Category: Rutgers recruiting

Latest Rutgers football offer goes out to class of 2024 athlete Jaylan Hornsby

Rutgers football offered sophomore wide receiver Jaylan Hornsby on Wednesday night.

Wide receiver Jaylan Hornsby got an offer from Rutgers football on Wednesday night, the sophomore tweeting about the news.

A wide receiver at Overbook High School (Pine Hill, N.J.), Hornsby has Power Five offers from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Penn State in addition to Rutgers.

He is currently unranked by either Rivals or 247Sports.

Last season in three games played, he led Overbrook in receiving with 64.7 yards per game. He also had four total touchdowns, including a rushing touchdown (Hornsby was second on the team with 25.3 rushing yards per game).

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Hornsby also averaged 90 all-purpose yards last season, the second-best on his team.

 

Hornsby also plays basketball at Overbook, who went 21-5 last year on the hardcourt.

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Rutgers has sent out a flurry of 2024 offers, most notably to several promising quarterback prospects including Daniel Kaelin and Ryan Puglisi.

Video: nine-year old Yazeed Haynes, now a Rutgers football commit, was a grown man when making this tackle

Rutgers football verbal Yazeed Haynes once leveled an opponent as a nine-year old defensive back.

Yazeed Haynes is coming off a weekend where he was named the wide receivers MVP at the Rivals camp in Philadelphia. But the Rutgers football commit might be talented enough to play on the other side of the ball.

Especially after Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano sees this highlight on a nine-year old Haynes playing as a defensive back.

Let’s rewind for a moment…Haynes was playing for the 9U Delaware Dolphins where he lined-up as a defensive back as well as on offense. On this particular play, he was in as a defensive back in a 2013 game against the Albany Giants in the AAU Mid-Atlantic Unlimited football regional game.

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A running back for the Giants gets into the second level and looks destined for the end zone. That’s when Haynes enters the picture.

Well, the video will explain the rest:

That tackle is currently illegal in 27 states.

We’re guessing whoever that running back is had to call-out from school on Monday. That hit was absolutely something. Ronnie Lott-level hitting.

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Haynes is a three-star recruit according to Rivals who committed to Rutgers football in late March. The North Penn (Lansdale, PA) athlete holds offers from Boston College, Maryland, Minnesota, Ole Miss and West Virginia.

The offer from Minnesota came in last week for Haynes.

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Three-star quarterback Daniel Kelly on his recent Rutgers football offer

Daniel Kaelin talks Rutgers football plus his relationship with Michigan State and his plans to camp at Georgia this summer.

Nebraska quarterback Daniel Kaelin was extended an offer from Rutgers football this week It is the latest Power Five offer for Kaelin who is turning into a national recruit.

Kaelin is a three-star in the class of 2024. He is one of the top players in Nebraska for his class.

Last year as part of a quarterback rotation, Kaelin had 700 passing yards, five touchdowns, a passer rating of 118.0 with zero interceptions.

The three-star quarterback played last year at Bellevue High School West (Bellevue, NE), Kaelin saw limited snaps as he played behind an upperclassman quarterback for a program that went 10-2 a season ago.

Currently, Kaelin holds Power Five offers from Arizona State, Florida State, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Vanderbilt along with the Monday along with the offer from Rutgers football this week.

Check out what Kaelin had to say about Rutgers football, his recent offer as well as his conversation with head coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. In addition, he breaks down his recruitment, talks about Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker’s staff as well as what SEC program he hopes to camp at this summer.

Four-star quarterback Michael Van Buren on Rutgers and breaks down the programs after him the hardest

Michael Van Buren discusses his recruitment by Michigan, Alabama, Penn State, Clemson, Georgia and Rutgers among other top programs.

Michael Van Buren has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in the class of 2024. And, not surprisingly, he has an offer list that features some of the biggest programs in college football.

A standout quarterback at St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD), Van Buren is being heavily recruited by a number of Power Five programs after a tremendous sophomore season. This week, he gave an update on his recruitment, talking about the programs that are currently after him the hardest while dropping the names of two powerhouses that could be closing in on offering this summer.

“Right now I’d say Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Rutgers,” Van Buren told RutgersWire in a phone interview this week when asked the programs after him the hardest.

