Renick Dorilas says his relationship with Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano was influential

Renick Dorilas talks about how Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano impacted his recruitment.

A relationship with head coach Greg Schiano helped Renick Dorilas commit to Rutgers football. One of New Jersey’s top players, Dorilas gave his verbal to Rutgers over the weekend.

Dorilas is a three-star defensive back who transferred to play his senior season at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey). He is now the fourth player to commit to Rutgers football in the 2025 class and the third from New Jersey.

Rivals ranks Dorilas as a top-10 recruit in New Jersey with an offer list that included Boston College, Duke, Minnesota, Penn StateTennessee and West Virginia among others.

With Schiano, the relationship that Dorilas has forged was something that factored into his commitment.

“Coach Schiano is a really good guy,” Dorilas told Rutgers Wire this week.

“Every time me and coach Schiano talk, it is always a good conversation and it is always something new to learn from him.

“But what stood out the most is what he preaches actually happens and I feel like I can trust him to make me the best defensive back possible.”

When he arrives at Rutgers, Dorilas already knows where he will line up.

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“They want me to play corner,” Dorilas said.

“Real hands on, be able to use my length and go get the ball.”

An elite level athlete, Dorilas has good speed and agility to partner with his coverage ability. His natural instincts are seen in his ability to break up plays.

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His length led to the nickname ‘Stretch.” The name came from when he was just starting to play football.

“One of my first ever coaches gave me the name,” Dorilas said. “I used to be taller than everyone on my team.”

Taeshawn Alston is at Rutgers football on Monday for an unofficial visit

Rutgers football will host North Carolina edge rusher Taeshawn Alston on Monday.

Priority recruit Taeshawn Alston will be taking an unofficial visit on Monday to Rutgers football. One of the top players in North Carolina has steadily been hearing from Rutgers over the past month.

In mid-February, Alston unveiled a top six that included Rutgers football. The cutdown in his recruitment came just a week after he was offered by the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers Wire can confirm that Alston is on campus on Monday for an unofficial visit.

Also in the top six for Alston are South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Alston is a three-star defensive lineman from Vance County High School (Henderson, North Carolina).

 

According to 247Sports, he is a top-10 player in North Carolina in the class of 2025.He is the No. 33 edge rusher in the nation.

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Last year as a junior, Alston had 27 total tackles. He posted nine tackles for a loss and five sacks.

Rutgers football recruiting: Damon ‘Nuddle’ Ferguson gets a weekend offer

Rutgers football sent out a weekend offer to Damon Ferguson following a Saturday visit.

Damon ‘Nuddle’ Ferguson was offered by Rutgers football on Saturday, putting the Big Ten program squarely in the mix for the talented athlete.

A class of 2026 defensive back from Maryland, Ferguson is a special player. He boasts elite speed and agility.

In early March, Ferguson ran a 49.75 time in the 400 meters at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

He has an offer list that includes Boston College, Bowling Green and Liberty among others. According to On3, he is a three-star and the sixth-best recruit in Maryland’s 2026 class.

He is the No. 26 ranked athlete in the nation.

In posting about the Rutgers offer on social media, Ferguson tagged running backs coach Damiere Shaw and quality control assistant coach Matt Hewitt.

 

It was a busy weekend for Rutgers football, as three-star defensive back Renick Dorilas committed to the program. Dorilas took an unofficial visit to the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.

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Ferguson also spent Saturday at Rutgers where he took in a spring practice.

Top-10 New Jersey recruit Renick Dorilas breaks down his Rutgers football commitment: ‘Nobody has shown more love than Rutgers’

Renick Dorilas commits to Rutgers football.

Renick Dorilas had been on campus at Rutgers more than any other school. This familiarity and connection ended up playing a huge role in his recruitment.

On Sunday, Dorilas committed to Rutgers football, posting his decision on social media.

A three-star defensive back who will play next year at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey), Dorilas is a top-10 recruit in New Jersey according to Rivals. The 5-foot-11 defensive back held offers that included Boston College, Duke, Minnesota, Penn State, Tennessee and West Virginia among others.

“So, I just chose to lock in,” Dorilas told Rutgers Wire on Sunday night.

