Quotable
Robert Martin on his earliest days as a running back:
“I started playing running back when I was like six or seven. My mom didn’t want me to play football at first. But I would always come back home whining, saying ‘but mom, all my friends are playing.’ Then, she signed me up and after that, it just took off. She was scared I would get injured at first, but once she started to see me play, she didn’t think about that anymore.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Returning Defensive Players
5.) Kemoko Turay
4.) Isaiah Wharton
3.) Kevin Wilkins
2.) Steve Longa
1.) Darius Hamilton
Coaching Tidbits
Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash remains one of the more popular names in what has been an air-tight Rutgers coaching search. Sources have told Scarlet Nation that Urban Meyer would not likely get in the way of Ash taking on a head coaching position. Actually, Meyer does not like to see his assistants fail in head coaching positions, which is the reason why he deterred Ash from taking the Syracuse job.
There have been no leaks getting out on the Rutgers end as the coaching search info is not being shared with donors and outside of athletic director Pat Hobbs, there may be just one or two people who know all the details for certain. While verified news has been rather limited, this is a very positive sign moving forward as Hobbs is already running a tight ship.
The two most prominent names we are hearing now from our sources is Al Golden and Chris Ash, although a couple of sources have said that there could also be a mystery candidate that has yet to be mentioned. The projected time of the coaching search started off at 10 days and counting the Sunday that Flood was fired, this is now day No.6.
Recruiting Tidbits
Class of 2016 RU commit updates
With the removal of Kyle Flood as RU head coach on Sunday, many of the class of 2016 commits offered a no comment when asked about their status. The Rutgers coaching staff hit the road this week to visit many of those commitments. The overall message to the commitments was that this is the same school with proximity to NYC and strong academics in the Big Ten. The staff also advised the class to be patient and wait to see who Rutgers hires to replace Flood.
DB Patrice Rene was highlighted recently and while he is still committed, Rutgers needs to get him back on campus as he didn’t make it for the Maryland game last week even though he was scheduled to attend. Rene also mentioned the possibility of not taking an official visit to Rutgers.
The trio of Florida RB Trey Snead, Florida LB Jon Pollock and NJ LB Solomon Manning have still decided to take their official visits to Rutgers next weekend as all three are targeted for early enrollment. The trio of commitments still feel comfortable with their decision to attend Rutgers, but having a coach in place by next weekend will only further cement their commitments.
The commitment probably most curious about the new head coach is QB Anthony Russo. One of the biggest reasons Russo decided on playing for Rutgers was the chance to play in a pro-style system. While the college game is trending away from a pro-style, there are still of offensive systems that favor a pocket passer like Russo. Last night, Scarlet Nation confirmed that Russo is still committed to Rutgers.
The Poly Prep duo of Elias Reynolds and Justin Morgan have always been on watch and Reynolds made his decommitment official earlier this week. Scarlet Nation has learned that Reynolds still holds Rutgers in high regard and the probability that he ends up signing with Rutgers is still strong.
In regards to Morgan, Scarlet Nation. has learned that Morgan, who visited Pittsburgh unofficially the Friday after Thanksgiving, will head back out to the Steel City for an official visit the weekend of December 11th . The positive here is that Morgan, who is down to Rutgers and Pitt, is still committed to Rutgers and wants to see the new hire before even considering a flip. Rutgers will also get the last visit from Morgan sometime in January, a month after his Pittsburgh visit.
It should be noted that Pitt visited Poly Prep this week and while they were able to confirm an official visit for Morgan, it appears they couldn’t do the same for Reynolds.
Maryland DB Damon Hayes has received an offer from Boston College and new interest this week but he retains his commitment to the RU program. While he may take another visit or two, Hayes feels strongly about Rutgers and feels a sense of loyalty due to Rutgers offering him when other schools didn’t.
Big Ten schools have started to inquire recently about the Grand Street Campus duo of Taysir Mack and Ahmed Bah as well as long time commitment Mo Jabbie of South Brunwick. Jabbie has obvious ties to Rutgers and seems solid in his commitment. Jabbie’s teammate, Phil Campbell, has Pittsburgh and West Virginia pushing hard for visits once South Brunswick finishes its season this weekend.
