Tag: DJ McClary

Film Study – DJ McClary offers plenty of upside for Rutgers football

Rutgers added four-star recruit DJ McClary to their defense. He offers various skills to stop the run and pass at the linebacker position.

On Monday, Rutgers football added four-star linebacker DJ McClary to their 2025 recruiting class. T

he 6-foot-1, 211-pound prospect from Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City, New Jersey offers a ton of upside at the linebacker position. He is the latest commitment in a class for Rutgers that has hge upside.

McClary has various skills to stop the run and pass, using his speed to his advantage. He has excellent instincts which will let him thrive at the Power Five level. The future Scarlet Knight can diagnose plays quickly and run outside to make tackles. His reaction speed and athleticism will fit nicely in head coach Greg Schiano and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

In the 4-2-5 defensive formation, tackling, speed, and strength are key when playing the middle linebacker position. McClary can close in on plays quickly and chase down ball carriers. He has excellent lateral quickness, allowing him to change directions.

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McClary has plenty of physicality, allowing him to shine in the Big Ten Conference. Using the proper tackling technique, the No. 6 ranked New Jersey prospect lowers the boom when needed. McClary keeps his head up, initiating contact with his chest and shoulder pads, while wrapping his arms around the ball carrier.

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As McClary continues to develop toward the Power Five level, he has to focus on his strength and size. He is undersized for a Big Ten middle linebacker, weighing only 211 pounds. If McClary wants to shine in the Big Ten, putting on size and strength will allow him to do so.

 

 

 

What four Rutgers football commits are in the ESPN 300?

Rutgers football now has four ESPN300 commits in the class of 2025.

One of the top recruiting classes in the nation, Rutgers football isn’t just deep with their 2025 class. They are, according to the ESPN 300, also a very talented group of commits to the Big Ten program.

Rutgers has been hot on the recruiting trail over the past month, with 20 commits during that span. The flurry of verbals, nearly one a day, has led the Scarlet Knights to have a top-10 recruiting class and one of the best classes in the Big Ten.

And there is the potential for this class to be the best ever in program history. Following the commitment over the weekend of four-star linebacker D.J. McClary, Rutgers now has one of the top recruiting classes in the ESPN 300 for the class of 2025.

Currently, four Rutgers football commits in the 2026 class are ranked in the ESPN 300. And perhaps most impressive is that three of the four committed players are in the top half of the class.

Here are the four Rutgers football commits who are in the ESPN 300:

  • No. 111: Michael Thomas III (wide receiver at Donovan Catholic in Toms River, New Jersey)
  • No. 125 Tariq Hayer (defensive back at St. John’s College in Washington, D.C.)
  • No. 150 D.J. McClary (linebacker at Snyder High School in Jersey City, N.J.)
  • No. 258 Jaelyne Matthews (offensive lineman at Toms River North in Toms River, New Jersey)

Also of note here is that three of the four players (Thomas, McClary and Matthews) are from New Jersey. A state that is notoriously difficult to recruit (and is perhaps over-recruited) has certainly shown confidence in Rutgers this recruiting cycle.

A major win for head coach Greg Schiano.

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There are still some top New Jersey players left for Rutgers to target including four-star offensive lineman Malachi Goodman and four-star linebacker Kamar Archie (who took a recent official visit to Rutgers).

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Goodman and Archie are both top 12 players in the state this recruiting cycle.

Breaking! Rutgers football flips 4-star D.J. McClary from Penn State!

D.J. McClary has committed to Rutgers football.

It was a Sunday afternoon flip for Rutgers football, with four-star linebacker D.J. McClary committing to the Scarlet Knights. It is a huge commitment for Rutgers as they land one of the top players in the state and make a crucial recruitment flip from a Big Ten rival.

McClary committed to Rutgers after previously being a part of the Penn State 2025 recruiting class.

The addition of McClary is huge. He is a top-six recruit in New Jersey in this recruiting class and is a significant win for the Scarlet Knights as a program. Nationally, ESPN ranks him as the No. 145 recruit in the country.

As the No. 203 ranked commit in the On3 Industry Rankings, McClary is the highest-ranked verbal in this class for Rutgers.

McClary, who plays for Henry Snyder (Jersey City, N.J.), took an official visit to Rutgers in early June. He had been committed to Penn State since last September.

