Rutgers, who will visit Blacksburg in Week 4 on Sept. 21 lost their top linebacker to a season injury.
We’re just four days away from the 2024 college football season starting with Week 0, and only a little over a week before most teams kick off in Week 1 during Labor Day Weekend. August has been a tough month with training camps in the summer heat, and coaches are now hoping to head into their first games with a full roster. Unfortunately for Virginia Tech’s Week 4 opponent, there’s a significant setback on their defense.
On Tuesday, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano announced that star linebacker Mohamed Toure will miss the entire season due to a torn ACL. This is the second time in two years that Toure will be sidelined for a full season because of the same injury, which also kept him out in 2022.
Toure, who was recently added to the Preseason Butkus Award Watch List, represents a significant loss for a Rutgers team that was poised for a strong 2024 season thanks to key player retainment and a relatively manageable Big Ten schedule. Last year, Toure recorded 92 tackles, including 44 solo, and 4.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble and an interception.
In a 35-16 win over Virginia Tech, Toure made five tackles, and he added eight tackles in Rutgers’ Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl win against Miami. He also had two games last season where he tallied 11 tackles each, against Maryland and Iowa.
The Scarlet Knights have some time to find a replacement for Toure, with their first three games of the season against Howard and Akron at home, followed by a bye week on Sept. 14 before their first true road game at Virginia Tech on Sept. 21.
Last season, the Hokies also faced an injury setback when tight end Nick Gallo was lost for the season right before their opener against Old Dominion.
