Quotables
RU head coach Chris Ash on choosing his coaching staff:
“The number one thing I wanted were men of character, I wanted guys that could be trusted not only by me but most importantly by the players. I wanted guys that could build connection with the players and they could show the players that they cared about them. If we care about the players the right way, we help develop them to reach their full potential, we're going to have a chance for them to play extremely hard for us.”
Ash on his future starters:
“There are not going to be any starters anointed because of what they've done in the past, where they're from, what age they are. The guys better come in ready to compete, they better buy into what we're doing, buy into our culture, do the things we want them to do or it's not going to be the right place for them.”
Rutgers OC Drew Mehringer on fitting guys into the new RU offense:
“As a coordinator, if you have the gall to say you're going to make the players fit to your offense, you're not going to be a coordinator for very long. Our job as coaches is to put our guys in the best position to win and be successful and to utilize what they do best and put them in those positions to win. We're going to assess what we have on the field through winter conditioning and in spring ball, then adapt the principles we believe in to fit those guys and put them in the best positions we can to go help Rutgers win football games.”
Rutgers DL coach Shane Burnham on recruiting kids all over the country:
“You recruit their family too. You want their support system to be able to get to you. There are direct flights to New York City from anywhere in the country. To get here from Florida, you could get here pretty cheap. They have cheap flights in and out. I think parents always want to hear that. They can get back and forth fairly cheaply and quickly. I think all those things will sell.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five Positions of need to close out this RU class
5.) Defensive tackle
4.) Defensive back
3.) Defensive end
2.) Offensive line
1.) Quarterback
Shawn's Crystal Ball
The next RU commitment will come from another unexpected defensive player with NJ ties
Recruiting Tidbits
Change in scholarships
With a change in coaches comes a change in philosophy as well. In talking to some people around the state, it appears that Coach Ash and his staff went back through the whole Rutgers recruiting board in regards to local prospects and are identifying some players that the previous staff may not have been as high on and revisiting their recruitment in this short period of time before signing day. The whole “fence the garden” hashtag is something they really believe and like we have seen with the Bergen Catholic TE Korab Idrizi, they will trust their own evaluations. There could be an additional player or two in this class that fits that bill going forward.
Under former head coach Kyle Flood, Rutgers was likely looking at a three or four linebackers with two of those prospects, Jon Pollock and Solomon Manning, enrolling early. ScarletNation.com is hearing that the number could rise to as many as five or even six if it is the right prospect. Current commit Rashawn Battle has some position flexibility as well. With the commitment of Piscataway native Elorm Lumor, Rutgers will have an additional early enrollee at the position which will feature three new starters this season. Lumor is another prospect with some position flexibility as well.
QB Tylin Oden – Spring Hill (Tenn.)
The recent RU offeree has developed a favorable opinion of Rutgers as the chance to play early has him contemplating an official visit and possible future at RU. Oden cancelled this weekend’s official visit to South Carolina and told Scarlet Nation that it was due to personal reasons. He also mentioned there is the possibility of rescheduling that trip.
Things seem to be trending well for Rutgers as Oden, who will visit Iowa State next weekend, could be headed to Piscataway the following week for an official. Oden talked to Scarlet Nation about the advantages of potentially playing in the Big Ten.
“Just from all the great athletes that played in the Big Ten, I would have the opportunity to be a great player like them. It would be an honor.”
LB Dele’ Harding – Eastern Christian (Md.)
A one-time Michigan commit to Brady Hoke’s staff, the Delaware native parted ways with the program now led by Jim Harbaugh late last year. The ideal MIKE LB, Scarlet Nation has learned that Rutgers has offered Harding and is making a major push for his services with a visit from staff members expected in the near future. West Virginia has made ECA a pipeline school in recent years, having as many as three starters from the program this year and they appear to be the biggest competition here. Harding appears to be a bigger priority than some other LB’s like the January 22nd visitor Virginia Tech commitment Tavante Brackett and Camden’s Dymelle Parker who could be in line for a January 29th visit.
DB Dawun Hylton – American (Fla.)
The Hialeah cornerback has nine offers to his credit and has begun talking with Rutgers, although an offer has yet to come through.
