PISCATAWAY – It’s been an ongoing question since Greg Schiano’s second stint coaching Rutgers football began.

How good can the offensive line be?

Early on, the answer wasn’t what the Scarlet Knights needed it to be. The unit was inconsistent. Depth was thin. In a conference where so much is won or lost in the trenches, Rutgers struggled to steadily compete.

But then the development of the linemen Schiano and his staff brought in began leading to better results. The hiring of longtime coach Pat Flaherty, a two-time Super Bowl champion, added a needed dynamic to the offensive line room. The unit made considerable progress in 2023.

So how good can the offensive line be in 2024? Rutgers is hoping it can take another step forward in what could be a big season.

“I think every single day, the O-line’s getting better and better, just going over techniques and different defensive fronts and seeing things happen on the field,” guard Bryan Felter said. “It’s really improved the O-line.”

What Rutgers now has more of on the offensive line is experience. That’s a luxury that had been missing at a position that's the toughest to develop, especially in the Big Ten.

Consider the starting experience the Scarlet Knights return:

• Hollin Pierce, 37 starts

• Reggie Sutton, 19

• Bryan Felter, 16

• Gus Zilinskas, 16

• Kobe Asamoah, 8

• Tyler Needham, 2

The Scarlet Knights also brought in Ohio transfer Shedrick Rhodes Jr. in the offseason. Rhodes made 24 starts at right tackle with the Bobcats, including all 13 games last season.

All that experience goes a long way − not to mention the ongoing work in the weight room to develop strength up front.

“I feel like the offensive line is getting better as a unit simply from the leadership, having older guys like Hollin, Reggie, Felter, Gus,” said Asamoah, who’s entering his third season. “Guys that have been there and done it. I just see the whole room rising just because of the leadership.”

With two weeks to go until Rutgers’ season opener against Howard, it’s unclear this point what exactly the starting offensive line will look like – Schiano said following the team’s first scrimmage of training camp Saturday that the “starting offensive line is pretty well set.”

The biggest question mark right now is at right tackle. Needham started the first two games of last season before an injury kept him off the field for the remainder of the campaign. Rhodes is also battling for the job.

Regardless of who wins that spot, Felter said he believes the unit as a whole is improving.

“I think that comes from the film study and being able to see – and not just knowing on the field – but you can rewatch it,” Felter said. “The film doesn’t lie. That’s how you know you’re getting better.”

Asamoah said the linemen frequently bounce ideas off each other and discuss technique. The more experience they’ve gained, the more in depth those conversations have gotten.

“We’re definitely focusing more on the details and more on the situations for sure,” Asamoah said.

The Scarlet Knights last season allowed the fewest sacks in the Big Ten (1.08 per game), though they were a run-heavy team. To the offensive line’s credit, it did that well too – Kyle Monangai led the Big Ten in rushing while Rutgers as a team was fifth in the conference with 168.7 rushing yards per game.

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The goal for the unit this season is to play at a high level consistently.

“I think consistency comes from chopping every single thing that we do and trusting your training and technique,” Felter said. “If you have the right footwork and pad level, you can block whoever you want to block.”

Rutgers has depth at offensive line, though much of that depth is relatively inexperienced. But players like Taj White, Dantae Chin, Dominic Rivera and Emir Stinette have made solid strides.

And so has the room overall.

Rutgers needs the unit to take the next step in 2024.

“Chemistry in the room’s important for us,” Felter said. “We’re one unit, we’re not individuals when we go out and play on the field. All five of us have to work together. We have to be able to trust and hold each other accountable that we’re going to be able to do what we need to do.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football: State of offensive line entering 2024 season