For Raedyn Bruens, the unofficial visit must go on. Even if that visit included an earthquake that took place just 25 minutes from Rutgers.
For Bruens, his two-day visit to Rutgers was his first time on campus.
An edge rusher who attends Mosley High School (Lynn Haven, Florida), Bruens is ranked a three-star according to 247Sports, where he is the No. 69 edge rusher in the nation and the No. 117 player in Florida in this recruiting cycle.
He holds offers from FAU, Jacksonville State, South Florida, Troy and Tulane among others.
His visit to Rutgers over the weekend began on Friday. Just a couple of hours into the visit, something memorable happened.
Well, it would have been memorable if Bruens had realized it at the time.
“I actually didn’t at first,” Bruens told Rutgers Wire about the Friday morning earthquake, which measured a 4.8.
“I didn’t even know till later. I did feel an after shock after I had gotten to the hotel.”
At the time that the earthquake rumbled across New Jersey, Bruens and his family were pulling up to the academic center at Rutgers for a meeting. Bruens learned about the earthquake when a friend of his mother texted her to check in on the family.
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The friend had seen the news about the earthquake in New Jersey and wanted to make sure everyone was safe.
As for the rest of the visit, the part that was truly memorable for Bruens, it was a good first experience at Rutgers.
“We got there late Thursday night and Friday was a life day for them,” Bruens said.
“So we got to watch them lift and had meetings with some coaches and academic advisers. Saturday was a scrimmage day so I got to see them practice then scrimmage for an hour. It was a great time.”
Last year, Bruens had 48 total tackles including eight tackles for a loss. He had two sacks and five quarterback hurries as well as four passes defended.
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He said he is planning on taking an official visit to Rutgers this summer.
“I loved it,” Bruens said. “Seems like a great system and a great culture.”
Bruens did feel the aftershock several hours later on Friday evening. The aftershock measured in at 4.0 and, much like the morning earthquake, rattled throughout New Jersey.
“In the hotel, we had felt the after shock and it shook the room,” Bruens said.
