Want proof that Rutgers football commit Aaris Bethea is a special prospect? Watch as he impresses against a Power Five recruit

Rutgers football commit Aaris Bethea has a lot of tools to work with.

Three-star defensive lineman Aaris Bethea committed to Rutgers football on Saturday afternoon, giving the Scarlet Knights another potential weapon along their defensive front.

Bethea, who likely projects as an interior defensive lineman, is a fluid athlete who moves well despite being 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds.

He is a consensus three-star and top 10 player in New York in the 2024 recruiting class.

Bethea really has some impressive ability and isn’t a typical Power Five level recruit. He has tremendous balance and footwork, with good hips. He gets out of his stance solidly and has some nice explosiveness in his first step.

He overall uses his hands well and takes good angles in pursuit.

There is some tremendous upside for Rutgers football in adding a player like Bethea. He comes in with some polished moves and has played at a high level for Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.), one of the top programs in the tristate area.

But he also has a high ceiling, something that should excite head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag].

In this clip from the Speed,Power, Exposure Camp in January, Bethea puts a tremendous move on Matai Jefferson. A class of 2025 recruit, Jefferson is an outstanding prospect from California who already holds an offer from Texas. Jefferson is legit.

 

And here is another one for good measure. Just look at his fluidity of motion and the power from which he emerges from his spin move to get in on the pocket:

 

OK, just one more. Here is Bethea from a year ago, going in on Jake Polito, a member of the class of 2023. Polito was a two-star and a solid recruit who signed with Navy (also had offers from Army, UConn, Dartmouth and others). This is the clip that is perhaps the most impressive from Bethea.

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It is a simple bull rush, but it shows Bethea’s straight-up power against a player who is one year older. If Bethea is playing in the interior at the Big Ten level, then gap integrity is a big part of his game.

As is the ability to collapse the pocket, which Bethea shows an ability to do in this short clip against the strong and talented Polito:

 

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