Tag: a.j. surace

How many top 10 players in New Jersey’s 2024 class committed to Rutgers football?

How did Rutgers football do in New Jersey’s top 10?

Rutgers football did a very solid job of retaining New Jersey’s top talent during this recruiting cycle. In fact, this might have been the best job of keeping players in-state that has been done by head coach Greg Schiano and his staff since his return to Rutgers four years ago.

A look at recruiting in New Jersey is especially significant given a recent report that had the Garden State growing among the most NFL players per capita. In a recent study, New Jersey ranked twelfth in the nation in sending players to the NFL.

If Rutgers can keep New Jersey’s top talent in-state, then it will have the chance to compete with the best in the Big Ten as well as being consistently ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation.

Rutgers was one of two teams to land multiple top-five players in the class of 2024 from New Jersey, according to 247Sports. They were the only program to register three players from the state’s top 10.

Georgia swept the state’s top two players (No. 1 Jordan Thomas and No. 2 Nyier Daniels) but then Rutgers registered next with No. 3 Chase Winowich and No. 4 A.J. Surace.

Both Winowich (a running back) and Surace (a quarterback) attended Notre Dame Prep in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Winowich, a four-star, is the highest-ranked commit in this class for Rutgers.

He is also a four-star according to ESPN.

Rutgers also pulled in [autotag]Kaj Sanders[/autotag], an athlete from Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey). Sanders is No. 9 in 247Sports’ rankings for New Jersey.

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Those are three strong pulls for Rutgers in what was a bit of a down year for recruits in New Jersey.

The 2025 recruiting class for Rutgers has two current commits, with one coming from New Jersey.

Last week, [autotag]Talibi Kaba[/autotag] gave his verbal to Rutgers. The athlete from Hillside (Hillside, New Jersey) chose Rutgers over offers from Boston College, Duke and Iowa State among others.

He said the pursuit from Rutgers made him feel like a priority. That’s good news for the Scarlet Knights as they got quite the player.

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He is a three-star and the No. 13 recruit in New Jersey according to 247Sports. With a strong senior season, Kaba could well finish the year top-10 in New Jersey.

Rutgers football landed a building block player in ’24 quarterback A.J. Surace

A.J Surace has the potential to be a long-term solution for Rutgers football at quarterback.

A.J. Surace isn’t the highest-ranked player in the Rutgers football recruiting class, but he likely ends up being the most important. That’s because if Surace continues his developmental arc, he is likely a multi-year starter at quarterback for the Big Ten program.

Along with the rest of the 2024 recruiting class, Surace signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play for Rutgers football.

Surace is a three-star quarterback prospect who is coming off a fantastic senior season at Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey). He is ranked the fourth-best player in New Jersey according to 247Sports.

On the season, Surace was 130-of-188 for 1,862 passing yards. He had 26 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 909 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

“AJ, he’s a tremendous football player. It’s in his blood. His dad is a long-time head coach at Princeton and in the National Football League before that and just a great family,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Wednesday.

Family of educators. His grandpa was a legendary coach down in south Jersey. So you guys know the story, and AJ is every bit the culmination of all that. He’s a football guy. He’s a great student, and I think is going to be a great quarterback at Rutgers.

What stands out about Surace is his pocket poise and presence. He has an understanding of ball placement and the ability to throw his receiver open. It is a rare trait and skill set for a high school football player.

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Given his production and how well he did in camp settings, Surace could well have been a four-star quarterback. However, at 6-foot-2, he doesn’t have the size that jumps out to most recruiting analysts.

But he is certainly Big Ten caliber size, and his performance on the field as both a passer and a runner backs up his ability to transition at the next level. He enrolls in January.

The potential is there for Surace to be a multi-year starter at Rutgers and to develop into the type of quarterback that Gary Nova and Mike Teel were for the program.

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Surace’s father, Bob Surace, is the highly respected (and successful) head coach at Princeton.

Rutgers football: Who is the sleeper of the 2024 recruiting class? Who can make an immediate impact? Who might be the next Brian Leonard?

A look at who can make an impact for Rutgers in this recruiting class.

Rutgers football landed a recruiting class that head coach Greg Schiano believes will continue their developmental pipeline. Overall, it is a solid class filled with several players who are projected to be impact players over the next several seasons.