“Not yet, but their DB coach wants to offer,” Hylton said of Rutgers. “He's waiting on the head coach for the go ahead.”
Hylton has an official visit set up to Navy this weekend and is also planning to take another trip out to Indiana.
OL Elijah Johnson – DeMatha (Md.)
The 2016 OL commit has been relatively quiet since the coaching change but has maintained his commitment to Rutgers per his head coach Elijah Brooks. There was some confusion as to when Johnson would come up to visit. Scarlet Nation heard earlier this week that Johnson would attempt to visit Rutgers the weekend of January 22nd. However, it has been confirmed that he’ll take an official to Boston College on the weekend of the 22nd followed by Rutgers on the 29th. Per Brooks, a number of schools outside of the Eagles are still fighting for a visit from Johnson but this appears to be another Rutgers vs BC battle.
DL Tymir Oliver – West Catholic (Pa.)
Oliver told Scarlet Nation Thursday night that, as of now, he only has one official visit set to Illinois for the weekend of January 22nd. The one-time Rutgers commitment also mentioned that he has yet to hear from the new RU staff, so it appears that Ash and staff have focused their energy on some of the more recent offers along the D-line.
DE Desmond Chapple – Edwardsville (Ill.)
Rutgers is looking to add some depth at defensive end in this class and Chapple is a name that has surfaced. Chapple confirmed with Scarlet Nation that he has been in contact with RU defensive line coach Shane Burnham.
“I visit Northern Iowa this weekend and there are other schools beginning to show interest as well; Maryland, Iowa state, Arkansas, and now Rutgers,” Chapple said.
At this point, Chapple is scheduled to visit Pitt on Jan 29 and possibly Wyoming on Jan 22. Should Rutgers push for a visit, there is a good chance it will receive one from Chapple next weekend.
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
Imhotep Charter head coach Albie Crosby told Scarlet Nation that he is expecting coaches from Rutgers down to the Philadelphia school on Friday, January 15 with Durant as the main target after the fellow 2016 OL target Johncarlo Valentin announced a commitment to Oklahoma this week.
DT Mike Dwumfour - DePaul
The DePaul DT told Scarlet Nation that he only has official visits scheduled to Penn State where he is currently committed and Michigan, which will take place this weekend. We confirmed that DePaul was one of the first stops for the members of the Rutgers staff this morning, but it appears that Dwumfour didn’t meet with anyone from Rutgers, only speaking with coaches from Penn State and Michigan today.
DB Naijee Jones – Timber Creek
The first commit to Rutgers’ class of 2017 has seen a change in coaches at RU, but that has not swayed him from his original pledge.
“Everything is well and I am still on board,” Jones confirmed with Scarlet Nation.
Yesterday, RU head coach Chris Ash visited Timber Creek personally.
OL Dylan Powell – Hannibal (Mo.)
The Missouri OL , who was recently offered by new OL coach AJ Blazek, has reopened his recruitment after a decommitting from Purdue. Powell told Scarlet Nation that he has official visits set for Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Iowa State for the next three weekends, but the Rutgers staff is working to get him to visit on a weekday over the course of the next three weeks. Rutgers could be on the outside looking in as Powell told Scarlet Nation that he may not have the time to make the weekday visit.
Beast of the East Showcase
Tonight, Scarlet Nation will be in attendance at the Beast of the East Showcase in Pitman, N.J. The event will be hosted by Next Level Greats and here are some of the prospects who will be in attendance:
ATH Markquese Bell – Bridgeton (RU Offer)
QB Artur Sitkowski – Old Bridge (RU Offer)
WR Everett Wormley – Burlington Township (RU Offer)
QB Devin Leary – Timber Creek
ATH Iverson Clement – Rancocas Valley
QB Kevin Doyle – Malvern Prep (Pa.)
ATH Kyle Dobbins – St. Augustine
S Shamere Collins – St. Augustine
DB Loe Exree – Greater Johnstown (Pa.)
Rutgers Junior Day
After trying to wrap up a whirlwind two-month period, Chris Ash and staff will not take a break and will host junior days in consecutive weeks on February 13th and February 20th. The 13th right now seems to be geared towards top NJ prospects while there could be a little more out of state flavor in for the 20th. In talking to the class of 2017 prospects, many are excited to meet this new staff.
