Quotables
Chris Ash on football in New Jersey:
“There's a ton of talent here in this State of New Jersey. I have competed against this team for the last three years. I know what type of talent is in this room right now. We've got some work to do to build the right culture, build the right chemistry, and get maximum effort out of these players. But this is a job, I didn't have to be talked into this at all. I actually would have passed up on some other opportunities to have a chance to come here and I'm excited about it.”
Ash on changing the negative perception of Rutgers:
“We want guys to be able to make the right decisions because they know if they make the wrong one, it's going to let down one of their brothers, one of their teammates. And that doesn't happen overnight. Doesn't happen because I walked in the door. But it starts with having clearly defined culture, clearly defined expectations, constant communication, constant education and constant motivation about doing the right thing on and off the field.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five positions of need in RU’s 2017 class
5.) Running Back
4.) Defensive Back
3.) Defensive End
2.) Defensive Tackle
1.) Wide receiver
Bobby's Crystal Ball
Rutgers will not need to recruit another QB in this class
Assistant Coaching Search Update
Rumors began to swirl yesterday about former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads joining Rutgers as its next defensive coordinator. However, Scarlet Nation has confirmed with an anonymous source close to the situation that Rhoads is not a current candidate for the position. There have been no developments between Rhoads and Rutgers and the rumors are just rumors with no legitimacy.
Recruiting Tidbits
DB Patrice Rene – Episcopal (Va.)
New special teams coach Vince Okruch met with Rene yesterday and the end result was positive. Rene confirmed that he has locked in an official visit to Rutgers on Jan 29. However, Rene is still aiming to take his other visits with a total of three still remaining. UNC will get one of those while the last visit remains up in there as Pitt and Cal are both vying for that spot. Rene was very close with former linebackers coach Bob Fraser, who will not be part of the new RU staff moving forward. Rutgers looks to be in a good spot with Rene, an even better one that it was a few weeks ago.
DB Phil Campbell – South Brunswick
Campbell was visited last night by Ash, but is still looking to make the trip down up to Pitt this weekend. Pitt has been recruiting Campbell through the season while steadily gaining momentum. This one looks like it will be a tough battle Campbell’s parents are both RU alums, although a good visit out at Pitt could do a lot to push the Panthers out in front.
QB Anthony Russo – Archbishop Wood (Pa.)
Scarlet Nation confirmed multiple times over the last couple of weeks that Russo is still committed to Rutgers. The biggest concern out of the Russo camp is how he will be intended to be used in the future RU offense. Temple swooped in for a home visit on Wednesday, a day before Okruch checked out Russo at home. Russo developed a very good relationship with offensive coordinator Ben McDaniels, even before other targets Dwayne Haskins and Jarrett Guarantanno were off the market. That made quite an impression and now that McDaniels is gone, Russo is anxious to see who the new offensive coordinator will be. That eventual meeting between the new OC and Russo will be key as will the exact system that RU will run in the future.
DB K.J. Sails – East Bay (Fla.)
Rutgers is back in the race for the former Iowa commit. Sails soured on Rutgers in the midst of the early season turmoil that included RU player arrests and a head coaching suspension. Sails was also a high school teammate of Marques Ford, who has made strides this year while redshirting at Rutgers. Ford’s promising future could help Rutgers if he can get in Sails’ ear about joining him on the banks.
WR Kelvin Harmon – Palmyra
The South Jersey standout just decommitted from South Carolina as a coaching change down in Columbia has disrupted things a bit with recruits. Harmon was a one-time Rutgers lean, but don’t expect any shades of the past to resurface here as Rutgers does not look to be in play for his services.
DT Mike Dwumfour – DePaul
Ash wasted no time offering the Penn State commit this week and although Dwumfour told Scarlet Nation that he is still a Penn State commit. Scarlet Nation has learned he is willing to hear what Rutgers has to say. There was a bit of a bitter taste left when the former RU staff continued to slow play Dwumfour earlier this year and kept on promising an offer. In the meantime, Dwumfour wound up committing to Penn State. Dwumfour had a much better senior year and his highlights from this past season were much better than his showing as a junior. Don’t expect Dwumfour to say much publicly, but there is a chance Rutgers could receive an official visit.
DB Tony Butler – St. Edward (Ohio)
The three-star defensive back visited RU officially, but was urged by his parents to look elsewhere in the midst of the previous turmoil under former head coach Kyle Flood. Butler has a current list of finalists that include West Virginia, Arizona State and Nebraska. Things have been quiet this week between Butler and Rutgers and it could be an uphill battle for Ash, especially since Butler already took an official visit to Rutgers. This one looks like it could be a bit of a longshot right now and more candidates may emerge as Ash continues to wade through the recruiting process.