The class is ranked No. 44 in the nation by 247Sports. But like last year’s class, it features several players who are simply under-ranked by the recruiting services or under-valued in terms of their projections.

How did this class fill needs for Rutgers? Following a 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten) season, it is clear that Schiano and his staff can develop players. But they will need more talent in that pipeline in order to be able to take the next step as a program.

Scroll down and check out the recruits from the 2024 class who signed with Rutgers on Wednesday who are the most intriguing in the group.

A.J. Surace talks his senior season, recent Rutgers football visit for Ohio State game

A.J. Surace breaks down his recent Rutgers football visit.

The future of the Rutgers football offense was impressed with what he saw this past Saturday from the Scarlet Knights. A.J. Surace, a three-star quarterback commit to Rutgers, was at SHI Stadium last weekend to see the Big Ten game against No. 1 Ohio State.

Surace, from Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey), committed to Rutgers in January. He showed this fall why he was one of the top quarterbacks in the northeast as he led Notre Dame Prep to a 9-1 record.

This past season, Surace completed 130-of-188 passes for 1,862 yards. He had 22 passing touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 909 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns on 107 carries.

Saturday’s game against Ohio State, Surace said, was a good advertisement for the direction of the program under head coach Greg Schiano. Rutgers held a halftime lead before losing 31-16 to the top team in not just the Big Ten but also the nation.

“I had a great time. I thought they played a good game and the atmosphere was great,” Surace told Rutgers Wire.

“It’s great to see the progress they’ve made this season and I’m excited to see them keep going.”

At the time of his commitment to Rutgers, Surace had a strong offer list that included multiple Big Ten schools and Power Five programs such as  Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

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He is a three-star and the No. 13 player in New Jersey according to Rivals and is a top-10 player in the state in the 247Sports rankings.

Surace showed some strong decision-making ability his senior season and plenty of the potential that made him an early must-get for Rutgers as part of the 2024 recruiting class.

He has been a rock-solid commit and a leader in this class.

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“The season went good,” Surace said. “We went undefeated in the regular season and won our division. Then lost 51-41 to Paul VI in the playoffs.”

On Saturday, Rutgers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) face No. 22 Iowa (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten).

Watch: Rutgers football commit A.J. Surace throws three touchdowns for Notre Dame Prep

Rutgers football commit A.J. Surace was outstanding this weekend for Notre Dame Prep.

A.J. Surace continues to show why he should be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. The Rutgers football recruit had a big weekend in leading Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey) to an important win.

Surace was 11-of-15 for 150 yards and three touchdowns in Notre Dame’s  35-34 win over Hopewell Valley (h/t to the Trentonian). Notre Dame is now 9-0 on the season.

He also had 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Surace has thrown just one interception all season and has 23 passing touchdowns.

In February, Surace committed to Rutgers, becoming one of the first commits in the class of 2024. He held an offer list that included Power Five programs Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

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He is ranked a three-star recruit and the ninth-best player in New Jersey by 24Sports.

Also on the Notre Dame roster is Gabriel Winowich. A four-star running back, Winowich was another early commit to Rutgers.

What’s the plan for Rutgers football coaches this weekend?

Rutgers football’s coaching staff will be out at some of the top games in New Jersey this weekend.

Even without a game scheduled for this week, Rutgers football’s coaching staff will be busy. In fact, it might be the busiest weekend of the season for the staff as they hit the recruiting trail and check in with members of the 2024 class.

And…continue relationships with the important 2025 class.

The plan is for every Rutgers football commit who hasn’t been visited by a coach this year to get a visit this weekend. Schedules don’t always align but that is the plan from Rutgers. Here are a few of the games that Rutgers Wire has learned will have members of the coaching staff in attendance:

  • Bergen Catholic at Paramus Catholic (a number of Rutgers football targets will be at this game and four-star commit Kaj Sanders is having an outstanding season for Bergen Catholic).
  • Notre Dame Prep @ St. Frances Academy (Rutgers offensive coordinator Krik Ciarrocca will be in attendance to watch two commits in quarterback A.J. Surace, running back Gabriel Winowich).
  • Norland at North Miami Beach (offensive tackle Raynor Andrews, and the twins, defensive ends Tycoolhill Luman and Tyclean Luman – all Rutgers football commits – all attend Norland).
  • All told, Rutgers coaches will be at games in Florida, New York and New Jersey.

