Rutgers defensive lineman Rene Konga expected to enter transfer portal

Rutgers defensive lineman Rene Konga is expected to enter the transfer portal, a source tells On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

The former three-star from Ontario, Canada, is a senior and can play immediately. He played in 21 career games with the Scarlet Knights, racking up 14 career tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman played in 10 games this past season, totaling eight tackles with a strip sack. Konga is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Rutgers finished the 2023 season with a 7-6 record, beating Miami 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights went 3-3 in Big Ten play. Konga was a late addition to the 2020 recruiting class, redshirting his first season and dealing with injuries early in his stint at Rutgers. He only had six scholarship offers coming out of high school.

Konga’s best game of the season came against Northwestern when he tallied four tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. 

What is the transfer portal?

The spring transfer portal window is just 15 days, a crammed period that could reshape the 2024 college football offseason. The portal tool was launched in 2018 to allow athletes to be more involved in the process of transferring. Athletes must notify institutions of their intent to transfer. Each school’s compliance team has 48 hours to put a name into the portal. 

A total of 538 FBS scholarship players put their names in the transfer portal on Day 1 of the winter window in December. That number is not expected to be as high, in part because plenty of high-profile programs are still going through spring practice. 

After an athlete is officially in the portal, there is no rush on making a decision as long as they are properly enrolled at a new institution in time for fall camp. Commitments do not have to be made during the 15-day window. Grad transfers are allowed to enter the portal at any time. 

Roster retention will be crucial for programs, with NIL playing a vital role in keeping rosters together in the new age of college football. Exactly 645 FBS players transferred in last year’s spring window. 

The NCAA’s Division I Council could adopt emergency legislation for a new transfer rule in its next meeting, slated for April 17-18. The new rule would mirror the interim portal policy that has been in place since December. All undergraduate athletes would be able to transfer and play immediately as long as they meet specific academic requirements.