Tag: Rutgers recruiting

Rutgers football recruiting: Florida athlete Julian ‘JuJu’ Anderson is re-classifying

Julian Anderson of Orlando re-classifying to the 2025 class.

Julian ‘Ju’Ju’ Anderson, who is receiving interest from Rutgers football, is set- to re-classify and join the 2025 class.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Anderson is an edge rusher from the First Academy (Orlando, Florida). A two-way player, he also lines up as a wide receiver.

Last season, he had 40 catches for 672 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite often being double-teamed, he was strong off the edge with 45 total tackles and 15 tackles for a loss as well as five sacks.

Anderson also was credited with an interception and two fumbles recovered.

He holds offers from Duke, Syracuse and West Virginia already. With a move up a year, Anderson could see a spike in his recruitment in the coming weeks.

A strong athlete, Anderson played as a forward for The First Academy on the boys basketball team, where he averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

On Friday, he posted to social media about his re-classification.

 

Last season, The First Academy finished their season 6-4.

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In the class of 2023, Rutgers landed Orlando athlete Vilay Nakkoun from Orlando Christian Prep. A former three-star recruit, Nakkoun is currently working at Rutgers as a wide receiver.

Woody Celucien is locked in for a Rutgers football official visit, praises relationship with coach Pat Flaherty

Woody Celucien is enjoying his relationship with Rutgers football.

Woody Celucien is set to take an official visit to Rutgers this summer. It is the only one that the Florida offensive lineman has firmed up to this point.

On Thursday, Celucien confirmed on social media that he is visiting Rutgers from June 7-9.  He is a three-star offensive lineman according to On3, who rank him as the No. 92 interior offensive lineman in the nation.

Celucien holds other Power Five offers from Boston College and West Virginia. He also has been offered by Eastern Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Toledo, UMass and Western Michigan among others.

One of the reasons why Rutgers is trending so well with Celucien is the relationship that is being formed with the coaching staff. Celucien said that head coach Greg Schiano, safeties coach Drew Lascari and offensive line coach Pat Flaherty are “building a good connection.”

Flaherty, in particular, is standing out to Celucien.

“He’s been at all the high levels, his workouts are serious – I want to work out with him,” Celucien told Rutgers Wire.

“And off the field stuff – he’s a really good person who talks about family. And (he) tells me about to become a better man.”

Flaherty has spent two decades in the NFL as an offensive line coach, most notably with the New York Giants where he won two Super Bowls. He joined Rutgers last offseason and made huge strides with the program.

Toldeo and FAU are also in the mix for official visits he tells RutgersWire. He is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound guard prospect who plays for Lety High School (Naples, Florida).

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The phone conversations with coach Flaherty aren’t frequent, but Celucien said that doesn’t matter to him.

“When we do, it’s a great conversation,” Celucien said.

Rutgers football commit Talibi Kaba is a four-star recruit

Talibi Kaba talks about becoming a four-star recruit this week.

Talibi Kaba is now a four-star, the Rutgers football commit and standout linebacker from New Jersey seeing a significant rise in the recruiting rankings on Wednesday.

A linebacker at Hillside (Hillside, New Jersey), Kaba is now one of the top players in New Jersey. He committed to Rutgers in early February.

With the bump by 247Sports, Kaba is now the No. 165 recruit in the nation. One month ago on Feb. 6, he was an unranked player.

Now he is 247Sports’ fifth-best player in New Jersey.the No. 20 linebacker in the nation.

Kaba is a quick and fluid linebacker who covers a lot of ground. He has the ability to change direction quickly but is also very solid in run support.

“I got a notification on Twitter and I open it and I saw it says I’m a four-star,” Kaba told Rutgers Wire.

“I was excited because it was out of nowhere. I was happy all the hard work and dedication paid off.”

Kaba’s commitment last month marked the first player from New Jersey to become a part of the 2025 recruiting class. He was joined days later by three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Jayden Elijah[/autotag], an offensive lineman from Matawan (Matawan, New Jersey).

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The first player to commit to Rutgers in this recruiting cycle is Florida quarterback[autotag] Sean Ashenfelder.[/autotag]

Since his bump on Wednesday, Kaba said no new schools have reached out to him. He has locked in some visits though – all to Rutgers.

“I’m going to a Rutgers spring practice and I have an official visit (in) May at Rutgers,” Kaba said.

Kaba said he will not be taking any visits to any other schools.

Rutgers football recruiting: Wisconsin linebacker Jack Wilson set to camp this summer

Jack Wilson talks about his plans to camp at Rutgers football this summer.

Jack Wilson was invited to a Rutgers football camp this June, the Wisconsin athlete just recently getting on the radar of the Big Ten program.

Wilson is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete who plays for Mt. Horeb (Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin). A class of 2026 prospect, he lines up as a linebacker and at running back.

In the 2024 recruiting class, Rutgers landed Wisconsin offensive tackle [autotag]Carter Kadow[/autotag]. Ranked the No. 13 player in the state, Kadow also held a Power Five offer from Indiana as well as several Ivy League programs.

Rutgers has recently reached out, asking Wilson to fill out a questionnaire. This week, he got an invite to camp this summer.

“I am planning on being at camp on June 16,” Wilson told Rutgers Wire.

“I will also be attending the Wisconsin Badgers camp on June 19.”

The contact from Rutgers is still new but Wilson is learning about the program. He has a positive impression of the program’s direction under head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

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“I love their aggression on the defensive side of the ball and I definitely think they are on the rise in the Big Ten,” Wilson said.

“They are also a great developmental program and coach Schiano is doing a great job.”

As for his upcoming visits, Wilson is mapping them out. At least one other Big Ten program will likely join Rutgers and Wisconsin as camp visits this summer for Wilson.

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“I haven’t finalized my camp schedule for the summer yet but those two are for sure,” Wilson said about Rutgers and Wisconsin camps.

“Also looking at possibly getting up to Minnesota. I’m also planning on going to Central Michigan in a few weeks to get to a spring practice.”

After a February offer, Braxton Kyle is in the process of learning about Rutgers football, planning a visit

Braxton Kyle talks about his recent offer from Rutgers football.

Braxton Kyle was offered by Rutgers football two weeks ago, with the standout defensive lineman from Georgia now planning on a spring visit to the Big Ten program.

An interior defensive lineman, the last two seasons for North Gwinnett High School (Suwanee, Georgia) Kyle has 75 total tackles and 13 sacks in 22 games. He is a very solid 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds.

The Rutgers offer was the first from a Power Five school for Kyle, who also holds offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Kent State among others.

Last week, Kyle broke down his offer from Rutgers. Admittedly, the defensive lineman from the heart of ACC and SEC country didn’t know a lot about Rutgers at the time.

“I don’t know a lot about them but I know they had a running back in the NFL, Isiah Pacheco, who won his second Super Bowl. That’s really all I knew going into that,” Kyle told Rutgers Wire.

“They first got to know me, they (defensive ends coach Julian Campenni) came to our school, and watched us lift. They started to talk to me, said they liked the way I worked out.”

For Kyle, it was his first Power Five offer, providing a sense of validation for his hard work.

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“It was really unexpected. I wasn’t thinking about getting a Power Five offer so early,” Kyle said

“I really did appreciate it. All the work, I’ve been doing is paying off.”

The relationship with Rutgers is one that extends beyond the football field to culture, the recruit said. Part of the pitch from the coaching staff he said was about what he brings to the table off the field.

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“They said they wanted me because they think I’ll be a good fit for the d-line, they really just said I’d be a good fit for their d-line. And F.A.M.I.L.Y., Trust, CHOP – they told me about that and I said that I could do that for them,” Kyle said. “Then they gave me the offer.”

Kyle’s mother is a teacher and she keeps him locked in academically. The school side of being a student-athlete is important to him and a key part of this process.

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He is hoping to visit North Carolina and Vanderbilt this spring, with Kyle saying a visit to Rutgers is something he is planning with his family as well.

“I just really want to see around the campus, see how it is,” Kyle said.

“See the community, see how the people are.”

Rutgers football offers Maryland defensive tackle Elijah Crawford

Elijah Crawford has been offered by Rutgers football.

Maryland defensive lineman Elijah Crawford was offered by Rutgers football on Thursday.

Rutgers now joins fellow Power Five programs Indiana, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia in offering Crawford. He is a 6-foot-4, 265-pound interior defensive lineman from the class of 2025 at McDonogh (Owings Mills, Maryland).

In nine games played as a junior last year for McDonogh, Crawford had 39 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks.

Because of his size and strength, Crawford is unable to be blocked at the high school level by most linemen. But while his power requires double teams, he is impressive in how he can evade blockers and get into the backfield.

Crawford is quick and agile, allowing him to get quickly after the ball once he sheds his blocker.

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He tweeted about the Rutgers football offer on Thursday night:

 

He tagged defensive line coach [autotag]Colin Ferrell[/autotag] in his social media post.