LB Solomon Manning – Colonia
The NJ product was visited twice yesterday by Ash, who told Manning he sees him fitting in as a strongside linebacker in his 4-3 defense. Manning is also close to finalizing his early enrollment. He told Scarlet Nation that it had to do with a couple of grades, but that he has received the right marks and that situation should be moving forward this week. Look for a complete article on Manning later today.
ATH Jordan Fuller – Old Tappan
Fuller’s familiarity with Ash helps Rutgers' case in this one as he was recruiting Fuller while at Ohio State. Fuller will visit Notre Dame this weekend, but don’t expect him to commit anywhere on a whim. Fuller will also appear in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan 9th, with more officials to be taken after that. Following this past season and all the recent troubles with Flood, Rutgers fell behind in the race for Fuller. Chances are now better with Ash, but Rutgers will still face some tough competition through the month of January.
Eye on Rutgers
Next season is a long time away, although some future stars were already starting to assert themselves on the practice field. Here’s a closer look at a couple of players who could wind up having stellar careers at Rutgers.
Ron’Dell Carter – Redshirting Carter may have been the best move the coaching staff made in what was a dismal season. Carter is up to a solid 250 pounds, showing tremendous potential at the defensive end position. There were rumors of him moving to tight end prior to the season, although staying put at defensive end should serve Rutgers well in the future. Carter is a tireless worker and very explosive athlete. While a lot of talk focused on defensive end Kemoko Turay heading into the season, Carter worked diligently every day and continued to develop. Come next season, Carter should be capable of competing for a lot of playing time at the defensive end position and wind up having a monster career in the Big Ten.
Najee Clayton – The true freshman did not get started until late in August as academic issues delayed his arrival. Clayton began progressing immediately and wound up seeing the field for the first time in game No.8. While Rutgers was paper thin at safety at that point, Clayton would have been better served with a redshirt. Nonetheless, he has a very high ceiling and there is a good chance he emerges as the top strong safety next season. Coming into high school, Clayton was billed as one of the top prospects in the nation. Also, keep in mind that he did not start playing safety until his senior year of high school. The ceiling remains sky high for Clayton and as long as he does not add more weight and move to linebacker, Clayton has a very good chance of being RU’s strong safety of the future.
Chris Ash on football in New Jersey:
“There's a ton of talent here in this State of New Jersey. I have competed against this team for the last three years. I know what type of talent is in this room right now. We've got some work to do to build the right culture, build the right chemistry, and get maximum effort out of these players. But this is a job, I didn't have to be talked into this at all. I actually would have passed up on some other opportunities to have a chance to come here and I'm excited about it.”
Ash on changing the negative perception of Rutgers:
“We want guys to be able to make the right decisions because they know if they make the wrong one, it's going to let down one of their brothers, one of their teammates. And that doesn't happen overnight. Doesn't happen because I walked in the door. But it starts with having clearly defined culture, clearly defined expectations, constant communication, constant education and constant motivation about doing the right thing on and off the field.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five positions of need in RU’s 2017 class
5.) Running Back
4.) Defensive Back
3.) Defensive End
2.) Defensive Tackle
1.) Wide receiver
Bobby's Crystal Ball
Rutgers will not need to recruit another QB in this class
Assistant Coaching Search Update
Rumors began to swirl yesterday about former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads joining Rutgers as its next defensive coordinator. However, Scarlet Nation has confirmed with an anonymous source close to the situation that Rhoads is not a current candidate for the position. There have been no developments between Rhoads and Rutgers and the rumors are just rumors with no legitimacy.
Recruiting Tidbits
DB Patrice Rene – Episcopal (Va.)
New special teams coach Vince Okruch met with Rene yesterday and the end result was positive. Rene confirmed that he has locked in an official visit to Rutgers on Jan 29. However, Rene is still aiming to take his other visits with a total of three still remaining. UNC will get one of those while the last visit remains up in there as Pitt and Cal are both vying for that spot. Rene was very close with former linebackers coach Bob Fraser, who will not be part of the new RU staff moving forward. Rutgers looks to be in a good spot with Rene, an even better one that it was a few weeks ago.
DB Phil Campbell – South Brunswick
Campbell was visited last night by Ash, but is still looking to make the trip down up to Pitt this weekend. Pitt has been recruiting Campbell through the season while steadily gaining momentum. This one looks like it will be a tough battle Campbell’s parents are both RU alums, although a good visit out at Pitt could do a lot to push the Panthers out in front.
QB Anthony Russo – Archbishop Wood (Pa.)