RU head coach Chris Ash on choosing his coaching staff:
“The number one thing I wanted were men of character, I wanted guys that could be trusted not only by me but most importantly by the players. I wanted guys that could build connection with the players and they could show the players that they cared about them. If we care about the players the right way, we help develop them to reach their full potential, we're going to have a chance for them to play extremely hard for us.”
Ash on his future starters:
“There are not going to be any starters anointed because of what they've done in the past, where they're from, what age they are. The guys better come in ready to compete, they better buy into what we're doing, buy into our culture, do the things we want them to do or it's not going to be the right place for them.”
Rutgers OC Drew Mehringer on fitting guys into the new RU offense:
“As a coordinator, if you have the gall to say you're going to make the players fit to your offense, you're not going to be a coordinator for very long. Our job as coaches is to put our guys in the best position to win and be successful and to utilize what they do best and put them in those positions to win. We're going to assess what we have on the field through winter conditioning and in spring ball, then adapt the principles we believe in to fit those guys and put them in the best positions we can to go help Rutgers win football games.”
Rutgers DL coach Shane Burnham on recruiting kids all over the country:
“You recruit their family too. You want their support system to be able to get to you. There are direct flights to New York City from anywhere in the country. To get here from Florida, you could get here pretty cheap. They have cheap flights in and out. I think parents always want to hear that. They can get back and forth fairly cheaply and quickly. I think all those things will sell.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five Positions of need to close out this RU class
5.) Defensive tackle
4.) Defensive back
3.) Defensive end
2.) Offensive line
1.) Quarterback
Shawn's Crystal Ball
The next RU commitment will come from another unexpected defensive player with NJ ties
Recruiting Tidbits
Change in scholarships
With a change in coaches comes a change in philosophy as well. In talking to some people around the state, it appears that Coach Ash and his staff went back through the whole Rutgers recruiting board in regards to local prospects and are identifying some players that the previous staff may not have been as high on and revisiting their recruitment in this short period of time before signing day. The whole “fence the garden” hashtag is something they really believe and like we have seen with the Bergen Catholic TE Korab Idrizi, they will trust their own evaluations. There could be an additional player or two in this class that fits that bill going forward.
Under former head coach Kyle Flood, Rutgers was likely looking at a three or four linebackers with two of those prospects, Jon Pollock and Solomon Manning, enrolling early. ScarletNation.com is hearing that the number could rise to as many as five or even six if it is the right prospect. Current commit Rashawn Battle has some position flexibility as well. With the commitment of Piscataway native Elorm Lumor, Rutgers will have an additional early enrollee at the position which will feature three new starters this season. Lumor is another prospect with some position flexibility as well.
QB Tylin Oden – Spring Hill (Tenn.)
The recent RU offeree has developed a favorable opinion of Rutgers as the chance to play early has him contemplating an official visit and possible future at RU. Oden cancelled this weekend’s official visit to South Carolina and told Scarlet Nation that it was due to personal reasons. He also mentioned there is the possibility of rescheduling that trip.
Things seem to be trending well for Rutgers as Oden, who will visit Iowa State next weekend, could be headed to Piscataway the following week for an official. Oden talked to Scarlet Nation about the advantages of potentially playing in the Big Ten.
“Just from all the great athletes that played in the Big Ten, I would have the opportunity to be a great player like them. It would be an honor.”
LB Dele’ Harding – Eastern Christian (Md.)
A one-time Michigan commit to Brady Hoke’s staff, the Delaware native parted ways with the program now led by Jim Harbaugh late last year. The ideal MIKE LB, Scarlet Nation has learned that Rutgers has offered Harding and is making a major push for his services with a visit from staff members expected in the near future. West Virginia has made ECA a pipeline school in recent years, having as many as three starters from the program this year and they appear to be the biggest competition here. Harding appears to be a bigger priority than some other LB’s like the January 22nd visitor Virginia Tech commitment Tavante Brackett and Camden’s Dymelle Parker who could be in line for a January 29th visit.
DB Dawun Hylton – American (Fla.)
The Hialeah cornerback has nine offers to his credit and has begun talking with Rutgers, although an offer has yet to come through.
“Not yet, but their DB coach wants to offer,” Hylton said of Rutgers. “He's waiting on the head coach for the go ahead.”
