Tag: K.J. Duff

It was a wildly busy (and successful) month of June for Rutgers football on the recruiting front.

Of the 20 commits in the Rutgers football, 13 of them came in June. It was a sizable influx of talent, capped off by four-star wide receiver/tight end K.J. Duff of Long Island who announced his decision on Thursday night. For Rutgers, the addition of Duff is now the third commit ranked as a four-star in this class.

With all these additions, Rutgers now has one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the nation. It is a class that  the DNA of this class certainly has a unique feel to it as just four of the commits are from New Jersey or New York.

A look at where Rutgers football’s 2024 recruiting class now stands in the national rankings:

• According to 247Sports, Rutgers is No. 25 in the nation and ranked eighth in the Big Ten.
• Rivals has Rutgers with a higher ranking, putting Rutgers at No. 21 nationally. In the Big Ten, they are seventh in the conference.
• On3 puts Rutgers at No. 36 nationally in their rankings and tenth in the Big Ten.
• With On3 as the outlier in the rankings, it is accurate to say that Rutgers is doing well with an average placement for this class from these three services at No. 27 in the nation.

What is also clear is Rutgers has a lot of work still to be done if they are going to compete at the top-tier of the Big Ten. In none of the three recruiting services is Rutgers ranked in the top five of the Big Ten with their recruiting class.

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Now, that isn’t the be-all or end all as the recruiting services often miss on players (it is an imperfect science). There is also a track record of programs in the Big Ten such as Iowa and Michigan State that don’t traditionally land four-star recruits but instead develop their talent.

Certainly though, it is obvious that Rutgers is trending up in recruiting this year. In 2023, the Scarlet Knights had a recruiting class that was ranked No. 57 in the nation according to 247Sports.

Good news for Rutgers and head coach Greg Schiano to see, at the very least, that they appear to be drawing in a higher level of talent this spring and summer.

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Rutgers football landed a bigtime player and a priority recruit in K.J. Duff. The four-star tight end from Long Island is now the highest-ranked recruit in the 2024 class for Rutgers. He is also the third commit ranked as a four-star in this current Rutgers recruiting class.

Duff is an intriguing athlete. At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, he has the athleticism to play wide receiver and the frame to be a tight end. He picked Rutgers over a final two that also included North Carolina. Duff also held offers from Arizona State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Texas A&M among others.

Last season for St. Anthony’s (Melville, N.Y.), he had 42 catches for 995 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Duff is now the second commitment from New York in this recruiting class for Rutgers, joining Erasmus Hall defensive lineman Aaris Bethea.

Whether Duff ends up at wide receiver or tight end (or more likely in a hybrid role), he is an important recruiting win for Rutgers football. He is ranked the second-best player in New York and the No. 17 tight end in the nation in the 247Sports Composite.

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Rivals recently bumped him up to a four-star recruit.

Rutgers now has a strong class that features 20 commits.

Duff joins a Rutgers football class that includes four-star running back Gabriel Winowich (247Sports and ESPN) and four-star athlete Isaiah Crumpler (On3).

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K.J. Duff just got a fourth star, as the Rutgers football target sees his recruitment continue to take off.

On Monday, Duff received a fourth star from On3. He is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound tight end prospect from St. Anthony’s (Riverhead, N.Y.).

He had originally been a three-star recruit.

According to the On3 update, Duff is the third best player in New York in his recruiting class and the No. 27 tight end in the nation. He is ranked as the No. 501 recruit in the nation.

According to On3, Duff is at 85.7 percent to go to Miami as the Hurricanes just offered him last week on an unofficial visit.

He was also offered by Duke earlier this month. He has taken recent visits to Pittsburgh, Syracuse and most recently Miami. Rutgers football offered him 14 months ago.

Last season, the class of 2024 recruit was almost unstoppable for St. Anthony’s, one of the top programs in not just the state but the region. As a junior, Duff had 42 catches for 995 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

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K.J. Duff has had a busy summer, and it could be picking up in the next few weeks before the start of his junior season and training camp.

Duff is a class of 2024 prospect at Long Island powerhouse St. Anthony’s (Millville, N.Y.). The 6-foot-4, 185-pound wide receiver is one of the top prospects in the region.

He currently has Power Five offers from Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia. In addition, he has been offered by UConn, UMass and Temple.

Duff was offered by Rutgers in January. He is a priority recruit for Rutgers football in the class of 2024. The current Rutgers football recruiting class boasts several commits from Long Island including Holy Trinity three-star wide receiver Dylan Braithwaite.

Rutgers is also recruiting another 2024 prospect from Holy Trinity in Nick Parisi, a linebacker.

While participating in a camp at Rutgers this summer, Duff broke his finger. The injury has slowed things down a bit for him this summer, including impacting his recruitment.

Check out what [autotag]K.J. Duff[/autotag] had to say about his injury, his recruitment and a very meaningful visit from Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano!