Tyreem Powell’s return gave Rutgers instant impact in win over Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Tyreem Powell finally made it back.

And we're not just talking about his prolonged injury absences. The Rutgers linebacker returned to the he place he originally wanted to call home Saturday, bringing his college football story full circle in a moment — and victory — he'll remember forever.

"I can't even really put it into words," Powell said. "I'm just happy to be back out there and playing with those guys. I worked very hard to get back out there so I'm just happy."

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Powell has been out with two major injuries since last October. Powell was leading the team with 53 tackles when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury against Indiana in Rutgers' eighth game last season. He then tore his Achilles during a winter workout in February. His return has been one of Rutgers' biggest offseason storylines .

A two-time Rutgers captain and the leader of its defense, Powell once believed his future as a college football player was at Virginia Tech. Then, coach Greg Schiano made his return to Rutgers and targeted the Vineland standout as a priority target in his blitzkrieg recruiting push during his first week on the job in 2019. Eventually, Powell bought into Schiano's vision, flipping his commitment from Virginia Tech and signing with Rutgers as part of its 2020 class.

Powell's production at Rutgers, where he's started 23 games at linebacker, has since matched his high expectations coming out of South Jersey. Injury setbacks, however, have made Powell's story all the more interesting dating back to last season. Powell was listed with a "questionable" designation for Rutgers' first two wins against Howard and Akron then got an extra week to recover during Rutgers' bye.

It made too much sense for Powell to miss Saturday's showdown, Rutgers' first game against an opponent from a Power Four conference.

"I knew I was eventually going to get back. I knew I would get back. I didn't know when," he said.

Schiano, however, hinted that playing at Lane Stadium was always a possibility and made for a special moment for his standout defender, who made a tackle for loss on the game's first play and finished with three stops.

"I knew that was always a target for him. He wanted to play here. I couldn't tell you if he played well or not, but I was so happy for them.

Powell took a handful of defensive series off but said he was "full-throttle" and felt like himself in his return.

"I felt okay. I played okay," Powell said. "There's so much more I can work on and see out there. I just want to get back on the drawing board and just watch film and correct some things that I got wrong today."

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