“Clemson is also showing interest right now. Georgia too…and a couple other big schools.”

Clemson and Georgia have yet to offer.

Van Buren is a four-star recruit according to Rivals. He is ranked as the eleventh best quarterback in the nation and the No. 149 recruit in the class of 2024.

Van Buren breaks down his recruitment, his relationship with the likes of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, Penn State head coach James Franklin, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as well as the slew of assistants, coordinators and offensive assistants involved in his recruitment. Check out what he had to say about his recruitment by Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Maryland, Clemson, Georgia and Rutgers!

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Rutgers football latest to offer three-star quarterback Daniel Kaelin from Nebraska

Rutgers football offers three-star quarterback Daniel Kaelin from Nebraska.

Daniel Kaelin, a three-star quarterback from Nebraska, was offered by Rutgers football on Monday. The offer for Kaelin is the second prominent quarterback to be offered by the Scarlet Knights in the span of a week.

Last week, four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger of Georgia was offered by Rutgers. Both Kaelin and Merklinger are in the class of 2024.

The offer from the Scarlet Knights now makes it three offers from the Big Ten for Kaelin, a sophomore quarterback.

A projected standout at Bellevue High School West (Bellevue, NE), Kaelin saw limited snaps as he played behind an upperclassman quarterback for a program that went 10-2 a season ago.

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Currently, Kaelin holds Power Five offers from Arizona State, Florida State, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Vanderbilt along with the Monday addition of Rutgers. Kaelin is a three-star according to Rivals.

Rutgers football has yet to offer a class of 2023 quarterback and likely won’t.

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Another prominent sophomore quarterback offered by Rutgers football is Michael Van Buren, a quarterback from Maryland who recently enjoyed a strong showing at the Rivals camp in Philadelphia over the weekend.

In Deondre Johnson, Rutgers football just landed the rim protector that Steve Pikiell needs (kidding, but he’s a great athlete)

Rutgers football landed a tremendous athlete this weekend in Deondre Johnson.

On Saturday afternoon, Rutgers football got a commitment from Deondre Johnson, a New York athlete who is the definition of being under-the-radar. But Johnson is also the very definition of being an athlete, bringing to Rutgers football the ability to play multiple positions.

As is evidenced by Johnson’s ability to play multiple sports.

And while Johnson’s future is likely at either tight end or defensive end for Rutgers, the Newburgh Free Academy (Newburgh, N.Y.) recruit is also a standout on the basketball court.

Last season as a junior, Johnson averaged 15.8 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game. 

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And while it is some fun about Johnson being able to play basketball for Rutgers and head coach Steve Pikiell, his ability to dominate on the court only underscores the fact that he has intriguing athleticism.

On the football field, Johnson moves fluidly. He is a decent route runner but really flashes on the offensive side of the ball with his ability to make defenders miss and reach the second level. He has good hips and very good speed, making him difficult to take down once he gets the ball in his hands.

When there is a contested ball, he rises well, catching the ball at its high point. He makes good use of his size in the red zone.

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On the basketball court, Johnson plays either forward position or as a center. He also has the ability to step-back and shoot effectively from 3-point range.

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On3 prediction machine has Rutgers football as the favorite for Chase Bisontis

Rutgers football is the favorite to land four-star Chase Bisontis according to On3 Sports.

So you’re telling me there’s a chance…and for Rutgers football, it is better than a chance as it comes to Chase Bisontis.

The top player in New Jersey, the four-star Bisontis has a number of top offers from Power Five programs. He has a top eight that includes in-state Rutgers along with Ohio State, Texas A&M, Miami, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Michigan State.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Rutgers at 28.2 percent to land Bisontis, the highest percentage of any program. LSU checks in at second with 24.7 percent; Texas A&M at 19.7 percent is in third. Ohio State is at 9.7 percent and in fourth place.

A variety of factors go into the prediction machine including the thoughts of On3’s recruiting insiders, historical trends and data and media sentiments. This is not to be confused with any predictions, crystal balls or the like.

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This is purely a prediction machine created by On3.

 

As for On3, they have Bisontis as the fifth-best offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 51 recruit overall. The class of 2023 offensive lineman is heading into his senior season at Don Bosco Prep.