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Since late January, he has been offered by Indiana as well as Liberty, Dartmouth, UConn and Delaware.

Rutgers football recruiting: Ziyare Addison wins an award for his work ethic

Ziyare Addison, a Rutgers football recruit, wins a high school award.

Ziyare Addison is pulling in some impressive offers recently, including one from Rutgers football last week. But perhaps what is standing out the most about Addison is not the star rankings and the offer list. It is his character and his work ethic.

On Sunday night, Addison was honored by Sumner High School (Riverview, Florida) with the Stingray Award, given to a football player who shows hard work and discipline.

It is impressive that Addison, one of the top recruits in Florida, is also a player who sets the standard in the locker room for his hard work. Especially since he could likely slide by on his natural talent and still be a dominant player at the high school level:

 

Addison is an impressive offensive lineman, checking in at  6-foot-4 and 280 pounds. He was offered by two Big Ten teams (Rutgers and USC) last Wednesday. Per On3, he is ranked as the No. 244 player in the nation.

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Rutgers and USC join an offer list that also includes Duke, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami,  Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

On Sunday, Rutgers offered three-star defensive back Kaylib Singleton.

Watch: Rutgers football commit Jayden Elijah is unstoppable on the court, throws down a dunk

Rutgers football commit Jayden Elijah makes an impressive basketball play.

The latest member of the 2025 recruiting class for Rutgers football is certainly an impressive athlete. Jayden Elijah is a tough and physical athlete who also moves very well.

A 6-foot-7 and 290 pound offensive lineman from Matawan Regional (Matawan, New Jersey), Elijah is the No. 14 recruit in New Jersey according to 247Sports. But he is also a standout basketball player.

With visions of Robert ‘Tractor’ Traylor, Elijah runs the court well to finish off this fast break. Some nice use of his fingertips to get control and then a strong, impressive dunk.

Some nice court awareness there as well to turn around and receive the pass before finishing things off with a one-handed dunk.

That new phone number popping up on your phone, Elijah, is Rutgers basketball head coach Steve Pikiell:

 

Elijah is an impressive recruit, who has an offer list that includes Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech among others.

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He committed to Rutgers in mid-February. He is the second New Jersey recruit to verbal to the Scarlet Knights this month.

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In early February, three-star linebacker Talibi Kaba committed to Rutgers. He also held offers from Boston College, Duke and Georgia Tech.

Four-star offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews posts recruiting update: Will Rutgers get an official visit?

Jaelyne Matthews posts an official visit update.

Jaelyne Matthews posted an update to his official visit plans, the four-star offensive lineman now no longer is planning an official visit to Rutgers.

Matthews had originally announced earlier this week to make official visits to Miami and Rutgers.

A 6-foot-5, 273-pound offensive tackle from Toms River North (Toms River, N.J.), Matthews is scheduled to play in the Under Armour All-America Game this January.

In early December, Matthews cut down his recruitment to nine programs Georgia, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan, Maryland, Rutgers, Texas and Ohio State. He had been committed Penn State for much of last year but opened up his recruitment in September.

Matthews is one of the top offensive line recruits in the nation. He is a consensus four-star prospect.

 

On Friday, he announced that Tennessee would be getting an official visit in June.

 

Rutgers was the first Power Five offer for Matthews in 2021 when he was a true freshman.

Watch: Rutgers football recruit Ziyare Addison was dominant at the Under Armour Camp last week

Ziyare Addison was dominant two weeks ago at the Under Armour camp.

Offered last week by Rutgers football, Ziyare Addison is continuing to make a strong impression this offseason. The four-star offensive lineman is coming off a very strong performance at the Under Armour Camp last week as his recruitment continues to gain momentum nationally.

Addison’s performance was so good that he was named the top offensive lineman at the Under Armour Camp in Orlando, Florida.

The happiest place on earth was not that for defensive linemen as Addison showed his athleticism and power in drills. He was nearly impossible to beat at the camp.

The 6-foot-4 and 280-pound offensive tackle from Sumner High School (Riverview, Florida) is ranked as the No. 244 player in the nation by On3.

An offer list that includes Duke, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami,  Oklahoma and Ole Miss among others speaks to a recruitment that continues to grow for Addison.

USC and Rutgers both offered Addison last week.

 

Addison is a very impressive prospect. He moves very well and has impressive strength while sliding.

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At the Under Armour camp, he handled both speed and bull rushes with ease.