For Rutgers football, New Jersey has always been the focus for recruiting, but the Scarlets Knights have been unsuccessful in keeping the top recruits home in the garden state. In 2012, right before head coach Greg Schiano jumped ship to the NFL, his recruiting class included five of the top ten ranked recruits in the state. As Schiano tries to rebuild Rutgers football program, will the head coach consider changing his recruiting philosophy?
Changing recruiting philosophy
The state of New Jersey has been a hot spot for top high school football recruits. Recruiting Jersey’s top star recruits can’t be your only recruiting approach. If Rutgers can’t keep the local recruits home, a more national recruiting footprint needs to happen.
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With the hiring of offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, Schiano looks like he is changing his recruiting approach by opening up new recruiting regions for the Scarlet Knights. Ciarrocca can bring in recruits based on his past experiences, coaching throughout the Central and Northeast regions.
In their 2024 recruiting class, Rutgers received five out of eight commitments from recruits outside of New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights received commitments from three 2024 recruits (Gabriel Winowich, Monte Keener, and Sam Pilof) in prime-time Big Ten territory (Michigan and Wisconsin). Also, Rutgers received verbal commitments from 2024 recruit Isaiah Crumpler, located in Greenville, North Carolina, and 2024 recruit Matthew Ogunniyi, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Look for Schiano and the Scarlets Knights to continue to change their recruiting philosophy by expanding their national footprint.
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