Austin Dean brings veteran depth and special-teams bite to Rutgers’ linebacker room
In the 2025 season, Austin Dean returned to Rutgers as a senior linebacker after stops at Georgia Tech and brings a proven Big Ten body: he played in 20 games for Rutgers earlier in his career, logged 19 tackles in the 2022 season, and has carved out value on special teams and in depth roles. He’s a physical, experienced, plug-and-play defender with familiarity in Greg Schiano’s system, which makes him a useful fit for a team needing toughness, reliability, and no-drama reps rather than flashy stat-sheet fireworks.
