Four-star linebacker Talibi Kaba on the ’25 class: Trying to make this the best Rutgers football class in history

Rutgers football commit Talibi Kaba talks about recruiting for the Big Ten program.

Talibi Kaba, the first New Jersey player to commit to Rutgers in the 2025 recruiting class, recently saw a bump in his recruiting rank. The now four-star linebacker is transitioning from being a recruit to a recruiter.

Kaba is very much embracing his role now as a leader of this Rutgers class. He does so with a little extra clout in his recruitment.

Last week, 247Sports elevated Kaba to a four-star status where is the No. 165 player in the nation. He is now the first four-star in the 2025 recruiting class for Rutgers.

And as one of the top players in New Jersey and the highest-ranked Scarlet Knights’ commit, Kaba is hoping to bring in other players along with him to Rutgers football.

“Most definitely, trying to make this the best Rutgers recruiting class in history,” Kaba told Rutgers Wire.

This spring, Kaba hopes to take a visit to check out a Rutgers practice. He is also planning an official visit.

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“I’m going to a Rutgers spring practice and I have an official visit (in) May at Rutgers,” Kaba said.

That unofficial visit is likely for the weekend beginning May 31.

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He said he won’t be taking any other visits, only to Rutgers.

As for the bump in his ranking, Kaba said it is nice but it doesn’t impact the output he is putting into this offseason.

“I mean, I’m happy but the hard work doesn’t stop,” Kaba said.

“I’m going to keep grinding, keep pushing myself to be the best version of me when I go there early.”

Charles ‘CJ’ Bell will take an official visit to Rutgers football in May

CJ Bell will be taking an official visit to Rutgers football in May.

Charles ‘CJ’ Bell will be taking an official visit this May to Rutgers football, with the Connecticut standout citing a strong recruiting push from the Big Ten program.

A 6-foot-1, 160-pound defensive back for St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Connecticut), Bell is the No. 8 recruit in Connecticut in the 2025 class. He has been offered by Boston College, Maryland, Notre DamePenn State and Rutgers as well as several other programs.

The current Rutgers football recruiting class stands at three members, including four-star linebacker Talibi Kaba.

Bell said his visit to Rutgers will begin on May 31. He also will visit Minnesota on June 14.

“They show the most love and loyalty and that’s big in my recruitment,” Bell told Rutgers Wire on Monday.

In October, Bell took an unofficial visit to Rutgers for the game against Michigan State. That game was a huge moment for the Scarlet Knights season, with Rutgers mounting an epic comeback win against their Big Ten rival.

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Rutgers, while playing the second-toughest schedule in college football, finished the season 7-6 and with a Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami.

“Greg Schiano coming back is great for Rutgers,” Bell said following his October visit. “I’m from Boston (so) me and him talked a lot about the Patriots and the McCourty brothers.”

Will class of 2026 defensive lineman Jermaine Kinsler visit Rutgers this spring?

Jermaine Kinsler from Bergen Catholic has an impressive list of visits this spring.

Jermain Kinsler, a class of 2026 defensive lineman, is scheduled to have a busy spring. One of the top defensive linemen in New Jersey, Kinsler is a name to watch and already boasts an impressive Power Five offer list, including Rutgers.

Kinsler transferred from Florida to Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) this past season. A likely four-star, Kinsler is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds and has an impressive offer list.

Among his offers are Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others.

This spring, Kinsler will be taking a trip to a Power Five offer nearly every weekend. His tentative schedule as of now includes:

  • Tennessee (March 23)
  • Miami (March 28)
  • Florida (March 30)
  • Florida State (April 2)

In addition, Rutgers Wire has learned that Kinsler will be taking an unofficial visit to Rutgers at some point this spring. This could possibly be for the annual Spring Game.

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He is currently living with his uncle, Latish Kinsler.

A former college football player at Cincinnati and in the NFL, Kinsler is now an advisor to prep football players throughout the college recruitment process including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals.

Latish Kinsler’s son is Jordan Kinsler, a running back at Rutgers.

 

Rutgers football recruiting: Florida athlete Julian ‘JuJu’ Anderson is re-classifying

Julian Anderson of Orlando re-classifying to the 2025 class.

Julian ‘Ju’Ju’ Anderson, who is receiving interest from Rutgers football, is set- to re-classify and join the 2025 class.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Anderson is an edge rusher from the First Academy (Orlando, Florida). A two-way player, he also lines up as a wide receiver.

Last season, he had 40 catches for 672 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite often being double-teamed, he was strong off the edge with 45 total tackles and 15 tackles for a loss as well as five sacks.

Anderson also was credited with an interception and two fumbles recovered.

He holds offers from Duke, Syracuse and West Virginia already. With a move up a year, Anderson could see a spike in his recruitment in the coming weeks.

