Rutgers football's Johnny Langan to miss rest of season, leaves lasting impact on program
PISCATAWAY – Johnny Langan has played his final game in a Rutgers football uniform.
The Scarlet Knights tight end missed Saturday’s regular-season finale against Maryland and will miss the team’s bowl game in December because of a lower-extremity injury.
Langan initially suffered an injury against Ohio State on Nov. 4 and had the decision of whether to have surgery right away or attempt to finish out the season.
The Bergen Catholic product chose the latter, which meant practicing only one day each week and essentially receiving around-the-clock treatment.
“I was on a scooter getting around, trying to save myself for those two days,” Langan told the USA TODAY Network-New Jersey before Saturday's game.
Langan then suffered another injury against Penn State that made it impossible for him to play anymore this season.
He will undergo surgery in the coming days.
But until that point, Langan exhausted every possibility.
“It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life,” said Langan, who caught 14 passes for 121 yards this season. “It was something I wanted to do for my teammates and this program in general, being here since some very dark times and finally coming out here and being bowl eligible and having a chance to finish the season with a winning record.”
In the process?
Langan earned respect from his coach.
"What he did the last two weeks, I don't know many people that would do that," Schiano said. "Especially guys with NFL aspirations, right. This guy is a legitimate NFL prospect. He loves Rutgers so much that he waited to get the surgery. He was going to wait until the end of the year, and then he injured something else last week, so now he has to do it. I have got so much respect for that kid."
Roller-coaster five seasons with Rutgers football
Langan’s five seasons at Rutgers have been a roller-coaster, filled with coaching changes and position switches.
But the Wayne native emerged as a leader in the locker room – he was voted a team captain each of the last two seasons – and helped lay the foundation for Rutgers’ now bowl-eligible team.
“Being able to play for my home state is the best decision I ever made in my entire life,” said Langan, who transferred from Boston College following the 2018 season, “just being able to represent the people who have helped bring me up and raise me through this community, being from North Jersey, everyone there rooting for me at Rutgers, being able to play in New Jersey.”
When former Rutgers coach Chris Ash was fired four games into the 2019 season, Nunzio Campanile, whom Langan played for at Bergen Catholic, took over and named Langan his starting quarterback for the final eight games.
Langan led Rutgers with 1,231 yards of total offense, going 80-of-159 passing for 840 yards with one touchdown while also rushing or 391 yards.
After Greg Schiano became head coach in December 2019, Langan became a versatile piece of the offense – lining up for some plays at quarterback, other times in the backfield and some plays at tight end.
That versatility was on full display in the Gator Bowl when he caught six passes for 57 yards, rushed six times for 20 and threw two passes for 21 yards on the way to earning MVP honors.
Langan eventually became a full-time tight end.
'I've always had so much respect for him'
Despite all the changes, Langan said he never considered leaving for another program. He wanted to continue playing for Schiano.
“I’ve always had so much respect for him,” Langan said. “The culture he’s laid out here at Rutgers is something I love being a part of and being able to help build a culture along the way and really just taking ownership of this team, trying to get it to where I wanted it to from the very beginning.”
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Langan said the lessons he learned playing for Schiano made a lasting impact.
“Just on the field how he taught me to chop and chop my job,” Langan said. “Also off the field, the lessons, in business, the overall chop culture I’ll be able to take with me for the rest of my life.”
Langan had a unique journey at Rutgers, one that will end two games early.
But Langan made a considerable impact on the program during his time in a Scarlet Knights uniform.
“Through thick and thin, I’ve always stuck with Rutgers,” Langan said. “I’ve always been, ‘What kind I do to help this team?’ Whatever coached asked me to do, I was willing to do to the best of my ability. No matter what the team needed, I was there and I was ready to do it.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football: Johnny Langan to miss Maryland game, bowl
