Rutgers placekicker Jai Patel was nominated for the 2025 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Patel is one of 197 nominees, ranging from FBS, FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA, and coaches from every level. The list will be narrowed down to 23 award recipients in September, including 11 from FBS, 11 from the other levels of NCAA football, and one honorary head coach, judged by a voting panel of former Good Works Team members, head coaches, and journalists.
Since joining the Scarlet Knights football program three seasons ago, Patel has been an active member of Chop4Change, which focuses on giving back to the community while spreading the important message of unity and equality. He has also created meal kits for Elijah’s Promise and worked with Special Olympics New Jersey, teaching football to young children and running a bocce tournament.
In addition, Jai has been serving as a team representative and leader for Team IMPACT, which matches children facing illness and disabilities with college sports teams. This spring, Jaylen Jhaveri, a young New Jersey teenager battling a neuromuscular disorder, matched with Rutgers football, spending time with the team during spring practices, and had the honor of scoring the final touchdown in the Scarlet-White game, a 14-13 victory for Team Scarlet. Patel is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, majoring in business analytics and information technology, in addition to being an ambassador for Rutgers Business School.
On the field, Jai Patel has been a standout kicker for Rutgers, being thrust into the starting role in place of Jude McAtamney to start his sophomore year. He was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after making all three of his field goals against Temple, including a long of 51 yards. He ended up having the most accurate season in Rutgers history, finishing 15-of-18 (83.3%) on field goals while converting 33 of 34 of his extra points. He earned multiple postseason honors, including being voted Third Team All-Big Ten by the media, Fourth Team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, and a Big Ten Honorable Mention by the coaches, in addition to being named the Rutgers Athletics Sophomore of the Year.
This past season, Patel took a slight step back but still finished the season 15-19 on field goals, which was tied for the third-most accurate season in program history. He was nearly automatic on extra points for the second straight year, converting 41 of 42 PATs. Jai made the pivotal 24-yard field goal to ensure a Rutgers victory in Blacksburg against the Hokies, had a season-long of 49 yards, and concluded the regular season going 4-4 in snowy conditions to help lift the Scarlet Knights to a dominant victory over Michigan State. He ended the season on 13 straight field goal makes, converting both field goals and all five extra points he kicked in the narrow loss to Kansas State in the Rate Bowl.
There have been some concerns about the mismanagement of the kicking situation early last season, with Greg Schiano opting to keep the offense on the field when the team was clearly in field goal range, while sending Patel out from longer distances, sometimes without a shorter attempt to build confidence. However, when called upon, Patel has always been reliable and accurate as a kicker, particularly from within fifty yards. He exemplifies the special teams excellence on the field that we are accustomed to seeing at Rutgers, while also being a strong student and a team leader in giving back to his community.