BEDMINSTER, N.J. – As nice as it is for Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano to have a highly ranked recruiting class, it is equally – if not more important – that the group fits the culture being developed around the Big Ten program.
It has been the road less taken for Schiano and Rutgers since his return, with Rutgers finally tasting a winning season in his fourth year back with the program.
Speaking last week prior to the start of his charity golf classic, Schiano discussed the impact of last season on recruiting. The class of 2025 is currently ranked among the best recruiting classes in the nation, with five committed players ranked as four-star recruits in the On3 Industry Rankings.
The impact of the Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami, before a national broadcast on ESPN, can’t be understated for Rutgers. It gave Schiano and his staff a bowl win over an elite name in college football.
That win sent a message that the Rutgers rebuild, set to enter its fifth season this fall, has staying power. The bowl game has become a part of the recruiting pitch for Rutgers.
And, given that the Scarlet Knights have a top-10 national class, it seems to be working.
“Going and beating a name brand like Miami in a game that,a lot of people saw – I think everything gets put into the equation,” Schiano said.
“So the relationships that are created by the coaches, our players do an incredible job on the recruiting visits making these guys understand they are going to be part of the solution. And it’s no secret, we need to be different. We’re not going to do it the same the ‘bluebloods’ do it and do it better than them and go flying by them. We got to be different. We go to do it our way, and our way is different. Usually, players know they want to be a part of it or they know they don’t.”
All told, the 2025 recruiting class has seven committed players who are ranked four-star recruits by either On3, Rivals, 247Sports or ESPN.
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It is the highest rank for a Rutgers class since Schiano returned to the program. And, it has the potential to be the highest-ranked class that Rutgers has ever brought into the program.
There are some blue chip players for sure, including the likes of Under Armour All-American Jaelyne Matthews and recent running back commit [autotag]John Forster[/autotag]. But there is also a lot of quality and depth to this group.
And while the class features a number of four-star commits, there are also several under-the-radar players without the star rankings or big Power Five offers who are a part of the class. Schiano said that the evaluation of his coaches is paramount, as is the cultural fit into the program.
Rutgers, as a developmental program, does not get what Schiano calls the “ready-made” recruits. Instead, players are brought along and blended into roles within the program.
They develop and grow in the weight room and on the field before they are ready to make an impact.
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In the modern era of college football and the transfer football where instant gratification is the norm, not every recruit buys in Schiano’s philosophy for the program.
“Well, I really love the group and the guys that we have committed right now,” Schiano said.
“I think the reason (is that) our coaches do a great job of identifying the guys that are right for us. We don’t worry about their stars or who else is recruiting them. We really do a deep dive and evaluation on each kid- and it takes a lot of time. And my guys…I’m grateful that they put that time in. So it’s not only evaluating their film and evaluating their measurables but it’s evaluating the person. Are they a cultural fit for a program? And that takes the most time because how do you find that out those questions until you find out if this guy is a potential fit for our program.
“I think it’s even magnified now in this day and age.”