John Harakal enters his third season as a member of the Rutgers coaching staff and his first as an assistant defensive line coach.
Harakal started his career at Rutgers by serving on the player development staff during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Prior to arriving at Rutgers, Harakal spent the previous five years on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Thiel College.
While with the Tomcats, Harakal was responsible for all aspects of defensive line play. He also organized and implemented practice plans and drills for the line and assisted in opponent film breakdown.
In addition to his duties as a defensive line coach from 2002-06, Harakal also handled several other responsibilities, including serving as the assistant academic coordinator during that time. He also worked as the team’s travel coordinator in his final two seasons.
Harakal was a four-year letterwinner at fullback for Thiel College, where he earned a B.A. in History with honors in 2002.
