Welcome to the WAR ROOM, The Knight Report's best weekly feature. In this feature we provide you with the best Rutgers football, basketball, recruiting news coverage possible. This week, we feature various coach quotes, updates on Rutgers Football recruiting, Friday's visitor list of recruits on campus, a look at the Top 5 standout players this spring, and more. Enjoy!
Coach Quotables:
Coach Ash on spring game format:
“It’s not going to be a legitimate football game. It’s going to be a scripted scrimmage. We are going to live tackle and it will be one vs. one’s. It’s not going to be the traditional, put the ball at the 25 and go play back and forth. We are going to control the situations where we put the ball, the situations we are in so we can get work in all of the areas. Sometimes you play a game and those things don’t come up. We can’t afford to miss an opportunity to get work in those situations. It will be a good on good live scrimmage.”
RB coach Nunzio Campanile on the RB stable:
“I think for one, keeping everyone healthy is most important. If you have guys who are healthy and the ability to spread the ball out, I think we’re definitely going to do that. ...I feel pretty stronger that’s what we’re going to do because we have talented guys. There might be games where we ride the hot hand but I think we’re going to spread the carries out to keep guys healthy.”
Campanile on recruiting:
“It’s been interesting. I think I have a lot of good relationships and the majority of the guys I will be recruiting are up in North Jersey. I know a lot of the kids and their families so that part of it has been pretty good. I’m excited to develop relationships outside the area. ...I’ve heard people complain about that part of the job but I’m excited for it. You really want to get to know the guys you are going to coach.”
OLB coach Toby Neinas on his dad and former Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas:
“My dad reads all your stuff. He’s retired now so he reads it all. He reads the blogs. I try and talk him out of it, but he’s a football fanatic. Everyday he asks me the same questions you guys do. ...He’s just as bad as the biggest fan as you can find out there.”
Top 5 standout players so far this spring:
The Evolve Athletics 7-vs-7 program out of PA is set to bring over 60+ recruits to campus today. Here are some of the notable names that can be found on that list.
Class of 2019:
QB Will Gipson (Aliquippa - PA)
QB Hollis Mathis (Penn Hills - PA)
RB Terry Smith (Penn Hills - PA)
WR Dante Cephas (Penn Hills - PA)
WR DaQuay Brown (Brashear - PA)
DE Anthony Johnson (Jeannette - PA)
LB Corey Thomas (Central Catholic - PA)
DB Jayvon Thrift (Norwin - PA)
DB Larry Walker (Aliquippa - PA)
DB Rashod Allen (North Catholic - PA)
DB Joey Porter Jr. (North Allegheny - PA)* (He's 50/50 right now on coming to visit)
DB Damon Macklin (University Prep - PA)
ATH Skyy Moore (Shady Side Academy - PA)
ATH Dino Tomlin (Shady Side Academy - PA)
Class of 2020:
TE Josh Rawlings (Woodland Hills - PA)
ATH Tui Brown (Gateway - PA)
Saturday Visitor List:
Right now we are receiving word that one prominent named New York high school will be sending a bus load of kids over this Saturday. We will have an extensive list of names later today.
Recruiting News & Notes
‘19 QB Zamar Wise (Barringer - NJ):
We have confirmed that John McNulty finally had a chance to see Wise throw the ball, as the committed QB threw for the new offensive coordinator last week. A source told us that McNulty and the rest of the offensive staff were very impressed with Wise’s touch on the ball. We still expect the Scarlet Knights to continue to look for another QB in this class solely due to the lack of depth at the position. We will have more Wise early next week.
‘19 QB Morgan Mitchell on Rutgers interest:
“I’ve been talking with Rutgers quite a bit lately. I’ve been in contact with Rutgers offensive coordinator John McNulty and he said he’s coming to visit me sometime this spring.”
He shows some real good athleticism on his tape as he’s seen escaping a collapsing pocket multiple times. It looks like he has decent arm, but definitely need to work on improving his arm strength in order to succeed at the next level. He is an intriguing prospect and yet another name to keep an eye for the Scarlet Knights as the Spring Evaluation period nears.
‘19 RB Osita Smith (Wilde Lake - MD):
“I talk to coach Erb just about every week. He’s been sending me some positive things about the school and they seem very interested in me. I’m trying to find time to get to Rutgers real soon.”
If Smith can make it to campus in the next couple of weeks don’t be surprised if Rutgers throws and offer his way. At the moment the Scarlet Knights clearly have some other running back targets higher on the board, but Smith could make for a solid backup plan should things not fall Rutgers way elsewhere.
‘19 RB Treyson Potts (Williamsport - PA) on Thursday Rutgers visit:
“It went great. The coaches showed me a ton of love and made me feel like a priority. I got a lot of time to talk to many coaches individually and players just to get a feel on everything. I also got to see campus, so the visit definitely went well. They are definitely a top school for me, I feel the program is on the rise."
Right now the Scarlet Knights are in pretty good position right now for Potts. Other programs to watch out for are Syracuse and Maryland, Although Maryland hasn’t offered just yet. One thing to note is Potts missed all of his junior season due to an ACL injury.
