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Raheem Blackshear’s talent, versatility impresses former Heisman winner Reggie Bush

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Not many players from Rutgers have been on the national radar since the end of last season, when the Scarlet Knights finished just 1-11 in the third year of the Chris Ash era. But one player is really standing out to former Heisman winner and NFL running back Reggie Bush.

On Sunday night, Bush took to social media to pay compliments to two active college football running backs — Florida’s Lamical Perine and Rutgers’ Raheem Blackshear. He really likes what he sees from the Scarlet Knight running back.

Bush shared a highlight tape of Blackshear and praised the running back’s versatility out of the backfield.

“This is the age of versatile running backs I like what I’m seeing and reading about this young kid Raheem Blackshear from Rutgers the more you can do the more valuable you make yourself,” Bush said. “The Scarlet Knights will need him this year.”

Blackshear was the leading rusher for the Scarlet Knights last season, totaling 586 yards and three touchdowns on 143 carries (4.1 average). He was also a weapon in the passing game, totaling 44 receptions for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Rutgers hasn’t enjoyed much production offensively over the last three seasons, but Blackshear is talented enough to provide a spark for the team out of the backfield, especially with running mate Isaih Pacheco sharing time.

As the Scarlet Knights enter a year in need of showing major improvement, Blackshear will be a key to the team’s success in the fall. Clearly, Bush is one who thinks the junior running back is more than capable of handling a heavy workload.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB