Category: Rutgers recruiting

Rutgers football commit Chase Linton talks the Greg Schiano factor and his new 4-star ranking

Chase Linton talks about his Rutgers football commitment and his relationship with head coach Greg Schiano.

Chase Linton remains completely locked in with Rutgers football. One of the most intriguing players in this highly-ranked Scarlet Knights recruiting class, Linton is a fascinating recruiting prospect due to his athleticism.

Seriously under-recruited, Linton picked Rutgers over offers from Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Georgia State, UMass and Memphis. He committed to Rutgers in early June while on an official visit to the Big Ten program.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher had 61 total tackles last year along with five sacks and 20 tackles for a loss. He also had one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries for  North Atlanta High School (Atlanta, Georgia).

Since his commitment to Rutgers, Linton said that things are rolling along in the right direction with the Scarlet Knights and head coach Greg Schiano.

“Things are good. The commitment means a lot to me and my family,” Linton told Rutgers Wire.

“I’m planning to come to a game or two this season and right before school starts.

“Coach Schiano is amazing. I’m from a sports family so we pay attention to coaches a lot. And Schiano’s energy is just a good fit for me. He’s straightforward and respectable and credible. It was talking to him that really made a difference for me.”

This past month, Linton was bumped up to a four-star recruit by 247Sports.

He is now the No. 28 edge in the nation and the No. 35 recruit in the class of 2025.

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The bump in the ratings is a significant one for Linton and came after his commitment to the Scarlet Knights.

“It’s good to be noticed as a high-level player and it also means I really have to produce and play hard,” Linton said.

“So I’m happy about it but I know what really matters is what I do on the field.”

As Linton alluded to, his four-star ranking is sure to bring attention to the Georgia edge rusher.

“I’m locked in. I didn’t take any of my other official visits and haven’t camped anywhere this whole summer,” Linton said.

“Now I’m only focused on senior year.”

Film Breakdown – Rutgers football secured an elite athlete in Chase Linton

Rutgers football added an elite athlete to their defensive line when the Scarlet Knights received a commitment from prospect Chase Linton.

Rutgers football landed a commitment from an elite athlete at the defensive end position in four-star 2025 prospect Chase Linton.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher from North Atlanta High School in Georgia, Atlanta, is extremely athletic.His commitment in early June gives Rutgers yet another elite athlete in this recruiting class.

When Linton reports to campus in 2025, he can be impactful. He offers both stopping the run and putting pressure on the quarterback at the defensive end position. Linton has long arms, preventing offensive tackles from getting their hands on him.

Linton is a speedy pash rusher who plays gap-sounded defense in the rushing attack. He can pursue ball carriers, track down quarterbacks, and make plays in space, causing turnovers by ripping the football loose. His quick bursts of speed and agility will make it difficult for opposing Big Ten linemen.

Per 247Sports, Linton is a four-star and the No. 35 recruit in the nation.

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The future Scarlet Knight’s strengths thrive in passing situations, using his size and length to hurry or get hits on the quarterback. He does an excellent job disrupting the offensive rhythm, forcing the quarterback to panic in the pocket.

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The average weight for an FBS Power Five defensive lineman is 260 pounds, making Linton undersize for his position. He has the length but needs to gain weight and strength. Linton will struggle in the Big Ten’s heavy rushing attack being outweighed on the defensive line.

 

 

 

 

Zaydaan Faridi recaps Rutgers football camp performance

It was a standout performance from Zaydaan Faridi at the recent Rutgers football camp.

Zaydaan Faridi walked away from the Rutgers football specialist camp two weeks ago with two bucket hats, his prize for a really outstanding performance at the event.

A kicker and punter from Clarksburg High School (Clarksburg, Maryland), Faridi is ranked a 4.5 star from Kohl’s. He is ranked the No. 100 kicker in the nation.

At the Rutgers specialist camp two weeks ago, Faridi won the field goal competition and the kicking competition.

The class of 2025 prospect was impressed by Rutgers during what was an important day for him kicking the ball.

“My time at Rutgers was great. It was an amazing experience to be able to kick inside the stadium,” Faridi told Rutgers Wire.

“The coaches and players hosted a well-organized camp. We started off with field goal charting where we kicked 8 field goals in an arc, I went 7-for-8. After that, we charted goal line field goals to test our accuracy. After the field goal charting, we went to kickoffs. Each person kicked three kickoffs that were charted. The distances of my kicks were 68, 71, and 76 yards. Once all the charting was over, we went to field goal competition.

“Only six people were selected and it was single elimination. First kick from 42 yards, second kick from 44 yards, and third kick from 50 yards. I won the field goal competition with a 50-yarder. After that, coach Allen (senior analyst Eddie Allen who handles special teams) told me to go back to 55 and I made that too.”

