Category: Rutgers recruiting

Rutgers football commit K.J. Duff wins Catholic League Award

K.J. Duff gets a Long Island award.

Four-star wide receiver K.J. Duff, a Rutgers football commit, received an impressive honor on Wednesday.

Duff was honored with the Rich Reichert Award, given to the top player in the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL). The award is given out annually by Newsday.

A 6-foot-5, 200-pound athlete from St. Anthony’s (Melville, New York), Duff  In nine games played, he had 55 catches for 929 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He projects as either a receiving tight end or a wide receiver.

Duff committed to Rutgers over the summer, picking from a final three that also included  North Carolina and Miami.

 

He is part of a very solid haul from New York for Rutgers that also includes defensive lineman Aaris Bethea. A three-star recruit, Bethea had a very strong senior season for Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York).

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Reichert is a celebrated local coach who fittingly was from St. Anthony’s. He led the program to 14 CHSFL titles during his storied coaching tenure.

Rutgers football offers dominant Canadian edge rusher Farell Gnago

Farell Gnago is offered by Rutgers football.

Rutgers football sent out an offer on Monday night to Farell Gnago. The edge rusher from Canada counts the Big Ten program as his second Power Five offer.

Gnago, committed to Kent State, was offered by Michigan State on Monday.

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Gnago certainly has good size. He plays for Collège André-Grasset (Quebec, PQ).

He is currently an unraked prospect but that could and should change. The highlights from his fall season show a player who is dominant off the edge.

Gnago has good speed (he claims a 4.8 time in the 40) but is also strong, allowing him to mix up his moves in getting to the pocket. He makes good use of his length as well.

 

He posted about the offer from Rutgers on Monday via his social media account:

 

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Rutgers is coming off a 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten) season where they were outright bowl-eligible for the first time since 2014. They will play Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28.

Rutgers football will host two commits this weekend for official visits

A pair of committed players are on official visits this weekend at Rutgers.

There will be two official visitors on campus this weekend for Rutgers football, both of whom are committed to the program.

Rutgers will host an offensive line duo of [autotag]Kenny Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Carter Kadow[/autotag] over the weekend for official visits. Neither player was able to take an official visit in the summer or the fall.

Jones was the first player to commit to Rutgers in the 2024 recruiting class. He has very quietly been a leader of this class. He is a three-star recruit from Delran High School (Delran, N.J.) and ranked by Rivals as the No. 23 player in the state.

From Wisconsin, Kadow gave his verbal to Rutgers in June following a strong performance at camp.

Like Jones, Kadow is a three-star offensive lineman.

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He held a Power Five offer from Indiana as well as offers from Northern Illinois, Western Michigan and Yale. He was also recruited by Iowa State, Minnesota and Penn State among others.

This weekend represents the only official visit for both players. Both Jones and Kadow are projected to enroll at Rutgers in January.

Rutgers football sent out a Monday offer to Maraad Watson

Maraad Watson is offered by Rutgers football on Monday night.

Maraad Watson pulled in multiple Power Five offers on Monday night, with one coming in from Rutgers football.

In fact, the offer from Rutgers is the first Power Five offer in Watson’s recruitment. The offer from Rutgers came just hours after Watson had committed to Kent State.

Watson is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound interior defensive lineman from Irvington High School (Irvington, New Jersey). He lined up both off the edge and as a defensive tackle during his senior season.

Watson sheds blockers well and is surprisingly light on his feet. He has impressive strength, often wrapping up a ball carrier while draped by a blocker.

Shortly after the offer from Rutgers, Nebraska came in and offered Watson.

He also has long-standing offers from Akron, LIU, Maine, Monmouth, Sacred Heart and Stony Brook among others.

 

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Rutgers currently has the No. 34 recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals. The class features two players ranked as four-star recruits.

Rutgers 2024 recruit Korey “KJ” Duff Jr. received the Offensive MVP Award in the Senior Bowl

Rutgers recruit Korey “KJ” Duff Jr. received the Offensive MVP Award in the New York Catholic High School Football League senior bowl game.

On Sunday, Rutgers football 2024 recruit Korey “KJ” Duff Jr. received the Offensive MVP Award in the New York Catholic High School Football League’s Senior Bowl.

This caps off an impressive season for Duff, who is a four-star recruit.

