Rutgers Kyle Monangai had an unbelievable 2023 season and has come in for some high praise from an opposition player. While at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Maryland Terrapin safety Beau Brade singled out the Scarlet Knights running back for some special attention.
Beau Brade Names Kyle Monangai as the Best Player of 2023
Brade is currently in Indy attending the 2024 NFL Combine as one of the top safeties to declare for the NFL Draft. In his time in Maryland, the Terrapin safety has played against some of the best players in college football. However, one impressed more than anyone else in 2023.
Speaking to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine, Brade had a surprising name when asked who the best player he went against in 2023 was.
“Definitely, [Kyle] Monangai, Rutgers running back number five. He’s a baller too man,” Brade shared.
Maryland played Rutgers to close out their season, with the Terrapins finishing victorious after a 42-24 win. Beau Brade made six total tackles that day, including 0.5 for a loss, but one Scarlet Knight clearly made an impression.
Monangai had 20 carries for 118 yards in that game, proving dynamic and tough enough to play against that Brade named him the most difficult to play against in 2023.
That is extremely high praise, considering the opponents that Brade played against this past season. Maryland competed against some high-level opposition in the Big Ten with some of the best players in college football on the opposite side to the Terrapin safety.
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Michigan RB Blake Corum, and Penn State QB Drew Allar competed opposite Brade in 2023.
Monangai had a terrific 2023 season, leading the Big Ten in rushing yards in his breakout year. With 1,262 rushing yards, the Scarlet Knight led all Big Ten RBs, beating out Corum, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen, and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson for the rushing title.
Brade also expanded at the podium at the 2024 NFL Combine that “Jayden Reed is probably the best” he has ever come up against. The Green Bay Packers selected the former Michigan State wide receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft after finishing his college career with 2,866 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.
Named the best player of 2023 by Brade, Monangai returns to Rutgers for the 2024 season and looks set to be one of the most fearless runners in the Big Ten once more.
KEEP READING: 2024 Big Ten Power Rankings
The Scarlet Knights running back will look to build on an outstanding year and is expected to have a bigger role entering the new season.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!