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If the prediction holds up – and it is still certainly early in the process – it would be a second straight season where Rutgers landed not just the top offensive lineman in New Jersey but also the state’s top recruit. All-American offensive tackle [autotag]Jacob Allen[/autotag], a consensus four-star recruit, committed to Rutgers football last April.

Allen has a very strong chance to come in and contribute for Rutgers this fall.

Rutgers football is getting in on talented four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger

Rutgers football just offered four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger.

Four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger got offered by Rutgers football on Thursday night.

A 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback for Calvary Day School (Savannah, GA), Merklinger is ranked the No. 137 player in the class of 2024 in the 247Sports Composite.

As a sophomore, Merklinger completed 70.4 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,513 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led his team with 11 rushing touchdowns and was second with 297 rushing yards.

Last season, Calvary Day went 12-1, losing to Fellowship Christian 21-14 in the playoffs.

He has an offer list that includes Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, UCF, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

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He also has pulled in recent offers this week from Auburn and Ole Miss as well according to his social media.

Merklinger tweeted about the offer, tagging head coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson:

 

A dual-sport athlete, Merklinger was all-area in lacrosse, being named honorable mention. He also plays basketball.

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The class of 2024 is likely to be the next time that Rutgers football adds a scholarship quarterback. They have not yet offered a scholarship quarterback for the current recruiting class.

In the previous recruiting cycle, Rutgers landed the talented Gavin Wimsatt, an early enrollee who was technically part of the 2021 recruiting class (Wimsatt was originally part of the 2023 recruiting class but he played two games of his senior season before enrolling early with the Big Ten program).

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Wimsatt was a four-star recruit, ranked the top player in Kentucky and the No. 10 quarterback in the nation. He held offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon and Vanderbilt among others.

In the Gator Bowl, Wimsatt featured heavily in the second half for Rutgers.

Four-star Papa Kante talks Rutgers basketball visit, upcoming Big Ten visits

Four-star Papa Kante breaks down his recent Rutgers basketball visit and previews his visits to Maryland and Michigan.

Papa Kante is heading into a busy stretch of his recruitment. The coveted recruit, one of the top big men in the country, is visiting three Big Ten programs this month.

One of those programs is Rutgers basketball, where Kante visited this past weekend.

A four-star recruit, the 6-foot-10 center is ranked the No. 127 player in the nation according to Rivals. He has 14 offers currently.

The class of 2023 prospect is a standout at South Kent (South Kent, CT). On3 ranks Kante as the third-best player in Connecticut.

Kante remains grounded in his recruitment, saying that he is in no rush to make a decision. As for a timeline, Kante won’t commit to anything quite yet as he continues to learn more about the programs that are after him.

“I don’t know yet, only Allah knows the right time and I’m going to keep praying,” Kante said.

“And whenever me and my family feel it is the best time and the best fit, I’ll make a decision!”

Check out what [autotag]Papa Kante[/autotag] had to say about his recent Rutgers basketball visit, his connection with head coach Steve Pikiell as well as his upcoming visits to Big Ten basketball programs Maryland and Michigan!

De’Andre Cook gets offered by Rutgers football, one hour later by Michigan State

Sophomore defensive lineman De’Andre Cook gets offered by Rutgers football and Michigan State on Wednesday.

Class of 2024 defensive lineman De’Andre Cook got an offer from Rutgers football on Wednesday. It proved to be a very busy day for Cook, as the Scarlet Knights were the first of three teams to offer the talented recruit.

Cook is a 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive lineman from Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.). The sophomore is coming off a strong season after a 3-7 season for his program. Earlier in the week, he pulled down offers from Maryland and Bowling Green.

And then after getting an offer from Rutgers on Wednesday, Cook then got offered by Michigan State and Toledo.

Before his flurry of three offers on Wednesday, Cook had offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Delaware State and Vanderbilt.

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Cook tweeted about the offer from Rutgers on Wednesday night.

 

It was a busy Wednesday night for Rutgers football as the program offered Cook and also secured a commitment from Dauvon Fuse.

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A three-star linebacker, Fuse is a versatile athlete who also plays quarterback.