During his senior season, Duff Jr. guided St. Anthony’s (Melville, New York) to a 6-4 record, ranking the Friars No. 6 in New York’s High School Football rankings. While playing for the Friars in 2023, the future Scarlet Knight recorded 55 catches for 929 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in nine games. He finished his senior season with 929 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

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Duff was a matchup nightmare in high school and will look to continue that trend on the Power Five level. He has excellent hands and is a weapon in the red zone. He is a tight-end / wide-receiver hybrid with a great catch radius and solid body control, showing those skills off in the senior bowl game. Duff Jr’s smooth and precise route running will allow him to be a vertical threat and dangerous after the catch at the collegiate level.

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In three seasons with the Friars, Duff Jr. logged 132 receptions for 2606 yards and 26 touchdowns in 28 games. He averaged 93.1 yards per game and 19.7 yards per catch throughout those 28 games. According to 247Sports, the future Scarlet Knight is the No. 1 prospect in New York and is the No. 26 ranked tight-end among his recruiting class.

 

 

Recruiting insider: What 4-star recruit is visiting Rutgers football this weekend?

Rutgers football is hosting an impressive recruit for an official visit this weekend.

Lugard Edokpayi is taking an official visit to Rutgers football this weekend. This fall, Edokpayi emerged as one of the top recruits in the region, and Rutgers is squarely in the mix for the talented edge rusher.

In mid-November, Edokpayi announced a final five of  Florida State, Maryland, Michigan State and Texas A&M as well as Rutgers. An hour after his list dropped Michigan offered and they appear to be in the mix for the talented prospect from Maryland.

He could potentially join a strong Rutgers football class that includes several four-star recruits in K.J. Duff, Kaj Sanders, Antonio White and Gabriel Winowich.

A class of 2024 defensive end, Edokpayi has great measurables and checks in at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He plays for Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Maryland) and is a four-star according to ESPN as well as On3, where is the No. 28 edge rusher in the nation.

Edokpayi was on the Rutgers campus in early November, where he took an unofficial visit for a 35-16 loss to No. 1 Ohio State. In the loss, Edokpayi said he saw a lot of potential in Rutgers.

“The Rutgers visit was great,” Edokpayi told Rutgers Wire after his visit. “Got to watch the game and talk to some of the coaches.

“Got to talk to (the) head coach and it was a great trip.”

Edokpayi plans to commit some time in December and enroll in January.

Rutgers football offers Princeton offensive tackle Jalen Travis

Jalen Travis is offered by Rutgers football last week.

Rutgers football has offered Princeton offensive tackle Jalen Travis, who entered the transfer portal last week.

The offer from Rutgers came earlier this week but Travis decided to hold onto the offer fro a few weeks. This past season, he was a Second-Team All-Ivy League selection. He has been a multi-year starter at Princeton and currently has one year of eligibility left.

At 6-foot-9 and 315 pounds, his size is certainly creating some intrigue in the transfer portal. He also has offers from Duke, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State and South Carolina among others.

Travis is an athletic and long right tackle prospect. He would certainly fit in well in the Big Ten.

Rutgers has rebuilt their offensive line nicely. This year, three offensive linemen were selected to the All-Big Ten honors (guard Bryan Felter, offensive tackle Hollin Pierce, center  Gus Zilinskas).

 

In 2022, no Rutgers offensive linemen were named all-Big Ten.

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The difference has been the addition of Pat Flaherty to the staff. With 20 years of NFL experience and two Super Bowl rings as offensive line coach of the New York Giants, few staff in the country can boast a positional coach with this type of resume.

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Flaherty’s thumbprint is being seen in the upgraded performance of the players who rotate along the offensive line.

Rutgers football recruiting: 4-star recruit Jaelyne Matthews is back on campus

Jaelyne Matthews, one of the top recruits in the nation, is visiting Rutgers football on Saturday.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Jaelyne Matthews is back at Rutgers, the four-star offensive lineman checking in on a visit for the final regular season game of the season.

Rutgers hosts Maryland, a Big Ten rival, with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff scheduled for the Big Ten Network.

Matthews is one of the top offensive line recruits in the nation. In mid-September, the class of 2025 prospect de-committed from Penn State.

Checking in at 6-foot-5 and 273-pound, Matthews is an offensive tackle from Toms River North (Toms River, N.J.), who is already committed to play in the Under Armour All-America Game next year.

