C oa ching Sta ff WILL GILKISON
D I R E C T O R O F F O O T B A L L O P E R AT I O N S
Will Gilkison enters his fifth season as Director of Football Operations. Gilkison spent the previous year serving as the Director of External Operations and prior to that stint was a member of the Rutgers foot ball staff for three seasons. Gilkison’s duties include the over sight of the day-to-day operations of the football program, along with logistical and budgetary responsibilities. He also manages team travel, organizes preseason camp and serves as the team’s liaison to other athletic department offices and university branches. A four-year letterwinner at linebacker with the Scarlet Knights, Gilkison captained the 2005 Insight Bowl team and was the recipient of the Paul Robeson Award, presented annually to the individual whose performance, leadership, and dedication on and off the field during his career has had the greatest impact on Rutgers football.
Gilkison became a member of the staff in 2006 as a student assistant. He was responsible for helping prepare and implement weekly practice schedules. Gilkison also worked as a strength and conditioning assistant during this time, creating and facilitating off-season training programs while instructing players in skill development. In 2008, Gilkison joined the player development staff, serving as a mentor for first and second year players. He oversaw the transition of these individuals into the college environment, assisting them with basic life skills, time management, goal setting and prioritizing. He and his wife Katie currently reside in Union Beach, N.J. The couple have four children, Margaret, William, Grace and Gunnar.
E.J. BAR THEL DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING
EJ Barthel is in his first season as director of recruiting in 2015. He previously served as an assistant on the Rutgers recruiting staff in 2014. A resident of East Rutherford, N.J., Barthel was a member of the Scarlet Knights from 2003-05 where he played fullback under former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. Barthel transferred to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where he finished his collegiate playing career, spending two seasons with the Minutemen from 2006-07. While at UMass, Barthel appeared in the FCS National Championship game against Appalachian State in 2006. Following his college playing career, Barthel was invited to mini-camp with the New York Giants during the
2008 and 2009 seasons. He later played in the UFL under former Giants head coach Jim Fassel with the Las Vegas Locomotives. Barthel began his coaching career leading high school prospect camps, building relationships with coaches and players across the country from 2010-14. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach in the Northern New Jersey area with stints at DePaul Catholic and Bergen Catholic High School. Barthel also founded Explosive Training Systems (ETS), where he coached, trained and mentored hundreds of elite student-athletes. ETS worked with over 30 high school football programs offering team-wide training.
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