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"It was a tough experience," Munoz said. "I had to gather the whole 'Mike' position in a week. But you just have to take opportunities as they come. I think I did a good job with that."
The linebacking corps, Munoz acknowledges, was unproven, inexperienced, and at times, ineffective.
A year later, however, things have changed. Munoz, the starter last year by default, will have to battle with Ryan D'Imperio - fully healthy after missing all of training camp and the first two games of the season last year with a broken leg - for the starting middle job.
Kevin Malast, who started every game last year and was second on the team with 92 tackles, is back at weakside linebacker, and highly touted redshirt freshman Manny Abreu is the clear frontrunner to start a strongside linebacker. The depth at linebacker made it possible for Schiano to move Bines and freshman Eric LeGrand to defensive tackle, and prompted Munoz to make a declaration he would not have ventured to make a year ago.
"I think we have the strongest group out of all the position groups," he said. "I think we have more experience. We're bigger. We took it upon ourselves this summer. We were the question mark. Let's try to be the best position on the team. That's how we approached the summer."
Munoz, a junior from Miami, had shoulder surgery last winter but was fully healthy for offseason workouts that he described as his most productive at Rutgers. His fellow linebackers entered camp with similar levels of confidence.
"We came out here excited, ready to go," Malast said. "We're more ready than we've ever been."
D'Imperio, a junior from Sewell, had earned the starting middle spot last year during spring practice before breaking his leg and taking a backseat to Munoz.
Munoz, who started 10 games and finished tied for third on the team with 67 tackles, was steady enough to stay in the starting lineup last year, but not impressive enough to put a stranglehold on the job this year.
That created an opening for D'Imperio, who made all 14 of his tackles last year in the final seven games.
"We're both going to work as hard as we can, and whatever happens happens," he said.
"Competition is good for any program," Munoz said.
Lately, Rutgers' linebackers have embraced competition as much as anyone. Their first contest as a group - one they have used as a light-hearted rallying point - came during a team-wide paint ball game over the offseason.
The Knights split into six teams: A team each for the offensive and defensive lines, a team each for the offensive and defensive skill position players, and a team each for offensive and defensive "combo" players, made up of fullbacks and tight ends on offense and linebackers on defense.
"The combo defense," D'Imperio said, "never lost."
