Signing Day Celebration
Regardless of which recruiting service you subscribe to, it seems clear that this is the top recruiting class in Rutgers history. The list of who they got is well-chronicled, with the usual excellent write-up of reach recruit on this page at scarletknights.com.
My thoughts on the specific positions are as follows:
I agree with coach that it would have been nice to get a third offensive lineman, particularly a center to replace the kid from Immaculata who decommitted, especially because at the moment there is only one true center on the roster. However, a number of the linemen in the program are agile enough to make the switch should it be necessary. Plus, I believe a backup center is one of those things that can be found in the Juco ranks if it’s absolutely necessary.
There are no specialists in the class this year, and that’s fine with me. The kickers and punters on the roster each have a number of years of eligibility remaining. And those are positions not worth spending a commitment on if you don’t need to. Junior college transfers and walk-on players can often fill the bill at these positions, especially when it comes to flushing out the two-deep.
There are technically only one tailback and quarterback on the list. First of all, that can be deceiving because a number of the players that were recruited mainly to play defense have both quarterback and ball-handling ability. So, you never know who may switch sides over the course of his career or come in to hold or handle the ball on trick plays. Plus, it’s not always very easy to recruit a second QB when you’ve already signed one of the ten best in the country (Tom Savage) because the other knows his chances of playing will be better elsewhere. Combine that with the fact that both highly-touted QB recruits from last year: Steve Shimko and D.C. Jefferson are still on the roster with four years of remaining eligibility.
The same can be said for tailback. Kordell Young and Mason Robinson have two years of eligibility left and Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek each have three. And fullback Jack Corcoran is not exactly a putz with the ball either. De’Antwan Williams is a heckuva recruit to grab considering what’s already in the deck.
Some people have written that they wished we could have gotten another big-time receiver. Harrison and Hayward have that potential. Plus, there are a few guys on the roster who have been itching to play but haven’t had the opportunity with Britt and Underwood starting. Among them, Julian Hayes, Keith Stroud, and Timothy Wright stand out as potential game-breakers.
Defensive line and the secondary are standout spots in this class in my opinion. I can’t wait to see some of these guys play. And there may have only been three linebackers in the class, but they are all quality players and this wasn’t exactly an area of need. Although, you could make the argument that Michigan transfer Marcus Witherspoon is the fourth linebacker of the class because he has all of his eligibility remaining and I think will be a gem.
The best thing about this class for me is that it’s arguably the best class in the Big East. Some services have it ranked highest, while others have WVU or South Florida slightly higher. I firmly believe that Rutgers has a better staff than either of those schools, so I expect that it won’t be long before RU is conference champion.
My thoughts on the specific positions are as follows:
I agree with coach that it would have been nice to get a third offensive lineman, particularly a center to replace the kid from Immaculata who decommitted, especially because at the moment there is only one true center on the roster. However, a number of the linemen in the program are agile enough to make the switch should it be necessary. Plus, I believe a backup center is one of those things that can be found in the Juco ranks if it’s absolutely necessary.
There are no specialists in the class this year, and that’s fine with me. The kickers and punters on the roster each have a number of years of eligibility remaining. And those are positions not worth spending a commitment on if you don’t need to. Junior college transfers and walk-on players can often fill the bill at these positions, especially when it comes to flushing out the two-deep.
There are technically only one tailback and quarterback on the list. First of all, that can be deceiving because a number of the players that were recruited mainly to play defense have both quarterback and ball-handling ability. So, you never know who may switch sides over the course of his career or come in to hold or handle the ball on trick plays. Plus, it’s not always very easy to recruit a second QB when you’ve already signed one of the ten best in the country (Tom Savage) because the other knows his chances of playing will be better elsewhere. Combine that with the fact that both highly-touted QB recruits from last year: Steve Shimko and D.C. Jefferson are still on the roster with four years of remaining eligibility.
The same can be said for tailback. Kordell Young and Mason Robinson have two years of eligibility left and Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek each have three. And fullback Jack Corcoran is not exactly a putz with the ball either. De’Antwan Williams is a heckuva recruit to grab considering what’s already in the deck.
Some people have written that they wished we could have gotten another big-time receiver. Harrison and Hayward have that potential. Plus, there are a few guys on the roster who have been itching to play but haven’t had the opportunity with Britt and Underwood starting. Among them, Julian Hayes, Keith Stroud, and Timothy Wright stand out as potential game-breakers.
Defensive line and the secondary are standout spots in this class in my opinion. I can’t wait to see some of these guys play. And there may have only been three linebackers in the class, but they are all quality players and this wasn’t exactly an area of need. Although, you could make the argument that Michigan transfer Marcus Witherspoon is the fourth linebacker of the class because he has all of his eligibility remaining and I think will be a gem.
The best thing about this class for me is that it’s arguably the best class in the Big East. Some services have it ranked highest, while others have WVU or South Florida slightly higher. I firmly believe that Rutgers has a better staff than either of those schools, so I expect that it won’t be long before RU is conference champion.
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