A consensus four-star linebacker prospect, McClary was selected to play in January’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Last summer, he released a top eight of  Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, USC, and Tennessee in addition to Rutgers

Rutgers, with 28 commitments, now has the eighth-best class in the nation according to Rivals.

Penn State loses Class of 2025 LB DJ McClary to Rutgers

Penn State is down a four-star commitment in the Class of 2025 after a new flip to another Big Ten program.

For the second time in a matter of days, Penn State has lost one member of its Class of 2025. Days after losing a four-star running back to an SEC school, Penn State has now lost a four-star linebacker to a Big Ten rival. [autotag]DJ McClary[/autotag] announced on his social media profile on Sunday that he has committed to Rutgers, flipping from his original Penn State commit from last September.

McClary committed to Penn State on September 24, 2023. The timing of the flip is interesting given McClary just visited Penn State within the last two weeks, which followed a visit to Rutgers in late May.

The loss of the commitment from McClary stings a bit on the defensive side of the recruiting class. Penn State is down to just one linebacker in the Class of 2025 at the moment with Dayshaun Burnett, from Pittsburgh. Burnett is a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals, but has just a three-star rating from On3.

This is the second four-star player to flip from his Penn State commitment in the past few days. Running back Alvin Henderson, from Alabama, announced he flipped his commitment from Penn State to Auburn. In both cases, the player backing away from his commitment to Penn State is staying closer to home with an in-state program.

Penn State did pick up a couple of commitments this weekend, though. Penn State picked up a commitment from running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman out of Philadelphia and safety Braswell Thomas, from Cape May, New Jersey.

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What recruits are taking official visits to Rutgers football this weekend?

Rutgers football is set for its first official visit weekend.

This is a busy weekend for Rutgers football as the Big Ten program hosts some of the nation’s top recruits for official visits.

It is the first official visit weekend for Rutgers and will feature 21 players…including one committed to a Big Ten rival. Two Rutgers commits will be a part of the group on campus this weekend.

Of the visitors, 18 of the 21 players are currently ranked by either ESPN, On3, Rivals or 247Sports. And 19 of the 21 players hold offers from other Power Five programs.

Rutgers currently has the No. 33 class in the nation according to 247Sports. They have eight players committed in the class of 2025.

Here are the 21 players on their official visits to Rutgers football this weekend. Their recruiting profiles are linked in their name:

The official visit weekend begins on Friday morning and will run through Sunday afternoon.

Penn State getting official visit from elite four-star linebacker

Penn State is looking forward to hosting this key linebacker recruiting target.

Penn State continues their efforts in the 2025 recruiting class to add as many talented prospects as possible.

With the Big Ten expanding, there is more need for talent now than ever.

The Nittany Lions have done a great job at landing early commitments from many players in the class so far, but there is still plenty of time for them to add more to areas of need.

One position they continue to target is linebacker.

Despite having three commitments already from four-stars [autotag]DJ McClary[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] and [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag], they are heavily recruiting another four-star from the state of Florida.

[autotag]Ty Jackson[/autotag] is rated as the No. 115 player in the country and 14th-best linebacker according to On3’s Industry Rankings, but On3’s new updated rankings have him much higher as the best linebacker in his class and the No. 16 player overall.

At 6’1″ and 205 pounds, he is a downhill player who gets into the backfield quickly with his speed.

Jackson has started to have offers from high-profile programs pour in recently with just under 30 offers, many from elite schools across the country.

According to Chad Simmons of On3, he’s locked in an official visit to Penn State for the weekend of May 31. He’s visiting three others across the SEC and ACC in an official capacity this summer and plans on seeing others in the spring. Simmons also said that Jackson is not rushing into a decision with the elite prospect telling him it will likely come after his senior season in high school (subscription required).

Penn State currently sits third in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 18.8% chance to land a commitment with Georgia leading the way at 25.1% and Tennessee second with a 21.9% chance.

Penn State’s 2025 football commitment tracker

We have an updated football commitment tracker for Penn State following Monday’s latest commitment.

