Transfer Bio Blast: Rene Konga

The first target for Kentucky football in the spring transfer portal window emerged on Tuesday. Kentucky is looking for some help in the trenches after the injury bug arrived in a big way during spring practice. There is interest in another Big Ten transfer.

Rene Konga (6-4, 290) spent his first four seasons at Rutgers under head coach Greg Schiano and has two years of eligibility remaining. The versatile defensive lineman has received interest from multiple power conference programs since entering the portal.

Kentucky emerged as a contender in this recruitment on Tuesday as the Cats look for some interior help on the defensive line. Let’s dig in and learn some more about Kentucky’s first target in the spring window.

Recruit and Develop

Rutgers is, and will always be, a developmental program in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights have to win games in the margins. Under Greg Schiano, this program has found more success and is coming off its first bowl win since 2014 after knocking off Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl. The program in New Jersey must recruit and develop to have success.

That means finding undervalued recruits and turning them into productive players. Rene Konga fits that description.

The Canada native played high school football north of the border and was a mid three-star recruit in the class of 2020. After taking a redshirt year during his first season on campus, Konga played only 13 snaps as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Konga saw a bigger role in 2022 playing nine games before seeing an increased role in 2023 playing 10 games.

Konga has been a rotational player but did produce seven pressures in just over 100 pass rush snaps last season, according to PFF data playing in a very physical conference. The transfer, who was a two-time All-Big Ten academic performer, can be a quality defensive line reserve at his next stop.

Positional Flexibility

Under defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, Rutgers utilized a five defensive back scheme in base, which mostly included even fronts along the defensive line. The Scarlet Knights used many four-down looks. In the two seasons under Harasymiak, Rene Konga spent time inside at outside.

According to PFF data, Konga played 67.2 percent of his career snaps aligned over or outside the tackle at defensive end. However, Konga has logged over 100 snaps in the A or B gaps. The transfer will bring some versatility to his next school.

Potential Fit at Kentucky

Rene Konga most likely will not be a star at his next stop. The transfer was a rotational player at Rutgers and that should be the expectation for him at his next program. Sometimes transfer recruitments can be inflated in the free agent market because good players and depth in the trenches are hard to find.

Konga has already seen his recruitment blow up. Kentucky, Penn State, and Miami are involved. Texas A&M is working on getting a visit scheduled. Landing a commitment won’t be a slam dunk for anyone. The versatility of the redshirt senior really stands out.

For Kentucky, the Wildcats seem to be in good shape outside in their odd front scheme. Octavious Oxendine and Tre’vonn Rybka are the top two options at 3-4 defensive end. At tackle, Deone Walker and Khalil Saunders are the top two options. Kentucky also appeared to have a clear top two at nose with Josaih Hayes and Keeshawn Silver.

However, Hayes and Silver were missing during the spring and that seems to be Kentucky’s biggest need. The Wildcats simply need more bodies with size on the interior. As of now, Walker or Saunders would need to play inside more if Silver or Hayes go missing for an extended period. Konga has the size to steal some snaps inside, but he’s likely better suited to play one of the other two spots along Kentucky’s front.

The fit is not clear for Kentucky, but extra depth is needed, and Konga could be the best option at a position that is hard to find in free agency. There is some legitimate positional versatility, and that could help the transfer find a valuable home at this next spot.