Tampa Bay is quickly becoming “Rutgers South” as the Buccaneers are set to add another Greg Schiano coached Scarlet Knight to their roster. Former Patriots receiver Tiquan Underwood will be the seventh Rutgers player on the Buccaneers roster and fifth signed since Schiano took over as head coach.

Underwood is probably best known after being released by the New England just one day before the Patriots faced the Giants in this year’s Super Bowl. Underwood was released so New England could add Alex Silvestro from the practice squad. Three days later he was re-signed, but was cut again May 3 so the New England could make room for Florida receiver Jabar Gaffney.

Last Sunday Schiano addressed the former Rutgers players in his post mini-camp news conference.

“Some of the guys I’m very familiar with if they’re available and I think they have a chance to help us,” Schiano said. “But again, it will never be because of my previous relationships that will ever cloud my vision on what’s best with the Buccaneers. That’s exactly what I share with them. I want you to be here and I want this to work because I appreciate your skills and your work ethic but at the end of the day, I have one responsibility and that’s to the Buccaneers. So I’m going to do what’s best for them.

“As long as everyone understand that going in…not that it’s easy when you have to tell someone they’re not going to work here anymore, that’s the way that it is. That’s professional sports. Quite frankly, that was one of the parts that I did not enjoy in professional football. But there’s a lot that I do so you take the good with the bad.

“Everyone of the guys that I’ve coached or coached against, that feels they have a special relationship or different relationship with me from familiarity, I make it clear out the gate, I do what’s best with the Bucs. If you’re good with that, let’s roll. All of them understand.”

In four seasons at Rutgers under Schiano, Underwood had 132 receptions for 1,931 yards and 16 touchdowns. Underwood's best year came as a junior in 2007, with 65 catches for 1,100 yards and seven scores.

The other Rutgers players who are currently on Tampa Bay’s roster are CB Derrick Roberson, G Desmond Wynn, C Jeremy Zuttah, DL George Johnson, DT Gary Gibson, and Eric LeGrand.