For the Grand Street Campus duo, they are most interested in getting to know the new head coach. Flood was well regarded in his hometown of NYC, making an effort to make the city a priority.
Other commits Tymir Oliver and Elijah Johnson have been very quiet. Oliver’s season is still ongoing but we know that Johnson also visited Pitt last week. Both were at double digit offers at the time of their commitments so they are two that Rutgers will have to monitor closely going forward.
Class of 2016 Target Updates
Besides visiting the current RU commitments, Rutgers is still working on maintaining relationships with some of their top available prospects. Rutgers coaches hit the road to visit Connecticut OL Lucas Niang who has Rutgers in his final 5, Florida DB’s Henry Miller and KJ Sails. The staff is even issuing new offers with Detroit OL Alaric Jackson finally adding a Rutgers tender. Defensive tackles Amir Watts and Jarrod Hewitt still remain priorities for the staff as well.
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
The senior offensive line target has been on Rutgers’ radar for a while and remains among his finalists. He is coming off a Philly championship win over Anthony Russo’s Archbishop Wood squad.
“He was messing with me throughout the game, talking about going to Rutgers with him,” Durant said of Russo after the win. “It was a friendly conversation and I was just messing with him too. Anthony is a good quarterback though.”
Durant said he is not worrying about recruiting while his team’s playoff run continues. However, he did say he is still interested in Rutgers despite the firing of former head coach Kyle Flood.
OL Johncarlo Valentin – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
Rutgers had been recruiting Valentin for a while along with a long list of other schools. He was a bit of a longshot when Flood was RU’s coach. However, having jumped onto the recruiting scene a bit later in the recruiting process, RU’s next head coach may still have an outside shot at obtaining a January visit.
“I blew up so late, so I am definitely taking my time with recruiting,” Valentin said. “I am focused on winning a state championship first.”
Valentin has already officially visited Arizona State and Oklahoma and is planning on taking his final three visits as well.
Class of 2017 Updates
The Rutgers staff has also been visiting and maintaining contact with their top 2017 prospects as well, and starting the evaluations of new targets in this class. The first RU 2017 commitment Naijee Jones of Timber Creek NJ is still committed.
ATH C.J. Holmes – Cheshire Academy (Conn.)
The junior picked up a Rutgers offer this Saturday when he traveled down to Piscataway to watch the Scarlet Knights take on Maryland.
“It was the first offer I received in person. That is exciting," Holmes said. "I originally spoke with EJ Barthel who told me they were going to offer.”
The offer came via Flood shortly after Rutgers lost to Maryland. Flood was promptly fired the next day.
“It’s crazy. I was standing with the guy in his office the night before and then you get news like that,” Holmes said of Flood’s firing. “The first thing I did was reach out to coach [Ben] McDaniels, the offensive coordinator. I told him I was still interested in Rutgers and hope they can continue to recruit me. But all I can do is wait and see what the incoming coach wants to do with the offers. It is really out of my hands.”
Rutgers was the fifth school to offer Holmes, along with Temple, Mississippi State, UConn and Boston College.
Team Tidbits
As the Rutgers team awaits who its next head coach will be, the players are resorted to watching and waiting along with the RU fan base. In the meantime, the annual team awards were announced yesterday, although the annual post-season banquet was canceled. Here is a look at the winners:
Homer Hazel Trophy: Leonte Carroo
MVP - Offense: Leonte Carroo
MVP - Defense: Steve Longa
MVP - Special Teams: Janarion Grant
Bender Trophy for Most Valuable Offensive and Defensive Lineman: Quanzell Lambert (defensive line), Keith Lumpkin (offensive line)
Paul Robeson Award (Touchdown Club Trophy): Djwany Mera
Loyal Knight Award: Paul James, Brian Verbitski
Iron Knight Award: Sam Bergen
Axe Player of the Year: Joey Roth
Swarm and Finish Award: Julian Pinnix-Odrick (defense), Derrick Nelson (offense)
"R" Man Courage Award: Chris Muller, Quentin Gause
Collins Most Improved Scholar: Djwany Mera
Scholar-Athlete Award: Brian Verbitski
Championship weekend
It is Championship weekend in New Jersey and New York City and Scarlet Nation highlights the RU commits and targets who will be in action for the final time this season.
