After a busy Saturday, Rutgers football continues to have a strong presence in the national recruiting rankings. The Scarlet Knights landed three commitments on Saturday, further establishing this as a very strong recruiting class.
The trio of commits sees Rutgers football’s class of 2024 move up one spot to No. 21 in the nation in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. Last week, Rutgers made a big jump from No. 29 to No. 22 following an official visit weekend where they landed three players.
In the Rivals rankings, Rutgers remains steady at No. 22.
The three verbals are all solid players with strong Power Five offers. All three are defensive players, which helps to balance a class that had tilted heavily towards the offense:
- Aaris Bethea (defensive lineman from Brooklyn, N.Y.) – A physically imposing interior defensive lineman, Bethea has subtle nuances to his game. He combines strength and speed with good balance and the ability to beat a blocker in multiple ways. A three-star, Bethea picked Rutgers while holding offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Texas A&M among others.
- Dahkari Gilley (safety from Jacksonville, FL) – Despite being from a talent-rich state, Gilley is flying a bit under the radar when it comes to recruiting ranking (he is currently unranked). He does hold some impressive offers including UCF, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. A strong, physical safety, Gilley is impressive as a playmaker and is dedicated to stopping the run.
- Montele Johnson: (linebacker from West Bloomfield, MI) – A three-star, Johnson is a top 20 player from Michigan. Johnson had a top five that also included Boston College, Kansas, Louisville and West Virginia. Last season as a junior, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Johnson had 102 total tackles, 23 tackles-for-a-loss, 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries and three passes defended.
It is a strong haul for Rutgers and has the potential to be one of the top three recruiting classes in program history.
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