Penn State got off to a fast start with assembling its Class of 2025 on the recruiting trail. James Franklin and his staff quickly put together a class ranking in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings even before the Class of 2024 was wrapping up for good. An early focus on defense was noticeable with Penn State’s recruiting plans for the Class of 2025 and some key players from neighboring states were among the early highlights of the recruiting class.

We will be keeping tabs on the Penn State Class of 2025 all the way through the recruiting cycle up until the commitments sign with Penn State. Should there be any players backing off their commitment, we will track their status as well as their recruiting process plays out.

This tracker will be updated as necessary, with the most recent update being made on February 20, 2024.

2025 Four-star in-state linebacker Alex Tatsch commits to Penn State

Dominate the state! Four star in-state linebacker commits to Penn State

On Sunday evening, Penn State received its ninth commitment from the Class of 2025, which currently ranks as the sixth-best class in the nation according to 247Sports, when inside linebacker [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] pledged his commitment to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and the Nittany Lions.

Tatsch, a Latrobe, PA native, is a four-star and top-10 Pennsylvania recruit. His quickness and elite ball skills make him a prototypical middle linebacker who can cover.

Tatsch had this to say to Rivals.com on his commitment and new Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]:

“I feel like the best fit for me,” Tatsch said. “Everything about it – the fit, high level football, teammates, the campus, all the coaches there – I feel like it’s the best fit for me. I think we can do some special things there.”

“It was good talking to coach Allen,” he said. “I got to know him better and see his mind behind football and how he teaches the game. I enjoyed it and I think he does it the right way. He thinks I can do a little bit of everything. As far as the position, I’m definitely an inside guy for him. He thinks I could be on the field for the 4-3 or 4-2-5.”

Tatsch’s ranking has a great chance of increasing as the Class of 2025 gets more flushed out after National Signing Day takes place this Wednesday for the 2024 class.

Tatsch joins New Jersey native [autotag]DJ McClary[/autotag] as the two linebackers in the Class of 2025. Both are considered inside linebackers and should be a noteworthy duo during their time at State College.

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4-star LB DJ McClary commits to Penn State for 2025

Penn State caps whiteout game weekend with four-star commitment for Class of 2025

Penn State followed up a big-time win with a big time commitment for the football program. A day after overpowering Iowa with a strong defensive showing on Saturday night, Penn State landed a commitment from Class of 2025 linebacker [autotag]DJ McClary[/autotag], from New Jersey.

The four-star New Jersey recruit gave his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Sunday and announced the news on his X, formerly known as Twitter account.

“I finally came to the decision thru this long journey developing relationships [with] college coaches and stepping on big college campuses,” Snyder said in a statement released on his social media account. “This decision is solo based on me and the comfort I had with this university. I feel as though this university [will] help develop me as a better football player and a better person.”

McClary was among the recruits making a visit to Penn State for the whiteout game against Iowa this weekend. He also made a visit to the campus for the season opener against West Virginia. McClary held offers from a number of powerhouse programs including Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, USC, and Ole Miss.

This is a nice recruiting win for Penn State in the Class of 2025. McClary is rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and is ranked as the no. 5 player overall in New Jersey, which is always a hot recruiting bed for Penn State and other programs. The 247Sports composite rankings have McClary as the no. 12 linebacker in the Class of 2025, and he is the no. 100 player overall in the nation.

McClary is the third player currently on the board for Penn State’s Class of 2025 at the moment. He joins four-star Texas running back Kiandrea Barker and cornerback Omari Gaines, who is also from New Jersey. It is still early in the Class of 2025 recruiting process of course, but Penn State’s small class currently holds a no. 9 ranking according to the 247Sports composite team rankings.

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No. 1 New Jersey linebacker includes Vols in top eight

Tennessee is one of eight schools for the No. 1 2025 New Jersey linebacker.

Four-star linebacker DJ McClary announced his top eight schools on Monday.

Tennessee, Penn State, Rutgers, USC, Oregon, South Carolina, Michigan and Ohio State are McClary’s top eight schools.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker is from Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City, New Jersey.

McClary is the No. 96 overall prospect and No. 9 linebacker in the class of 2025. He ranks as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 3 player in New Jersey, according to On3 industry rankings.

McClary finished his sophomore season with 131 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery. He earned second-team New Jersey All-State honors.

As a freshman in 2021, McClary recorded 120 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, one sack and one interception.

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