Non-Public, Group 4
MetLife Stadium
12/04 St. Joseph (Mont.) @ Don Bosco Prep 8:00 PM
2017 offers SJR OL Rob Martin, OL Josh Fedd Jackson and LB Louis Acceus
2017 offer DB OL Liam Fornadel, 2017 QB to watch Tommy Devito, 2018 offer OL / DL Tyler Friday
Non-Public Group 3
High Point Solutions Stadium
12/05 DePaul @St. John Vianney 10:00 AM
2017 OL offer SJV’s Micah Clark
North 1, Group 5
MetLife Stadium
Passaic Tech @ Ridgewood 4:00 PM
2017 OL Offer Passaic Tech’s Carter Warren
North 1, Group 4
MetLife Stadium
12/05 Wayne Hills @ Old Tappan 1:00 PM
2016 DB offer OT’s Jordan Fuller
North 1, Group 1
Kean University
12/05 Verona @ Cedar Grove 10:00 AM
2017 WR to watch CG’s Evidence Njoku
Central Jersey, Group 5
High Point Solutions Stadium
12/05 Old Bridge @ South Brunswick 1:00 PM
2016 commits SB’s WR Mo Jabbie and S Phil Campbell
2018 QB offer OB’s Artur Sitkowski
Central Jersey, Group 3
High Points Solutions Stadium
12/05 Red Bank Regional @ Rumson-Fair Haven 7:00 PM
2018 TE to watch R-FH’s Elijah McAllister
South Jersey, Group 4
Rowan University
12/06 Timber Creek @ Shawnee 6:00 PM
2017 commit TC’s DB Naijee Jones , 2018 QB to watch Devin Leary
South Jersey, Group 2
Rowan University
12/06 Cedar Creek @ West Deptford 11:00 AM
2017 ATH offer CC’s Bo Melton, 2017 DT offer CC’s Owen Bowels
NYC PSAL City Championship
12 pm Yankee Stadium
12/06 Erasmus Hall vs Grand Street Campus
(2016 commits GSC’s WR’s Ahmed Bah and Taysir Mack)
(2018 offer E Hall’s OL/ DL Matt Jones)
Robert Martin on his earliest days as a running back:
“I started playing running back when I was like six or seven. My mom didn’t want me to play football at first. But I would always come back home whining, saying ‘but mom, all my friends are playing.’ Then, she signed me up and after that, it just took off. She was scared I would get injured at first, but once she started to see me play, she didn’t think about that anymore.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Returning Defensive Players
5.) Kemoko Turay
4.) Isaiah Wharton
3.) Kevin Wilkins
2.) Steve Longa
1.) Darius Hamilton
Coaching Tidbits
Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash remains one of the more popular names in what has been an air-tight Rutgers coaching search. Sources have told Scarlet Nation that Urban Meyer would not likely get in the way of Ash taking on a head coaching position. Actually, Meyer does not like to see his assistants fail in head coaching positions, which is the reason why he deterred Ash from taking the Syracuse job.
There have been no leaks getting out on the Rutgers end as the coaching search info is not being shared with donors and outside of athletic director Pat Hobbs, there may be just one or two people who know all the details for certain. While verified news has been rather limited, this is a very positive sign moving forward as Hobbs is already running a tight ship.
The two most prominent names we are hearing now from our sources is Al Golden and Chris Ash, although a couple of sources have said that there could also be a mystery candidate that has yet to be mentioned. The projected time of the coaching search started off at 10 days and counting the Sunday that Flood was fired, this is now day No.6.
Recruiting Tidbits
Class of 2016 RU commit updates
With the removal of Kyle Flood as RU head coach on Sunday, many of the class of 2016 commits offered a no comment when asked about their status. The Rutgers coaching staff hit the road this week to visit many of those commitments. The overall message to the commitments was that this is the same school with proximity to NYC and strong academics in the Big Ten. The staff also advised the class to be patient and wait to see who Rutgers hires to replace Flood.
DB Patrice Rene was highlighted recently and while he is still committed, Rutgers needs to get him back on campus as he didn’t make it for the Maryland game last week even though he was scheduled to attend. Rene also mentioned the possibility of not taking an official visit to Rutgers.