Hylton has an official visit set up to Navy this weekend and is also planning to take another trip out to Indiana.
OL Elijah Johnson – DeMatha (Md.)
The 2016 OL commit has been relatively quiet since the coaching change but has maintained his commitment to Rutgers per his head coach Elijah Brooks. There was some confusion as to when Johnson would come up to visit. Scarlet Nation heard earlier this week that Johnson would attempt to visit Rutgers the weekend of January 22nd. However, it has been confirmed that he’ll take an official to Boston College on the weekend of the 22nd followed by Rutgers on the 29th. Per Brooks, a number of schools outside of the Eagles are still fighting for a visit from Johnson but this appears to be another Rutgers vs BC battle.
DL Tymir Oliver – West Catholic (Pa.)
Oliver told Scarlet Nation Thursday night that, as of now, he only has one official visit set to Illinois for the weekend of January 22nd. The one-time Rutgers commitment also mentioned that he has yet to hear from the new RU staff, so it appears that Ash and staff have focused their energy on some of the more recent offers along the D-line.
DE Desmond Chapple – Edwardsville (Ill.)
Rutgers is looking to add some depth at defensive end in this class and Chapple is a name that has surfaced. Chapple confirmed with Scarlet Nation that he has been in contact with RU defensive line coach Shane Burnham.
“I visit Northern Iowa this weekend and there are other schools beginning to show interest as well; Maryland, Iowa state, Arkansas, and now Rutgers,” Chapple said.
At this point, Chapple is scheduled to visit Pitt on Jan 29 and possibly Wyoming on Jan 22. Should Rutgers push for a visit, there is a good chance it will receive one from Chapple next weekend.
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
Imhotep Charter head coach Albie Crosby told Scarlet Nation that he is expecting coaches from Rutgers down to the Philadelphia school on Friday, January 15 with Durant as the main target after the fellow 2016 OL target Johncarlo Valentin announced a commitment to Oklahoma this week.
DT Mike Dwumfour - DePaul
The DePaul DT told Scarlet Nation that he only has official visits scheduled to Penn State where he is currently committed and Michigan, which will take place this weekend. We confirmed that DePaul was one of the first stops for the members of the Rutgers staff this morning, but it appears that Dwumfour didn’t meet with anyone from Rutgers, only speaking with coaches from Penn State and Michigan today.
DB Naijee Jones – Timber Creek
The first commit to Rutgers’ class of 2017 has seen a change in coaches at RU, but that has not swayed him from his original pledge.
“Everything is well and I am still on board,” Jones confirmed with Scarlet Nation.
Yesterday, RU head coach Chris Ash visited Timber Creek personally.
OL Dylan Powell – Hannibal (Mo.)
The Missouri OL , who was recently offered by new OL coach AJ Blazek, has reopened his recruitment after a decommitting from Purdue. Powell told Scarlet Nation that he has official visits set for Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Iowa State for the next three weekends, but the Rutgers staff is working to get him to visit on a weekday over the course of the next three weeks. Rutgers could be on the outside looking in as Powell told Scarlet Nation that he may not have the time to make the weekday visit.
Beast of the East Showcase
Tonight, Scarlet Nation will be in attendance at the Beast of the East Showcase in Pitman, N.J. The event will be hosted by Next Level Greats and here are some of the prospects who will be in attendance:
ATH Markquese Bell – Bridgeton (RU Offer)
QB Artur Sitkowski – Old Bridge (RU Offer)
WR Everett Wormley – Burlington Township (RU Offer)
QB Devin Leary – Timber Creek
ATH Iverson Clement – Rancocas Valley
QB Kevin Doyle – Malvern Prep (Pa.)
ATH Kyle Dobbins – St. Augustine
S Shamere Collins – St. Augustine
DB Loe Exree – Greater Johnstown (Pa.)
Rutgers Junior Day
After trying to wrap up a whirlwind two-month period, Chris Ash and staff will not take a break and will host junior days in consecutive weeks on February 13th and February 20th. The 13th right now seems to be geared towards top NJ prospects while there could be a little more out of state flavor in for the 20th. In talking to the class of 2017 prospects, many are excited to meet this new staff.