‘19 DE Keith Randolph (Belleville, IL) on #Rutgers offer:
“Coach Brown offered me and he was just telling me that they need game changers and that I fit the criteria,” said Randolph. “It (the offer) means a lot. All my offers mean a lot to me. It’s an opportunity to play the sport I love. They (Rutgers) wants to me try and make it out for a visit so that is something I’m going to try and workout.”
Randolph holds offers from the likes of Illinois, Ball State, Central Michigan, Toledo, UTEP, and Northern Illinois. He says he’s hearing the most from Iowa, Michigan state, Miami of Ohio, and Kentucky.
‘19 WR Jaaron Hayek (Wayne Hills - NJ):
TKR recently confirmed that Hayek was at Maryland last weekend for an unofficial visit. However, there is nothing to be alarmed about right now, as he is still very high on Rutgers. It also helps that both of his brothers are currently at Rutgers but it is something we will continue to monitor.
‘19 WR Charles Njoku (Wayne Hills - NJ):
Njoku is one of the top wide receivers on the board for Rutgers. He recently visited this past Thursday and TKR was told it went very well. As most of you remember in our recent article, Njoku named Rutgers in his top two with Boston College. He is set to make a June decision and right now things are trending towards him staying in-state and committing to Rutgers.
‘19 DB Donovan Bunch (Winslow Twp - NJ):
Another guy who visited this past week and has Rutgers near the top of his list is Bunch. He is one guy who could commit sooner rather than later and holds the Scarlet Knights in very high regard. We’ll have more on his visit later today.
Team Tidbits:
QB trainer Tony Racioppi on Rutgers QB’s Jonathan Lewis & Artur Sitkowski:
“People forget that they are young. They are big talented kids and when you look at them you think they are 22+ years old, but in reality they are only 18-19 year olds kids. From a fundamental standpoint they have come along dramatically since this past December. Both of them are sponges and they want to be coached which is great. They both have great work ethics which is awesome. I’ve trained with them both and they are really coming along.”
Raheem Blackshear on the new offense:
“It’s kind of what they believe. … I’m comfortable with everything,” Blackshear said. “I’ll do anything they want me to do. ...I love this new offense. I think it’s going to help us improve this season.”
K Justin Davidovicz on new teammate & punter Adam Korsak:
“He’s a great guy. I met him for the first time on his official visit back in January,” Davidovicz said. “I never talked to him before that, but we clicked right away. We hang out all the time. He’s funny, he’s a good punter, his accuracy is amazing on rugby styles. I’ll be standing 40 yards away and he’ll put it right on me.”
Coach Quotables:
Coach Ash on spring game format:
“It’s not going to be a legitimate football game. It’s going to be a scripted scrimmage. We are going to live tackle and it will be one vs. one’s. It’s not going to be the traditional, put the ball at the 25 and go play back and forth. We are going to control the situations where we put the ball, the situations we are in so we can get work in all of the areas. Sometimes you play a game and those things don’t come up. We can’t afford to miss an opportunity to get work in those situations. It will be a good on good live scrimmage.”
RB coach Nunzio Campanile on the RB stable:
“I think for one, keeping everyone healthy is most important. If you have guys who are healthy and the ability to spread the ball out, I think we’re definitely going to do that. ...I feel pretty stronger that’s what we’re going to do because we have talented guys. There might be games where we ride the hot hand but I think we’re going to spread the carries out to keep guys healthy.”
Campanile on recruiting:
“It’s been interesting. I think I have a lot of good relationships and the majority of the guys I will be recruiting are up in North Jersey. I know a lot of the kids and their families so that part of it has been pretty good. I’m excited to develop relationships outside the area. ...I’ve heard people complain about that part of the job but I’m excited for it. You really want to get to know the guys you are going to coach.”
OLB coach Toby Neinas on his dad and former Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas:
“My dad reads all your stuff. He’s retired now so he reads it all. He reads the blogs. I try and talk him out of it, but he’s a football fanatic. Everyday he asks me the same questions you guys do. ...He’s just as bad as the biggest fan as you can find out there.”
Top 5 standout players so far this spring:
- Artur Sitkowski
- Bo Melton
- Shameen Jones
- Tyshon Fogg
- Travis Vokolek
- Hearing that Rutgers will receive it’s first commit on the defensive side of the ball some time within the next month. If all goes right it's possible multiple recruits could commit in that time span.
- Bonus: Artur Sitkowski will win the starting QB job & Jon Hilliman will win the starting RB job.
The Evolve Athletics 7-vs-7 program out of PA is set to bring over 60+ recruits to campus today. Here are some of the notable names that can be found on that list.