This summer is a busy one for Faridi. He will be participating in the New England Elite Mega Camp as well as camps at Georgetown, UPenn, Towson and Lafayette.

Faridi will also be at the Kohl’s National Invitational in late July in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Rutgers was a good start to this busy summer for Faridi.

“The program is great,” Faridi said.

“I also love the time and effort the whole coaching staff puts into special teams.”

 

ESPN 300 wide receiver Travis Johnson, a 4-star, talks recent Rutgers football offer

ESPN 300 wide receiver Travis Johnson, recently offered by Rutgers football, talks about his offer. #Rutgers

Following an offer from Rutgers football earlier this week, Travis Johnson said that a relationship with the Big Ten program is already being formed.

Johnson,  the No. 72 recruit in the ESPN 300 for the 2026 class is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver from Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Virginia). He was offered by Rutgers on Monday.

In addition to playing wide receiver, he is also a forward on the varsity basketball team.

He has a strong offer list that includes  Boston College, Duke, Florida, Indiana, Maryland Miami, Michigan State, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Following his offer from Rutgers, Johnson gave his first impression of the Scarlet Knights and the Big Ten program.

“The offer coming in from coach Schiano means so much! I really like what Rutgers stands for,” Johnson told Rutgers Wire.

“How they support their players on and off the field and their core values.

“My mom and I had a great conversation with coach Schiano.”

 

Johnson hasn’t visited Rutgers yet, but that looks like it could well change.

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“I feel like I need to get up there soon,” Johnson said.

This week, he will participate in the Under Armour Next Future 50 football camp.

Where is New Jersey 4-star linebacker Kamar Archie heading? On3 has a prediction

Where is Kamar Archie headed?

Kamar Archie, who took an official visit to Rutgers football earlier this month, is expected to make his college commitment sometime in early July.

A four-star linebacker, Archie plays for The Hun School in Princeton, N.J. He has an offer list that includes Florida, Georgia, Miami, Rutgers and South Carolina among others.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Rutgers football in the driver’s seat on this one, with the Scarlet Knights at 41.2 percent.

Penn State is a distant second at 18.2 percent. Michigan comes in at 12.5 percent.

In mid-June, Archie took an official visit to Rutgers

If you’re not familiar with the Recruiting Prediction Machine, it is pretty interesting stuff. According to On3, the prediction machine “Combines data and expert predictions on an AI platform.”

Archie having Rutgers with an edge in the projection is big news for the Scarlet Knights. He is the No. 32 linebacker prospect in the nation according to ESPN (where he is also a four-star)

In the On3 Industry Rankings, Archie is a four-star and the No. 196 player in the nation.

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Were Archie in fact to commit to Rutgers, he would give Rutgers three commits in On3’s top 10 for New Jersey and five total commits among the top 15 players in the state in this recruiting cycle.

What a statement that would be for the Scarlet Knights.

Film Study – DJ McClary offers plenty of upside for Rutgers football

Rutgers added four-star recruit DJ McClary to their defense. He offers various skills to stop the run and pass at the linebacker position.

On Monday, Rutgers football added four-star linebacker DJ McClary to their 2025 recruiting class. T

he 6-foot-1, 211-pound prospect from Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City, New Jersey offers a ton of upside at the linebacker position. He is the latest commitment in a class for Rutgers that has hge upside.

McClary has various skills to stop the run and pass, using his speed to his advantage. He has excellent instincts which will let him thrive at the Power Five level. The future Scarlet Knight can diagnose plays quickly and run outside to make tackles. His reaction speed and athleticism will fit nicely in head coach Greg Schiano and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

In the 4-2-5 defensive formation, tackling, speed, and strength are key when playing the middle linebacker position. McClary can close in on plays quickly and chase down ball carriers. He has excellent lateral quickness, allowing him to change directions.

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McClary has plenty of physicality, allowing him to shine in the Big Ten Conference. Using the proper tackling technique, the No. 6 ranked New Jersey prospect lowers the boom when needed. McClary keeps his head up, initiating contact with his chest and shoulder pads, while wrapping his arms around the ball carrier.

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As McClary continues to develop toward the Power Five level, he has to focus on his strength and size. He is undersized for a Big Ten middle linebacker, weighing only 211 pounds. If McClary wants to shine in the Big Ten, putting on size and strength will allow him to do so.

 

 

 

New Jersey 4-star Jordan Thomas is invited to the Under Armour Next Future 50

Jordan Thomas will be at the Under Armour camp this summer.

Among those invited to participate in the upcoming Under Armour Next Future 50 camp is New Jersey defensive back Jordan Thomas.

Thomas is one of the biggest names set to participate in the camp.

