Ziyare Addison was offered by Rutgers football on Thursday, with the four-star offensive lineman already intrigued by the Big Ten program.
A 6-foot-4 and 280-pound offensive tackle from Sumner High School (Riverview, Florida), Addison was offered both by Rutgers and USC on Wednesday. He is ranked as the No. 244 player in the nation.
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.
Wednesday’s offer by Rutgers is one that Addison already has done his homework on.
“Came by my school before the dead period. [autotag]Mark Orphey[/autotag] – the cornerbacks coach – said they were going to go back and watch my film,” Addison told Rutgers Wire.
“He loved my length and athleticism but had to talk to the offensive staff and the head coach. Once we all connected on the phone – the offered was triggered. The one thing about coach Greg Schiano – he used to coach for the Bucs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and coached at Berkeley Prep.”
Schiano, after two years as head coach in the NFL with the Buccaneers, volunteered as a coach at Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Florida).
One of the intriguing parts for Addison is [autotag]Pat Flaherty[/autotag]. In his second season back at Rutgers, Flaherty has one of the best resumes of any position coach in college football.
He spent over two decades in the NFL as an offensive line coach, where he won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.
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Last year, Flaherty did a miracle job with the Rutgers offensive line, turning around a unit that had been the worst in the Big Ten the last five years into a group that paved the way for the Big Ten’s leading rusher, [autotag]Kyle Monangai[/autotag].
Addison said that Flaherty “is a guru (with) over 15 plus years in the league.”
The offer from Rutgers is new, but Addison is aware of the Big Ten program and the rebuilding project under Schiano.
“They smashed Miami in the bowl game. Plus the head coach has a proven track record of players in the NFL,” Addison said.
“Plus, he was a NFL head coach. Loved the energy they played with against Miami in the bowl.”
Rutgers defeated Miami 31-24 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Rutgers finished the season 7-6 (3-6 Big Ten) while playing the second-toughest schedule in college football.
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In the bowl game, the offensive line was impressive against Miami. They didn’t give up a sack and they opened up holes for Monangai to run for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Monangai was named the bowl game’s MVP.
Of the four toughest schedules in college football, Rutgers was the only team to make a bowl game.