A strong athlete, Anderson played as a forward for The First Academy on the boys basketball team, where he averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

On Friday, he posted to social media about his re-classification.

 

Last season, The First Academy finished their season 6-4.

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In the class of 2023, Rutgers landed Orlando athlete Vilay Nakkoun from Orlando Christian Prep. A former three-star recruit, Nakkoun is currently working at Rutgers as a wide receiver.

Woody Celucien is locked in for a Rutgers football official visit, praises relationship with coach Pat Flaherty

Woody Celucien is enjoying his relationship with Rutgers football.

Woody Celucien is set to take an official visit to Rutgers this summer. It is the only one that the Florida offensive lineman has firmed up to this point.

On Thursday, Celucien confirmed on social media that he is visiting Rutgers from June 7-9.  He is a three-star offensive lineman according to On3, who rank him as the No. 92 interior offensive lineman in the nation.

Celucien holds other Power Five offers from Boston College and West Virginia. He also has been offered by Eastern Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Toledo, UMass and Western Michigan among others.

One of the reasons why Rutgers is trending so well with Celucien is the relationship that is being formed with the coaching staff. Celucien said that head coach Greg Schiano, safeties coach Drew Lascari and offensive line coach Pat Flaherty are “building a good connection.”

Flaherty, in particular, is standing out to Celucien.

“He’s been at all the high levels, his workouts are serious – I want to work out with him,” Celucien told Rutgers Wire.

“And off the field stuff – he’s a really good person who talks about family. And (he) tells me about to become a better man.”

Flaherty has spent two decades in the NFL as an offensive line coach, most notably with the New York Giants where he won two Super Bowls. He joined Rutgers last offseason and made huge strides with the program.

Toldeo and FAU are also in the mix for official visits he tells RutgersWire. He is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound guard prospect who plays for Lety High School (Naples, Florida).

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The phone conversations with coach Flaherty aren’t frequent, but Celucien said that doesn’t matter to him.

“When we do, it’s a great conversation,” Celucien said.

Rutgers football has offered North Carolina athlete Steven Murray

Rutgers football offered Steven Murray on Wednesday.

An offer went out from Rutgers football on Wednesday night to class of 2025 prospect Steven Murray.

An athlete from East Guilford (Gibsonville, North Carolina), Murray is currently ranked a three-star by Rivals. He is a 6-foot, 165-pound athlete who is explosive.

He holds Power Five offers from Boston College and Duke in addition to Rutgers.

Last year as a wide receiver, he had 55 catches for 965 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games played. In the open field, he can be an absolute burner with the ball in his hands

He also had 32 total tackles with five interceptions and three passes defended as a defensive back. Not surprisingly given his playmaking ability, he is also a standout sprinter.

Murray posted on social media about the Rutgers offer. He tagged head coach Greg Schiano and tight ends coach Scott Vallone, responsible for recruiting the North Carolina area.

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Last year, Rutgers landed a trio of three-star athletes from North Carolina in Ben Black (offers from Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Virginia), Isaiah Crumpler (offers from Duke, East Carolina and James Madison) and Noah Shaw (offers from UConn, Duke, Missouri, Tulane and Vanderbilt).

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Vallone, recently promoted from offensive line assistant to tight ends coach, has been the lead in recruiting North Carolina for Rutgers.

One hour after Rutgers offered Murray, he received an offer from Syracuse.

Rutgers football commit Talibi Kaba is a four-star recruit

Talibi Kaba talks about becoming a four-star recruit this week.

Talibi Kaba is now a four-star, the Rutgers football commit and standout linebacker from New Jersey seeing a significant rise in the recruiting rankings on Wednesday.

A linebacker at Hillside (Hillside, New Jersey), Kaba is now one of the top players in New Jersey. He committed to Rutgers in early February.

With the bump by 247Sports, Kaba is now the No. 165 recruit in the nation. One month ago on Feb. 6, he was an unranked player.

Now he is 247Sports’ fifth-best player in New Jersey.the No. 20 linebacker in the nation.

Kaba is a quick and fluid linebacker who covers a lot of ground. He has the ability to change direction quickly but is also very solid in run support.

“I got a notification on Twitter and I open it and I saw it says I’m a four-star,” Kaba told Rutgers Wire.

“I was excited because it was out of nowhere. I was happy all the hard work and dedication paid off.”

Kaba’s commitment last month marked the first player from New Jersey to become a part of the 2025 recruiting class. He was joined days later by three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Jayden Elijah[/autotag], an offensive lineman from Matawan (Matawan, New Jersey).

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The first player to commit to Rutgers in this recruiting cycle is Florida quarterback[autotag] Sean Ashenfelder.[/autotag]

Since his bump on Wednesday, Kaba said no new schools have reached out to him. He has locked in some visits though – all to Rutgers.