The trio of Florida RB Trey Snead, Florida LB Jon Pollock and NJ LB Solomon Manning have still decided to take their official visits to Rutgers next weekend as all three are targeted for early enrollment. The trio of commitments still feel comfortable with their decision to attend Rutgers, but having a coach in place by next weekend will only further cement their commitments.
The commitment probably most curious about the new head coach is QB Anthony Russo. One of the biggest reasons Russo decided on playing for Rutgers was the chance to play in a pro-style system. While the college game is trending away from a pro-style, there are still of offensive systems that favor a pocket passer like Russo. Last night, Scarlet Nation confirmed that Russo is still committed to Rutgers.
The Poly Prep duo of Elias Reynolds and Justin Morgan have always been on watch and Reynolds made his decommitment official earlier this week. Scarlet Nation has learned that Reynolds still holds Rutgers in high regard and the probability that he ends up signing with Rutgers is still strong.
In regards to Morgan, Scarlet Nation. has learned that Morgan, who visited Pittsburgh unofficially the Friday after Thanksgiving, will head back out to the Steel City for an official visit the weekend of December 11th . The positive here is that Morgan, who is down to Rutgers and Pitt, is still committed to Rutgers and wants to see the new hire before even considering a flip. Rutgers will also get the last visit from Morgan sometime in January, a month after his Pittsburgh visit.
It should be noted that Pitt visited Poly Prep this week and while they were able to confirm an official visit for Morgan, it appears they couldn’t do the same for Reynolds.
Maryland DB Damon Hayes has received an offer from Boston College and new interest this week but he retains his commitment to the RU program. While he may take another visit or two, Hayes feels strongly about Rutgers and feels a sense of loyalty due to Rutgers offering him when other schools didn’t.
Big Ten schools have started to inquire recently about the Grand Street Campus duo of Taysir Mack and Ahmed Bah as well as long time commitment Mo Jabbie of South Brunwick. Jabbie has obvious ties to Rutgers and seems solid in his commitment. Jabbie’s teammate, Phil Campbell, has Pittsburgh and West Virginia pushing hard for visits once South Brunswick finishes its season this weekend.
For the Grand Street Campus duo, they are most interested in getting to know the new head coach. Flood was well regarded in his hometown of NYC, making an effort to make the city a priority.
Other commits Tymir Oliver and Elijah Johnson have been very quiet. Oliver’s season is still ongoing but we know that Johnson also visited Pitt last week. Both were at double digit offers at the time of their commitments so they are two that Rutgers will have to monitor closely going forward.
Class of 2016 Target Updates
Besides visiting the current RU commitments, Rutgers is still working on maintaining relationships with some of their top available prospects. Rutgers coaches hit the road to visit Connecticut OL Lucas Niang who has Rutgers in his final 5, Florida DB’s Henry Miller and KJ Sails. The staff is even issuing new offers with Detroit OL Alaric Jackson finally adding a Rutgers tender. Defensive tackles Amir Watts and Jarrod Hewitt still remain priorities for the staff as well.
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
The senior offensive line target has been on Rutgers’ radar for a while and remains among his finalists. He is coming off a Philly championship win over Anthony Russo’s Archbishop Wood squad.
“He was messing with me throughout the game, talking about going to Rutgers with him,” Durant said of Russo after the win. “It was a friendly conversation and I was just messing with him too. Anthony is a good quarterback though.”
Durant said he is not worrying about recruiting while his team’s playoff run continues. However, he did say he is still interested in Rutgers despite the firing of former head coach Kyle Flood.
OL Johncarlo Valentin – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
Rutgers had been recruiting Valentin for a while along with a long list of other schools. He was a bit of a longshot when Flood was RU’s coach. However, having jumped onto the recruiting scene a bit later in the recruiting process, RU’s next head coach may still have an outside shot at obtaining a January visit.
“I blew up so late, so I am definitely taking my time with recruiting,” Valentin said. “I am focused on winning a state championship first.”
Valentin has already officially visited Arizona State and Oklahoma and is planning on taking his final three visits as well.
Class of 2017 Updates
The Rutgers staff has also been visiting and maintaining contact with their top 2017 prospects as well, and starting the evaluations of new targets in this class. The first RU 2017 commitment Naijee Jones of Timber Creek NJ is still committed.