Class of 2019:
QB Will Gipson (Aliquippa - PA)
QB Hollis Mathis (Penn Hills - PA)
RB Terry Smith (Penn Hills - PA)
WR Dante Cephas (Penn Hills - PA)
WR DaQuay Brown (Brashear - PA)
DE Anthony Johnson (Jeannette - PA)
LB Corey Thomas (Central Catholic - PA)
DB Jayvon Thrift (Norwin - PA)
DB Larry Walker (Aliquippa - PA)
DB Rashod Allen (North Catholic - PA)
DB Joey Porter Jr. (North Allegheny - PA)* (He's 50/50 right now on coming to visit)
DB Damon Macklin (University Prep - PA)
ATH Skyy Moore (Shady Side Academy - PA)
ATH Dino Tomlin (Shady Side Academy - PA)
Class of 2020:
TE Josh Rawlings (Woodland Hills - PA)
ATH Tui Brown (Gateway - PA)
Saturday Visitor List:
Right now we are receiving word that one prominent named New York high school will be sending a bus load of kids over this Saturday. We will have an extensive list of names later today.
Recruiting News & Notes
‘19 QB Zamar Wise (Barringer - NJ):
We have confirmed that John McNulty finally had a chance to see Wise throw the ball, as the committed QB threw for the new offensive coordinator last week. A source told us that McNulty and the rest of the offensive staff were very impressed with Wise’s touch on the ball. We still expect the Scarlet Knights to continue to look for another QB in this class solely due to the lack of depth at the position. We will have more Wise early next week.
‘19 QB Morgan Mitchell on Rutgers interest:
“I’ve been talking with Rutgers quite a bit lately. I’ve been in contact with Rutgers offensive coordinator John McNulty and he said he’s coming to visit me sometime this spring.”
He shows some real good athleticism on his tape as he’s seen escaping a collapsing pocket multiple times. It looks like he has decent arm, but definitely need to work on improving his arm strength in order to succeed at the next level. He is an intriguing prospect and yet another name to keep an eye for the Scarlet Knights as the Spring Evaluation period nears.
‘19 RB Osita Smith (Wilde Lake - MD):
“I talk to coach Erb just about every week. He’s been sending me some positive things about the school and they seem very interested in me. I’m trying to find time to get to Rutgers real soon.”
If Smith can make it to campus in the next couple of weeks don’t be surprised if Rutgers throws and offer his way. At the moment the Scarlet Knights clearly have some other running back targets higher on the board, but Smith could make for a solid backup plan should things not fall Rutgers way elsewhere.
‘19 RB Treyson Potts (Williamsport - PA) on Thursday Rutgers visit:
“It went great. The coaches showed me a ton of love and made me feel like a priority. I got a lot of time to talk to many coaches individually and players just to get a feel on everything. I also got to see campus, so the visit definitely went well. They are definitely a top school for me, I feel the program is on the rise."
Right now the Scarlet Knights are in pretty good position right now for Potts. Other programs to watch out for are Syracuse and Maryland, Although Maryland hasn’t offered just yet. One thing to note is Potts missed all of his junior season due to an ACL injury.
‘19 DE Keith Randolph (Belleville, IL) on #Rutgers offer:
“Coach Brown offered me and he was just telling me that they need game changers and that I fit the criteria,” said Randolph. “It (the offer) means a lot. All my offers mean a lot to me. It’s an opportunity to play the sport I love. They (Rutgers) wants to me try and make it out for a visit so that is something I’m going to try and workout.”
Randolph holds offers from the likes of Illinois, Ball State, Central Michigan, Toledo, UTEP, and Northern Illinois. He says he’s hearing the most from Iowa, Michigan state, Miami of Ohio, and Kentucky.
‘19 WR Jaaron Hayek (Wayne Hills - NJ):
TKR recently confirmed that Hayek was at Maryland last weekend for an unofficial visit. However, there is nothing to be alarmed about right now, as he is still very high on Rutgers. It also helps that both of his brothers are currently at Rutgers but it is something we will continue to monitor.
‘19 WR Charles Njoku (Wayne Hills - NJ):
Njoku is one of the top wide receivers on the board for Rutgers. He recently visited this past Thursday and TKR was told it went very well. As most of you remember in our recent article, Njoku named Rutgers in his top two with Boston College. He is set to make a June decision and right now things are trending towards him staying in-state and committing to Rutgers.
‘19 DB Donovan Bunch (Winslow Twp - NJ):
Another guy who visited this past week and has Rutgers near the top of his list is Bunch. He is one guy who could commit sooner rather than later and holds the Scarlet Knights in very high regard. We’ll have more on his visit later today.
Team Tidbits:
QB trainer Tony Racioppi on Rutgers QB’s Jonathan Lewis & Artur Sitkowski:
“People forget that they are young. They are big talented kids and when you look at them you think they are 22+ years old, but in reality they are only 18-19 year olds kids. From a fundamental standpoint they have come along dramatically since this past December. Both of them are sponges and they want to be coached which is great. They both have great work ethics which is awesome. I’ve trained with them both and they are really coming along.”
Raheem Blackshear on the new offense:
“It’s kind of what they believe. … I’m comfortable with everything,” Blackshear said. “I’ll do anything they want me to do. ...I love this new offense. I think it’s going to help us improve this season.”
K Justin Davidovicz on new teammate & punter Adam Korsak:
“He’s a great guy. I met him for the first time on his official visit back in January,” Davidovicz said. “I never talked to him before that, but we clicked right away. We hang out all the time. He’s funny, he’s a good punter, his accuracy is amazing on rugby styles. I’ll be standing 40 yards away and he’ll put it right on me.”
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