11/11/2026 05:09:00
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11/11 17:08 CST Rutgers receiver KJ Duff out for the season after undergoing
ankle surgery, report says
Rutgers receiver KJ Duff out for the season after undergoing ankle surgery,
report says
By EVERETT MERRILL
Associated Press
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) --- Rutgers standout wide receiver KJ Duff will miss the
rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a high ankle sprain,
according to a report Wednesday from ESPN.
Duff, a junior, is expected to resume football activities in early January
ahead of next year's NFL draft. He is one of the top prospects at the position
and could be the first Scarlet Knights product taken in the first round since
offensive lineman Anthony Davis went 10th in 2010.
Duff, an AP second team pre-season All-America selection, was having a stellar
season for the disappointing Scarlet Knights (2-7, 1-5 Big Ten). He ranks
seventh nationally with nine receiving touchdowns and 12th with 96.8 yards
receiving a game.
Duff missed the game last Saturday against Wisconsin, a third consecutive loss
by Rutgers. He left Rutgers' game against Michigan on Oct. 31 in the second
quarter with injury and didn't return.
Last season, Duff accumulated 1,084 yards receiving on 60 catches with seven
TDs, one of just three players in the Big Ten to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark
--- just the seventh in school history and first since 2014.
He struggled with his decision to return to Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights
finished 5-7 and did not play in a bowl game.
"It was tough for me," Duff told The Associated Press over the summer. "There
were obviously other opportunities on the table with the way college football
is now. I went back and forth for weeks. One day I'm leaving, one day I'm not.
But ultimately, it came down to what was important to me, staying at Rutgers to
finish what I started with coach (Greg) Schiano."
Duff's season-ended one day after the university announced Schiano will be back
next season, his 19th at Rutgers.
Duff has 132 catches for 2,283 yards and 17 touchdowns in 30 games. He ranks
seventh in program history in career yards, tied for fifth in touchdowns with
Kenny Britt and Chris Brantley, and tied for 10th in receptions with Tiquan
Underwood.
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