jai Patel were named honorable mentions by the coaches, while Mascoe, Linebacker Dariel Djabome, and Punter Jakob Anderson were named honorable mentions by the media.

Defensive Honorable Mentions

Mascoe is the only player on Rutgers’ defense to have received an honorable mention from both the Coaches’ and Media all-Big Ten teams this season. Mascoe recorded four pass breakups, an interception, two forced fumbles, and 53 tackles with two TFLs in 2025. Recorded nine tackles against Ohio State and had one forced fumble versus Maryland. He was easily the most stable defensive back for the Knights in a season where their pass defense was riddled with inconsistency.

Despite his production taking a step back in 2025, Djabome made enough of an impact to earn an honorable mention by the Media. As team captain, Djabome posted 71 tackles with 4.5 for loss and two sacks this season, adding two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He will finish his college career with 192 tackles. This is the second year in a row he has been recognized in the All-Big Ten voting.

Elad was the leading tackler for the Knights in 2025, as he recorded 80 total tackles on the year. He also added two interceptions, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt. His fumble recovery against Purdue helped Rutgers set up the game-winning field goal. He had five or more tackles in 11 games this season, with his highest of 11 coming in the season finale against Penn State. He also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown against Norfolk State.

Special Teams Honorable Mentions

Earlier in the year, Patel broke Rutgers’ school record of made field goals in a row when he hit his 18th consecutive field goal. This season, Patel converted 13 field goals and 37 extra points to score a total of 76 points for the Knights. His performance at Purdue, where he hit the walk-off field goal to lift Rutgers to victory, earned him the title of Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. Despite an ugly start to the season that included a few blocked kicks, Patel would hit his stride later on and provide consistency for the Knights when they needed it. Patel has the highest field goal percentage in school history and is the seventh player in overall career scoring in school history.

Anderson had only one touchback on 33 punts and forced opponents to fair catch the ball 17 times. He landed his punts inside the four-yard line three times this season. With seven others landing inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. The punting unit as a whole only allowed five total returns this season. His season-long punt was a 68-yard punt that was downed at Iowa’s four-yard line.