“I picked Rutgers because throughout all my recruitment nobody has shown more love than Rutgers and I have very good relationships with most of the defensive coaches. They treat me like family and I trust being there with them will put me in the right spot.”

On Saturday, Dorilas was one of several high-profile recruits that were on campus for an unofficial visit. He saw a spring practice and spent significant time with the coaching staff.

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Did Saturday’s visit answer any questions or settle anything for Dorilas?

“No, not really,” Dorilas said.

“I’ve been there plenty of times and realized that it’s home.”

His connection with the coaching staff is “a bond that just kept getting stronger.”

Dorilas was a frequent visitor on campus during the fall, taking in a number of Rutgers games. Now, he is settled on his college decision but he still has big goals to achieve.

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One of New Jersey’s top players, Dorilas wants to represent his home state.

“For sure, I want to be a hometown hero,” Dorilas said.

“I want to be known as one of the GOATs.”

Class of 2026 offensive tackle Marlen Bright is offered by Rutgers football

Rutgers football sent out an offer this weekend to Marlen Bright.

Rutgers football officially joined what is an already crowded recruitment for New Jersey offensive lineman Marlen Bright.

A class of 2026 offensive lineman from DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey), Bright pulled in an official Rutgers offer on Saturday while taking a visit for a spring practice. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound offensive tackle already holds offers from Boston College, Duke, Illinois, Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin

Saturday’s spring practice saw some of the best recruits in the region in attendance at Rutgers.

Bright is projected to be one of the top offensive tackles in the nation this fall and then moving into his senior season. He is explosive at left tackle, getting out of his stance effortlessly and engaging with power and physicality.

He doesn’t disengage till the whistle, finishing off his blocks.

As he enters his junior season, he certainly has some very strong building blocks to his game.

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On Saturday following his official visit, Bright tweeted about the offer. The social media post tagged Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as well as his father, Depaul’s account on X and Latish Kinsler.

 

A former college standout at Cincinnati, Kinsler is now an NIL adviser and mentor for some of the top prospects in the region.

 

Rutgers football recruiting: Tariq Hayer announces an official visit in JUne

Following an unofficial visit, Tariq Hayer plans on summer official visit to Rutgers football.

One of the top defensive players in the nation has locked in an official visit to Rutgers football this summer. Tariq Hayer, an elite-level safety, announced on Saturday that he will be taking a June visit to the Big Ten program.

The announcement came just hours after Hayer had completed an unofficial visit to Rutgers.

Hayer is a four-star safety and the No. 157 player in the country according to 247Sports. He plays for St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) and is the No. 13 safety prospect in the nation.

He holds offers from Auburn, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina and Wisconsin among others.

 

Hayer was part of a star-studded group that took unofficial visits to Rutgers over the weekend. Included in the group were two Rutgers commits (four-star linebacker Talibi Kaba and three-star offensive lineman Jayden Elijah).

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In mid-March, Hayer took unofficial visits to Auburn and Alabama. He recently announced an official visit to Cincinnati for late May.

 

What top recruits are visiting Rutgers football on Saturday?

Rutgers football is going to host some top-tier recruits on Saturday.

Rutgers football will be hosting some of the top recruits in the region on Saturday.

The third practice of the spring season sees two Rutgers football commits and several of the top uncommitted players in the region on campus. Scroll down and check out the top recruits who will be on campus on Saturday:

*denotes a Rutgers football commit

  • Eidan Buchannan (class of 2025 offensive tackle and a three-star recruit from Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland)
  • Renick ‘Stretch’ Dorilas (class of 2025 defensive back and a three-star recruit from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey)
  • Jayden Elijah* (class of 2025 offensive lineman and a three-star recruit from Matawan in Matawan, New Jersey)
  • Tariq Hayer (class of 2025 safety and a four-star recruit from St. John’s College in Washington, D.C.)
  • Darren Ikinnagbon (class of 2025 defensive lineman and a four-star recruit from Hillside in Hillside, New Jersey)
  • Qeanu Johnson (class of 2025 wide receiver and a three-star wide receiver from Hamden Hall in Hamden, Connecticut)
  • Talibi Kaba* (class of 2025 linebacker and a four-star recruit from Hillside in Hillside, New Jersey)
  • KJ McClain (class of 2026 wide receiver and a four-star recruit from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, New Jersey)
  • Larry Moon III (class of 2027 defensive back from Alquippa from Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania)
  • Maxwell Roy (class of 2025 defensive lineman and a four-star recruit from St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Braswell Thomas (class of 2025 athlete and a three-star recruit from Lower Cape May Regional in Cape May, New Jersey)

Also attending will be members of the Newark Eastside team. Also, three 7-on-7 teams will be in attendance: OTG, Philly’s Finest and Team Tampa.

