Greg Schiano announces season-ending torn ACL for captain Mo Toure

Rutgers has suffered a major injury on the defensive side of the ball before the season is even underway. Star linebacker Mo Toure is out for the season with a torn ACL, Greg Schiano told reporters on Tuesday.

Pat Lanni tweeted the news about the senior captain for the Scarlet Knights.

“Greg Schiano just announced that LB and senior captain Mo Toure will be out for the season with a torn ACL. It’s a significant blow for a defense that was counting on his dynamic ability,” Lanni posted.

Mo Toure was recently named to the Butkus Award watch list after earning fourth-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023.

The sixth-year senior originally signed with Rutgers as a three-star linebacker in the class of 2019. Toure redshirted that season before becoming a key contributor for the Scarlet Knights in 2020.

During his second year at Rutgers, Toure played in all nine games and led the team with 4.5 sacks. He then moved to the defensive line in 2021, playing in all 13 games, with five starts. He recorded 52 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

After missing all of the 2022 season with an injury, Toure had another strong year in 2023, playing in all 13 games and making eight starts. He was named a semifinalist for the Comeback Player of the Year Award after leading the team with 9.5 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

Mo Toure was expected to be a huge part of the Rutgers defense this fall. Unfortunately that won’t be the case now following his injury.

Kirk Herbstreit picks Rutgers as ‘dark horse’ for College Football Playoff

The loss of Mo Toure is a tough break for a Rutgers team that enters 2024 with high expectations.

In fact, Kirk Herbstreit said this summer that he thinks there’s a chance the Scarlet Knights might be in the College Football Playoff bracket.

In a wild and new Big Ten this year, featuring 18 teams, Rutgers’ schedule is finally lax enough to consider the possibility. Coming off a 7-6 season with a Pinstripe Bowl victory, Rutgers could take a monumental leap in program history.

Herbstreit mentioned others in the Big Ten that could surprise and make the CFP, but Rutgers stood out.

“It’s weird, you think about the Big Ten, obviously, what is there now, 18 teams? You go down your list, a lot of it comes down to the schedule,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Someone is going to come out of that conference that you really didn’t expect, whether that’s an Iowa, whether that’s a — who knows with (five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola) at Nebraska. Whoever has the most manageable schedule. Rutgers has a schedule that’s, by Big Ten standards and this Big Ten world that we’re in, they can make a little bit of a run.”