A class of 2026 recruit out of Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey). He is the No. 192 recruit in the ESPN Jr. 300.

ESPN lists the 6-foot, 180-pound Thomas as an athlete but he likely projects as a defensive back at the Power Five level.

He is New Jersey’s top recruit in the 2026 cycle according to 247Sports, where he is the No. 135 recruit nationally. He has an offer list that includes Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Georgia, Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse among others.

.Thomas is strong in press coverage but can play off the wide receiver as well. He uses his length and has good ball awareness.

 

A ball hawk, Thomas shows good fluidity in his hips and solid footwork, especially when keeping with a downfield target.

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He also plays as a wide receiver for Bergen Catholic, who were the state’s top team last year.

 

What four Rutgers football commits are in the ESPN 300?

Rutgers football now has four ESPN300 commits in the class of 2025.

One of the top recruiting classes in the nation, Rutgers football isn’t just deep with their 2025 class. They are, according to the ESPN 300, also a very talented group of commits to the Big Ten program.

Rutgers has been hot on the recruiting trail over the past month, with 20 commits during that span. The flurry of verbals, nearly one a day, has led the Scarlet Knights to have a top-10 recruiting class and one of the best classes in the Big Ten.

And there is the potential for this class to be the best ever in program history. Following the commitment over the weekend of four-star linebacker D.J. McClary, Rutgers now has one of the top recruiting classes in the ESPN 300 for the class of 2025.

Currently, four Rutgers football commits in the 2026 class are ranked in the ESPN 300. And perhaps most impressive is that three of the four committed players are in the top half of the class.

Here are the four Rutgers football commits who are in the ESPN 300:

  • No. 111: Michael Thomas III (wide receiver at Donovan Catholic in Toms River, New Jersey)
  • No. 125 Tariq Hayer (defensive back at St. John’s College in Washington, D.C.)
  • No. 150 D.J. McClary (linebacker at Snyder High School in Jersey City, N.J.)
  • No. 258 Jaelyne Matthews (offensive lineman at Toms River North in Toms River, New Jersey)

Also of note here is that three of the four players (Thomas, McClary and Matthews) are from New Jersey. A state that is notoriously difficult to recruit (and is perhaps over-recruited) has certainly shown confidence in Rutgers this recruiting cycle.

A major win for head coach Greg Schiano.

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There are still some top New Jersey players left for Rutgers to target including four-star offensive lineman Malachi Goodman and four-star linebacker Kamar Archie (who took a recent official visit to Rutgers).

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Goodman and Archie are both top 12 players in the state this recruiting cycle.

ESPN 300 wide receiver Travis Johnson is offered by Rutgers football

Travis Johnson is offered by Rutgers football on Monday.

Consensus four-star wide receiver Travis Johnson was offered by Rutgers football on Monday.

Johnson is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver from Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Virginia). Rutgers got involved with a player who is already a national recruit with an impressive offer list.

A class of 2026 wide receiver, Smith is ranked the No. 72 recruit in the ESPN 300.

The likes of Boston College, Duke, Florida, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others.

In addition to playing football, Johnson also plays varsity basketball for Oscar Smith where he is a small forward.

Johnson posted about the offer from Rutgers on Monday via his social media.

 

Rutgers currently has a top-10 national recruiting class for the class of 2025, one that features four players who are members of the ESPN 300. On Sunday, they received a commitment from linebacker D.J. McClary.

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McClary, who was committed to Penn State since last September, flipped to Rutgers. A four-star linebacker, McClary is the No. 145 recruit in the ESPN 300 for the class of 2025.

Following the commitment of D.J. McClary, where does the Rutgers football recruiting class rank?

Rutgers football has a recruiting class that is doing well in the national rankings.

It was a flip-tastic Sunday for Rutgers football with the committment of linebacker D.J. McClary. The four-star linebacker continues a hot streak for the Scarlet Knights as they rise up the rankings in the Big Ten and nationally.

It is a huge pick-up for Rutgers as they flipped McClary from Penn State. McClary is the No. 145 recruit in the ESPN 300.

McClary joins a high-profile group of commits that includes offensive lineman [autotag]Jaelyne Matthews[/autotag] (No. 93 in the ESPN 300), defensive back [autotag]Tariq Hayer[/autotag] (No. 98 in the ESPN 300) and wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] (No. 108 in the ESPN 300) .

Of note, Matthews, Thomas and McClary are all from New Jersey, underscoring the strides made in in-state recruiting by Rutgers and head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

How is Rutgers doing in the national rankings and among the Big Ten?

The class could well improve.

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Rutgers hosted four-star linebacker Kamar Archie two weeks for an official visit. Archie is one of the big recruiting targets left that Rutgers has targeted and is expected to announce in July (h/t Brian Dohn of 247Sports).