Tom Luginbill sees the momentum Rutgers football has built on the recruiting trail, and the ESPN analyst believes that this is a very strong class for the Big Ten program.
The recruiting class for Rutgers football is shaping up to be one of the best – if not the best – in program history. Currently ranked top-10 by both Rivals and 247Sports – there are six players currently committed who are four-star recruits in this class.
The most recent commits for Rutgers, offensive lineman [autotag]Jaelyne Matthews[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag], are four-star recruits (and both are from New Jersey, coincidentally). Matthews and Thomas are both ranked in the ESPN 300 as well.
For a Rutgers program looking to move up in the Big Ten, this class has the potential to raise that standard. The Scarlet Knights have the third-best class in the Big Ten according to Rivals.
Per the Rivals rankings, Notre Dame has the top recruiting class in the nation. The second overall class belongs to Ohio State with USC fourth overall.
Luginbill, the national recruiting director for ESPN, sees upside for Rutgers from this recruiting class.
“These are the types of prospects in the state of New Jersey at premium positions that are critical for Rutgers to keep at home,” Luginbill said of Rutgers adding Matthews to the class.
“It’s going to always be hard to keep them all, but if you chip away, each and every class, there’s going to be another one after that who will start buying in.”
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Adding Matthews, Luginbill noted, is a big recruiting win for Rutgers but the job isn’t done.
“Now just like every other early commitment, you’ve got to hang on,” Luginbill said.