Ryan Ward took a Rutgers football visit for Saturday’s game against Wagner, the class of 2024 athlete getting a good look at the program and leaving impressed.
Listed as a 6-foot-4, 225-pound athlete who plays as an outside linebacker and as a wide receiver on the offensive side of the ball, Ward is a very interesting prospect who has good size and speed. He is a junior at Rutherford High School (Rutherford, N.J.).
Ward was invited to attend the Rutgers home opener where he took in the game as well as got an overview of the program. Rutgers is 2-0 on the season, building on last week’s win at Boston College with a convincing 66-7 win over Wagner.
The game and the entire program left a positive impression on Ward, who enjoyed the visit and found it beneficial in his recruitment:
“I do like the program a lot and all the coaches and staff are very genuine people,” Ward told RutgersWire. “It’s hard not to like Rutgers!”
Ward visited Boston College last week and he is hearing from several Ivy League programs as well.
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As for the game itself, Rutgers was up 28-0 by the end of the first quarter. Ward gave a thorough breakdown of the day and what the recruiting effort by Rutgers and head coach Greg Schiano was like on gameday:
“When I arrived at SHI Stadium, I was directed to the recruiting lounge where all the recruits were eating lunch which was $10. I first had a chat with Mr. Silvernail (Timothy Silvernail, director of recruiting at Rutgers football) about my brother who is on the team. I then went to grab some food from the buffet and was greeted by coach Campanile (tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile). All of the Rutgers staff in the lounge were very welcoming and accommodating to all recruits and their guests. About an hour before kickoff, we were brought down to the field to watch warm-ups. It was awesome being amongst all of the players as they got ready for the game. Once the players were sent back to the locker room, we were escorted into front-row seats reserved for the recruits. We then watched Rutgers dominate the first half. At halftime, I went back to the lounge where there were snacks for us to eat while waiting for the second half to start. We then headed back to our seats for the second half. After the game ended, we went onto the field and into the weight room where I met back up with coach Campanile and the whole room was addressed by Coach Schiano.”
Ward’s older brother, Evan Ward, is a part of the Rutgers football program.
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East Rutherford is 2-0 on the season, having beaten Becton (37-0) to start the season and then Lyndhurst on Friday night 35-14. They host Lodi this Friday.
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