“I’m going to a Rutgers spring practice and I have an official visit (in) May at Rutgers,” Kaba said.

Kaba said he will not be taking any visits to any other schools.

Rutgers football recruiting: Wisconsin linebacker Jack Wilson set to camp this summer

Jack Wilson talks about his plans to camp at Rutgers football this summer.

Jack Wilson was invited to a Rutgers football camp this June, the Wisconsin athlete just recently getting on the radar of the Big Ten program.

Wilson is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete who plays for Mt. Horeb (Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin). A class of 2026 prospect, he lines up as a linebacker and at running back.

In the 2024 recruiting class, Rutgers landed Wisconsin offensive tackle [autotag]Carter Kadow[/autotag]. Ranked the No. 13 player in the state, Kadow also held a Power Five offer from Indiana as well as several Ivy League programs.

Rutgers has recently reached out, asking Wilson to fill out a questionnaire. This week, he got an invite to camp this summer.

“I am planning on being at camp on June 16,” Wilson told Rutgers Wire.

“I will also be attending the Wisconsin Badgers camp on June 19.”

The contact from Rutgers is still new but Wilson is learning about the program. He has a positive impression of the program’s direction under head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

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“I love their aggression on the defensive side of the ball and I definitely think they are on the rise in the Big Ten,” Wilson said.

“They are also a great developmental program and coach Schiano is doing a great job.”

As for his upcoming visits, Wilson is mapping them out. At least one other Big Ten program will likely join Rutgers and Wisconsin as camp visits this summer for Wilson.

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“I haven’t finalized my camp schedule for the summer yet but those two are for sure,” Wilson said about Rutgers and Wisconsin camps.

“Also looking at possibly getting up to Minnesota. I’m also planning on going to Central Michigan in a few weeks to get to a spring practice.”

Rutgers men’s and women’s lacrosse remain nationally ranked following weekend wins

Rutgers lacrosse has both programs nationally ranked again this week.

Weekend wins for both the Rutgers men’s and women’s lacrosse programs see both programs once again in the national rankings.

It is good news – and a bit of breathing room – for both programs as they gear up for the upcoming Big Ten schedule.

An impressive 15-7 win on Sunday over Oregon was enough for Rutgers women’s lacrosse to remain at No. 22 this week. The Scarlet Knights, now 5-1, having cracked the Inside Lacrosse rankings last week.

They open their Big Ten schedule as they face Penn State this Saturday at SHI Stadium.

In the women’s rankings, Big Ten rival Northwestern is the top team in the nation.

Two Big Ten programs (No. 2 Johns Hopkins, No. 7 Maryland) are in this week’s top 10 on the men’s side. Rutgers remains at No. 16 in the Inside Lacrosse rankings following their weekend win over Hofstra.

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The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Rutgers men’s lacrosse program in the coming weeks. After hosting Detroit Mercy on Tuesday, Rutgers has a slate of seven straight games against teams that are nationally ranked.

Three of their opponents are in this week’s top 10. The tough slate begins on Sunday when Rutgers will host No. 15 Princeton.

Why did Rutgers football make Jaelyne Matthews’ top six?

Jaelyne Matthews explains why Rutgers football made the cut in his commitment.

Jaelyne Matthews announced his top six on Sunday night, a cutdown that included Rutgers football. The four-star offensive lineman

The six programs making the cut for Matthews are TennesseeGeorgia, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Miami. He plays for Toms River North (Toms River, New Jersey) and has been selected for the Under Armour All-America Game this upcoming January.

A consensus four-star recruit, Mattews is widely regarded as one of the top offensive tackles in the nation. Currently, Matthews is the No. 88 player in the nation by ESPN and No. 75 by On3.

ESPN also ranks him as the second-best player in New Jersey for the 2025 class.

“I feel as though their program could make me a top round pick,” Matthews told Rutgers Wire on Monday about his decision to include the Big Ten program.

He also added that the coaching staff along with the chance to play at home factored into Rutgers making another cutdown in his list.

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Last week, Matthews told Rutgers Wire that he is eyeing a decision date this summer.

One program that did not make the cut down for Matthews was Penn State. Matthews committed to the Nittany Lions early in 2023 before opening up his commitment in September.

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In speaking with Rutgers Wire last week, Matthews said there is a draw to playing at home. It is something he re-iterated this week.

“I feel as though staying home will keep a lot of other top recruits home,” Matthews said.

“And me and coach Schiano have built a great relationship.”

Toms River finished last season No. 5 in MaxPrep’s New Jersey rankings. Matthews was part of an offensive line that featured Justin Kaye, who committed to Stony Brook in February.