ATH C.J. Holmes – Cheshire Academy (Conn.)
The junior picked up a Rutgers offer this Saturday when he traveled down to Piscataway to watch the Scarlet Knights take on Maryland.
“It was the first offer I received in person. That is exciting," Holmes said. "I originally spoke with EJ Barthel who told me they were going to offer.”
The offer came via Flood shortly after Rutgers lost to Maryland. Flood was promptly fired the next day.
“It’s crazy. I was standing with the guy in his office the night before and then you get news like that,” Holmes said of Flood’s firing. “The first thing I did was reach out to coach [Ben] McDaniels, the offensive coordinator. I told him I was still interested in Rutgers and hope they can continue to recruit me. But all I can do is wait and see what the incoming coach wants to do with the offers. It is really out of my hands.”
Rutgers was the fifth school to offer Holmes, along with Temple, Mississippi State, UConn and Boston College.
Team Tidbits
As the Rutgers team awaits who its next head coach will be, the players are resorted to watching and waiting along with the RU fan base. In the meantime, the annual team awards were announced yesterday, although the annual post-season banquet was canceled. Here is a look at the winners:
Homer Hazel Trophy: Leonte Carroo
MVP - Offense: Leonte Carroo
MVP - Defense: Steve Longa
MVP - Special Teams: Janarion Grant
Bender Trophy for Most Valuable Offensive and Defensive Lineman: Quanzell Lambert (defensive line), Keith Lumpkin (offensive line)
Paul Robeson Award (Touchdown Club Trophy): Djwany Mera
Loyal Knight Award: Paul James, Brian Verbitski
Iron Knight Award: Sam Bergen
Axe Player of the Year: Joey Roth
Swarm and Finish Award: Julian Pinnix-Odrick (defense), Derrick Nelson (offense)
"R" Man Courage Award: Chris Muller, Quentin Gause
Collins Most Improved Scholar: Djwany Mera
Scholar-Athlete Award: Brian Verbitski
Championship weekend
It is Championship weekend in New Jersey and New York City and Scarlet Nation highlights the RU commits and targets who will be in action for the final time this season.
Non-Public, Group 4
MetLife Stadium
12/04 St. Joseph (Mont.) @ Don Bosco Prep 8:00 PM
2017 offers SJR OL Rob Martin, OL Josh Fedd Jackson and LB Louis Acceus
2017 offer DB OL Liam Fornadel, 2017 QB to watch Tommy Devito, 2018 offer OL / DL Tyler Friday
Non-Public Group 3
High Point Solutions Stadium
12/05 DePaul @St. John Vianney 10:00 AM
2017 OL offer SJV’s Micah Clark
North 1, Group 5
MetLife Stadium
Passaic Tech @ Ridgewood 4:00 PM
2017 OL Offer Passaic Tech’s Carter Warren
North 1, Group 4
MetLife Stadium
12/05 Wayne Hills @ Old Tappan 1:00 PM
2016 DB offer OT’s Jordan Fuller
North 1, Group 1
Kean University
12/05 Verona @ Cedar Grove 10:00 AM
2017 WR to watch CG’s Evidence Njoku
Central Jersey, Group 5
High Point Solutions Stadium
12/05 Old Bridge @ South Brunswick 1:00 PM
2016 commits SB’s WR Mo Jabbie and S Phil Campbell
2018 QB offer OB’s Artur Sitkowski
Central Jersey, Group 3
High Points Solutions Stadium
12/05 Red Bank Regional @ Rumson-Fair Haven 7:00 PM
2018 TE to watch R-FH’s Elijah McAllister
South Jersey, Group 4
Rowan University
12/06 Timber Creek @ Shawnee 6:00 PM
2017 commit TC’s DB Naijee Jones , 2018 QB to watch Devin Leary
South Jersey, Group 2
Rowan University
12/06 Cedar Creek @ West Deptford 11:00 AM
2017 ATH offer CC’s Bo Melton, 2017 DT offer CC’s Owen Bowels
NYC PSAL City Championship
12 pm Yankee Stadium
12/06 Erasmus Hall vs Grand Street Campus
(2016 commits GSC’s WR’s Ahmed Bah and Taysir Mack)
(2018 offer E Hall’s OL/ DL Matt Jones)