Keveun Mason is set for an official visit to Rutgers football

Keveun Mason announced an official visit to Rutgers for June.

Florida athlete Keveun Mason is locked in for an official visit to Rutgers.

Mason announced an official visit to Rutgers in June, the player publishing the details on Wednesday via his social media. A member of the class of 2025, Mason is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound running back who plays for Lake Placid (Lake Placid, Florida)

He holds offers from FIU, Georgia State, Liberty and South Florida in addition to Rutgers. The offer from the Scarlet Knights came this past May and remains his first Power Five offer.

Last season, he had 1,334 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. In addition, he had eight receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Mason is also a track star, running the 100 meters in 10.5 seconds.

 

The 2025 recruiting class currently stands at three commitments. The first player to verbal to Rutgers was last fall when quarterback Sean Ashenfelder was on a visit to campus.

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Ashenfelder is a three-star quarterback from Florida.

In February, Rutgers received commitments from four-star linebacker Talibi Kaba and three-star offensive lineman Jayden Elijah.

 

Rutgers football recruiting: Brady Bekkenhuis is offered on Tuesday

Rutgers football sent out an offer on Tuesday night, this time to an offensive lineman from New England.

An offer went out from Rutgers football on Tuesday night to Brady Bekkenhuis. The Massachusetts offensive lineman is part of the class of 2026.

Rutgers is now his second reported Power Five offer, joining Boston College.

A 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive lineman from Arlington (Arlington, Massachusetts), Bekkenhuis is projected to become a national recruit.

Physically, Bekkenhuis already has the look and cut of a Power Five prospect. He has long arms and is aggressive in making contact with defenders.

At the high school level, he can physically overpower most edge rushers. Bekkenhuis plays either offensive tackle position.

He posted the offer on Tuesday and tagged Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as well as assistant Charlie Noonan.

 

Arlington finished last season 5-6.

Rutgers is increasingly recruiting New England. This week, offensive lineman Hardy Watts told Rutgers Wire that he plans on visiting the school in April.

One of the top offensive linemen in the nation in the 2025 class, Watts is the top-ranked recruit in Massachusetts.

 

Four-star offensive lineman Hardy Watts is planning a spring visit to Rutgers football

Rutgers football will host a spring visit from Hardy Watts in April.

Hardy Watts, one of the top offensive tackles in the nation, is planning a visit to Rutgers football next month.
A class of 2025 recruit, Watts, is the top-ranked player in Massachusetts and a four-star recruit according to Rivals. He is ranked the No. 168 recruit in the nation.
At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Watts has some good physical projections to play offensive tackle at the Power Five level. Offered in the past week by Clemson, Watts is planning an unofficial visit to Rutgers on April 20.
“I think they are a great program with a bright future. The coaching staff are great people,” Watts told RutgersWire this week.
One of the selling points for Rutgers when it comes to offensive line recruits is Pat Flaherty.
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In his second year at Rutgers, Flaherty transformed the line last season. The improved play of the line was significant in keying Rutgers to a 7-6 season and a bowl win over Miami.
Flaherty has over two decades of experience coaching offensive lines in the NFL. During that time, he won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.
“We have a good relationship. Coach Flaherty and I talk often as well as the recruiting staff,” Watts said.
“He is obviously a seasoned vet (who) knows what he’s doing. That’s very important in terms of developing players.”
Watts has a strong offer list that includes Boston College, Duke, Miami, Michigan and South Carolina among others.
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“No one school sticks out right now, they’re all communicating about the same,” Watts said.
“(I want) A place that’s going to develop me into the best possible person, student and player.”