Rutgers Football Defensive Back Kaj Sanders previews second year with program
No longer a wide-eyed freshman, defensive back Kaj Sanders enters his sophomore campaign with some experience under his belt after playing in all 13 games for Rutgers last season with six starts at safety.
“We’re trying our hardest to get better every day with the coaches,” Sanders said. “We’re all doing what we have to do, trying our hardest to be better than we ever were, and we’re just going to keep trying to get better.”
Sanders discussed the lessons he took from year one to two.
“I learned to take things day by day, play by play, and continue having a beginner’s mentality with everything,” he said. “Whether I heard it three times or the first time, just continue learning from it, writing down notes, and being better every day.”
Sanders completed his freshman season with 43 tackles and four pass breakups. He also had 11 games with multiple stops and recorded a pass breakup with five tackles in the Rate Bowl against Kansas State.
The former four-star recruit explained how his time at Bergen Catholic High School helped prepare him for the leap to college.
“It wasn’t that big of a jump just because of the conference I played at in high school,” Sanders said. “We played the best of the best in the state and country. So, just playing at that school helped me get ready for the next level.”
He also discussed how his fellow Scarlet Knights helped him adapt to the competition.
“I felt like throughout the season, being around my teammates and talking about the defense and the Big Ten, it helped me be more confident week by week and game by game,” Sanders said. “In the beginning, I probably wasn’t the most confident, but my teammates kept motivating me to do better every day.”
Sanders talked about what it was like reconnecting with his teammates on the gridiron.
“It’s been amazing getting back with the team,” he said. “The atmosphere and energy of training camp have been amazing. I feel like over the spring and summer, we created these bonds. So with training camp, we’ve just been getting closer, being with them all day every day.”
He also described how the team’s focus is on improvement.
“The vibe is amazing and we have great energy,” Sanders said. “We’re trying to get better every day. We don’t have an expectation, we’re just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.”
In addition, the Newark, New Jersey native explained how he felt he had developed not just physically, but mentally, heading into his second year.
“I feel a lot different mentally,” he said. “I’m more confident in the things I do, my actions, and the things that surround me. I feel like I’m a more dependable player now.”
Despite lining up on the opposite side of the ball, Sanders discussed his high hopes for a wide receiving group that includes returnees Ian Strong, KJ Duff, Ben Black, and North Texas transfer DT Sheffield.
“That receiver group is amazing,” Sanders said. “No matter who you’re going against, it’s best-on-best, and they’re all great players on that offense.”
He also expressed what it has been like working with safeties coach Vic Hall, who entered his first season with Rutgers after serving as a defensive analyst at Penn State last season.
“I think he’s an amazing coach and bonds with the players a lot,” Sanders said. “He acts like one of us, so that makes it even better.”
Hall previously spent three seasons at Ball State (2021-23), where he was promoted to passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2023.