A four-star offensive lineman he holds Power Five offers from Boston College, Georgia, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

He tweeted about the visit to Rutgers with a photo taken from the recruiting lounge behind the end zone.

 

Rutgers currently has one committed player in the 2025 recruiting class, quarterback [autotag]Sean Ashenfelder[/autotag].

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The quarterback prospect currently holds offers from Pittsburgh UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, Liberty, Pittsburgh, USF, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others.

Kahden Davis previews Saturday’s Rutgers football visit

Rutgers football will host Kahden Davis on Saturday.

Projected to be one of the top players in New Jersey’s class of 2027, Kahden Davis will be back on the Rutgers campus on Saturday.

A 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback prospect at Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey), Davis has the potential to develop into one of the region’s top quarterback prospects. He has made several visits to Rutgers this year with Saturday being another opportunity for him to connect with the staff.

Rutgers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) has taken a step forward this season in their fourth year of a rebuilding project under head coach Greg Schiano. Rutgers will look to achieve their first winning season since 2014.

They host Maryland (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) on Saturday at SHI Stadium (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

“I was invited by Rutgers recruiting staff. It’s very early in my recruiting process but things are going well with Rutgers,” Davis told Rutgers Wire on Friday.

“Every time I go it feels like home. Coaches like coach Shaw (running backs coach Damiere Shaw), Hewitt (Matt Hewitt, quality control) and Watson (defensive line coach Marquise Watson) always remind me that there’s no place like home.”

Davis will be watching to see how the Rutgers offense does against a solid Maryland defense. In their first season under offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca,[/autotag] the Rutgers offense has absolutely taken a step forward in their development.

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The unit is viable and has moved the ball well, including out-gaining No. 3 Ohio State three weeks ago.

“I really like how they get their quarterback Gavin (Wimsatt) in space and involve him in the run game,” Davis said.

“I also love the vertical passing game they have been showing a lot of this year.”

His first Power Five offer came this fall from a Maryland program that Rutgers will face on Saturday.

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“It’s going well,” Davis said of his recruitment with Maryland.

“They saw enough in their initial evaluation process to offer me so that is a good start. I’m just going to continue building and working to get better every day.”

Rutgers football recruiting: Who is visiting for the Big Ten game against Maryland?

Rutgers football is hosting a strong visitors list for Saturday’s game against Maryland.

Rutgers football is set to host a strong group of visitors on Saturday for their regular-season finale against Maryland. It will be the last chance for Rutgers to host recruits this season in a gameday environment at SHI Stadium.

There are several headliners in this group including a strong selection of players who are committed as part of the 2024 recruiting class. Rutgers football (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) is chasing their first winning season since 2014.

Maryland (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) has beaten Rutgers in their last two meetings.

Check out the following players who are scheduled to be at Rutgers for Saturday’s game against Maryland (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network):

  • Renick Dorilas: class of 2025 athlete from Union (Union, New Jersey) *
  • Jayden Elijah: class of 2025 three-star offensive lineman from Matawan Regional (Mataway, New Jersey) *
  • John Forster: class of 2025 four-star running back from St. Joseph’s Regional (Montvale, New Jersey)*
  • Malachi Goodman: class of 2025 offensive lineman from Paramus Catholic (Paramus, New Jersey)*
  • Kenny Jones: class of 2024 offensive lineman from Delran (Delran, New Jersey) * (Rutgers football commit)
  • Monte Keener: class of 2024 tight end from Linden High School (Linden, Michigan)* (Rutgers football commit)
  • Jermaine Kinsler: class of 2026 defensive linesman from Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey)*
  • Matthew Ogunniyi: class of 2024 tight end from C.H. Flowers (Springdale, Maryland)* (Rutgers football commit)
  • Noah Shaw: class of 2024 athlete from Asheville (Asheville, North Carolina)*  (Rutgers football commit)
  • A.J. Surace: class of 2024 three-star quarterback from Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey) * (Rutgers football commit)
  • Michael Troutman; class of 2025 offensive lineman from Depaul (Wayne, New Jersey)*
  • Gabriel Winowich: class of 2024 four-star running back from Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey) * (Rutgers football commit)

*an asterisk denotes a Rutgers football offer

Following Saturday’s game, Rutgers will play in a bowl game. The Scarlet Knights, in their fourth season of a rebuild under head coach Greg Schiano, are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2014.