On Tuesday, head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] was asked about his schedule for the week. His answer pointed towards this weekend.

“You know, actually you go recruiting. So we’ll practice Thursday and then everyone will hit the road,” Schiano said following practice on Tuesday.

“But I want to make sure that our staff gets a little time so they’ll get they’ll get a day, a whole day. How about that? But yeah, they work really hard. And we all do. It’s part of the business.”

Watch: Rutgers football quarterback commit A.J. Surace shines for 8-0 Notre Dame Prep

Rutgers football commit A.J. Surace has impressed this season.

A.J. Surace is pretty good at this football thing. A Rutgers football commit, Surace is showing this season why the Big Ten program got in on him early in the process.

A class of 2024 quarterback, Surace is leading Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey) to an 8-0 start. Also on the team is Gabriel Winowich, a four-star running back who transferred to the program this offseason from Michigan.

Surace committed to Rutgers in early February and held offers from Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

He has certainly been impressive for Notre Dame Prep. Surace’s best quality is his ability to throw open a wide receiver, putting the ball nicely in stride for his targets.

A good decision-maker, he also has pocket poise. His accuracy has been impressive and he has a good, strong arm.

Surace has also been impressive running the ball, showing an ability to read a defense and escape the pocket to make positive plays.

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He also has been moving very well in the pocket and throws well on the move.

It has been an impressive senior season for Surace, one where he is showing the potential to be a four-star quarterback prospect when it is all said and done.

What recruits are visiting Rutgers football on Saturday?

Rutgers football has a big recruiting weekend with Virginia Tech in town.

Rutgers football will host a number of top prospects at SHI Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A third straight home game for the Scarlet Knights will let them bring in a number of recruits as well as several committed players.

Scroll down and take a look at the players who are expected to be on campus on Saturday afternoon for Virginia Tech at Rutgers. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET on the Big Ten Network.

Bold denotes that a player is committed to Rutgers as part of the 2024 recruiting class.

There will also be several players at the game from Donovan Catholic High School and LaSalle Academy in Rhode Island.

Rutgers football: A pair of four-star commits visit for game against Temple

Rutgers football hosted several prominent recruits on Saturday night.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — There was a healthy turnout of recruits for Saturday night’s game against Temple, this despite massive and violent thunderstorms that struck the area two hours before the game.

Rutgers football currently has the No. 34 recruiting class in the nation. It features several four-star recruits, including defensive back Kaj Sanders and tight end K.J. Duff.

Sanders and Duff were in attendance on Saturday night.

Bold denotes a player committed to Rutgers. Below are the recruits who were att Rutgers football for the game:

Kory Brown

Eidan Buchanan

Renick Dorilas

[autotag]K.J. Duff[/autotag]

[autotag]Kaj Sanders[/autotag]

[autotag]A.J. Surace[/autotag]

[autotag]Gabriel Winowich[/autotag]

Last week, a huge contingent of players were at SHI Stadium for Rutgers to see the win over Northwestern. Miss the list last week? Here it is.

Interesting that Duff, Sanders, Surace and Winowich have been att both games this year.

Bold denotes a Rutgers football commit:

 

Watch: Rutgers football commit A.J. Surace goes 65-yards for a touchdown

A.J. Surace, a Rutgers football commit, runs off a nice 65 yard touchdown in the season opener for Notre Dame Prep.

Notre Dame Prep quarterback A.J. Surace had an impressive 65-yard touchdown run in Saturday’s season opener at Wayne Valley. It was another sign of the talent level and athleticism Surace brings to Rutgers football.

Surace has been committed to Rutgers since January. He is a consensus three-star quarterback recruit.  He is ranked the ninth-best player in New Jersey in the class of 2024 according to 247Sports. At the time of his commitment, Surace held Power Five offers from Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

A 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback, he had a stellar junior year at Notre Dame High School (Lawrenceville, N.J.).

Surace’s 65-yard run is encouraging for Rutgers since he was billed as a pro-style quarterback. But an ability to escape the pocket and not just only make a positive play but actually be a playmaker with his feet, is a big offseason development.

 

The season-opening run eclipses Surace’s season rushing total from all of last year. In 2022, Surace had 60 rushing yards (on 10 carries).

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