Scarlet Nation confirmed multiple times over the last couple of weeks that Russo is still committed to Rutgers. The biggest concern out of the Russo camp is how he will be intended to be used in the future RU offense. Temple swooped in for a home visit on Wednesday, a day before Okruch checked out Russo at home. Russo developed a very good relationship with offensive coordinator Ben McDaniels, even before other targets Dwayne Haskins and Jarrett Guarantanno were off the market. That made quite an impression and now that McDaniels is gone, Russo is anxious to see who the new offensive coordinator will be. That eventual meeting between the new OC and Russo will be key as will the exact system that RU will run in the future.
DB K.J. Sails – East Bay (Fla.)
Rutgers is back in the race for the former Iowa commit. Sails soured on Rutgers in the midst of the early season turmoil that included RU player arrests and a head coaching suspension. Sails was also a high school teammate of Marques Ford, who has made strides this year while redshirting at Rutgers. Ford’s promising future could help Rutgers if he can get in Sails’ ear about joining him on the banks.
WR Kelvin Harmon – Palmyra
The South Jersey standout just decommitted from South Carolina as a coaching change down in Columbia has disrupted things a bit with recruits. Harmon was a one-time Rutgers lean, but don’t expect any shades of the past to resurface here as Rutgers does not look to be in play for his services.
DT Mike Dwumfour – DePaul
Ash wasted no time offering the Penn State commit this week and although Dwumfour told Scarlet Nation that he is still a Penn State commit. Scarlet Nation has learned he is willing to hear what Rutgers has to say. There was a bit of a bitter taste left when the former RU staff continued to slow play Dwumfour earlier this year and kept on promising an offer. In the meantime, Dwumfour wound up committing to Penn State. Dwumfour had a much better senior year and his highlights from this past season were much better than his showing as a junior. Don’t expect Dwumfour to say much publicly, but there is a chance Rutgers could receive an official visit.
DB Tony Butler – St. Edward (Ohio)
The three-star defensive back visited RU officially, but was urged by his parents to look elsewhere in the midst of the previous turmoil under former head coach Kyle Flood. Butler has a current list of finalists that include West Virginia, Arizona State and Nebraska. Things have been quiet this week between Butler and Rutgers and it could be an uphill battle for Ash, especially since Butler already took an official visit to Rutgers. This one looks like it could be a bit of a longshot right now and more candidates may emerge as Ash continues to wade through the recruiting process.
LB Solomon Manning – Colonia
The NJ product was visited twice yesterday by Ash, who told Manning he sees him fitting in as a strongside linebacker in his 4-3 defense. Manning is also close to finalizing his early enrollment. He told Scarlet Nation that it had to do with a couple of grades, but that he has received the right marks and that situation should be moving forward this week. Look for a complete article on Manning later today.
ATH Jordan Fuller – Old Tappan
Fuller’s familiarity with Ash helps Rutgers' case in this one as he was recruiting Fuller while at Ohio State. Fuller will visit Notre Dame this weekend, but don’t expect him to commit anywhere on a whim. Fuller will also appear in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan 9th, with more officials to be taken after that. Following this past season and all the recent troubles with Flood, Rutgers fell behind in the race for Fuller. Chances are now better with Ash, but Rutgers will still face some tough competition through the month of January.
Eye on Rutgers
Next season is a long time away, although some future stars were already starting to assert themselves on the practice field. Here’s a closer look at a couple of players who could wind up having stellar careers at Rutgers.
Ron’Dell Carter – Redshirting Carter may have been the best move the coaching staff made in what was a dismal season. Carter is up to a solid 250 pounds, showing tremendous potential at the defensive end position. There were rumors of him moving to tight end prior to the season, although staying put at defensive end should serve Rutgers well in the future. Carter is a tireless worker and very explosive athlete. While a lot of talk focused on defensive end Kemoko Turay heading into the season, Carter worked diligently every day and continued to develop. Come next season, Carter should be capable of competing for a lot of playing time at the defensive end position and wind up having a monster career in the Big Ten.
Najee Clayton – The true freshman did not get started until late in August as academic issues delayed his arrival. Clayton began progressing immediately and wound up seeing the field for the first time in game No.8. While Rutgers was paper thin at safety at that point, Clayton would have been better served with a redshirt. Nonetheless, he has a very high ceiling and there is a good chance he emerges as the top strong safety next season. Coming into high school, Clayton was billed as one of the top prospects in the nation. Also, keep in mind that he did not start playing safety until his senior year of high school. The ceiling remains sky high for Clayton and as long as he does not add more weight and move to linebacker, Clayton has a very good chance of being RU’s strong safety of the future.
