Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five Class of 2017 NJ Wide Receivers
5.) Bryce Watts – Toms River North
4.) Evidence Njoku – Cedar Grove
3.) Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei
2.) Markquese Bell - Bridgeton
1.) Bo Melton – Cedar Creek
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
A new candidate will soon emerge in the RU hoops coaching search
Hoops Coaching Search Update
Now the Danny Hurley experiment has fallen through, the roadmap to the next Rutgers coach has no distinct route. George Washington head coach Mike Longeran is rumored to be high up on Pat Hobbs’ list, but there is question as to whether or not he really wants the job. Longeran’s squad is still in the NIT, which could draw things out if he is indeed a top choice of Hobbs. Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell still remains in the running and now that his team has been bounced out of the NCAA Tourney at the hands of Kentucky, an interview could take place within the next day or two. The same goes for Tim Cluess, who saw his Iona squad bow out of the NCAA Tourney yesterday with a 94-81 loss to Iowa State. That does not mean they are the only candidates as Hobbs could really expand his search and even opt to go the same route he did for football, hiring an assistant coach in Chris Ash. That is not completely out of the question.
Recruiting Tidbits
DE Mike Tverdov – Union
The Rutgers staff continues to make Tverdov a priority and he has already scheduled his next visit to campus, which will take place on Saturday, April 16th. Tverdov also continues to receive ongoing interest from an array of schools and will check in among the top 10 in our latest NJVarsity Top 30.
WR Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei
Another top 10 NJ class of 2017 prospect, Lewis recently added offers from Colorado State and Buffalo. Lewis’ original plan was to end his recruitment later this spring and some upcoming visits could shed some light on where he winds up.
“Me and my parents are working on scheduling those visits now,” Lewis told Scarlet Nation last night.
Rutgers continues to heavily recruit Lewis and he mentioned that things are going “great” with Rutgers.
RB Jon Lovett – Cherokee
The South Jersey standout running back continues to hear a great deal from Rutgers and confirmed that he will be visiting Piscataway on April 2nd for a spring practice.
“It’s going great [with Rutgers]. They are still being loyal to me and contacting me often,” Lovett said.
WR Everett Wormley – Burlington Township
Rutgers is making a strong push for the South Jersey receiver and it looks to be working as Wormley has Rutgers firmly at the top of his list.
“Right now, Rutgers is my leader,” Wormley told Scarlet Nation last night.
Wormley plans to visit Temple on Friday and will be at Rutgers for a spring practice on March 29th. He has also developed a strong bond with head coach Chris Ash.
“Me and him talk constantly,” Wormley said of Ash.
ATH Bryce Watts – Toms Rover North
Watts is seeing his recruitment become busier by the day while Rutgers continues to maintain a lot of interest. He confirmed with Scarlet Nation that he will be in attendance for RU’s first Saturday practice.
“I can't wait to go to Rutgers spring practice on the 2nd [of March],” Watts said.
Watts is planning to visit Indiana and Purdue a week later and also intends to visit Boston College and Syracuse.
QB Jarius Grissom – River Rouge (MI)
Grissom was trying to schedule a visit out to Rutgers after initially receiving his offer, although things have cooled off a bit between him and the Scarlet Knight coaching staff. At this point, it looks as though RU has some higher QB targets on its board.
QB Tommy Devito – Don Bosco
Devito has emerged as a legitimate quarterback target, recently adding an RU offer. Being a high-profile quarterback at state champion Don Bosco, Devito admitted that he talks to other prospects about recruiting.
“One of the most recent guys I have been talking to has been Corey Bolds [of Paramus Catholic]. Everybody is just waiting to see who they are really interested in and where they are going to go visit. We are all going to talk more and see what players like and don’t like, then take that and look for ourselves."
Tight end recruiting
Branden Atkinson of Maryland tight end recently visited Rutgers but did not walk away with an offer. He said that contact has been minimal since that visit as it appears that RU is looking elsewhere for a tight end. Interest remains high in Metuchen's Devin Miller, who has upcoming visits scheduled to Temple and Houston. There are only two other tight end offers out as of now, one to New Hampshire product Alex Marshall and the other just went out last week to Charles Reeves of Steubenville, Ohio. Both of those prospects are national recruits and at this time, it does not appear that Rutgers is major player for either of them.
Eye on Rutgers
The Left Tackle Battle
Now that three-year starting left tackle Keith Lumpkin has moved on, Rutgers is in search of someone to replace him. That is setting up for an interesting battle which will begin in the spring. Redshirt sophomore Zack Heeman will compete for the starting spot and looks to be the front runner. He started two games at the end of last season at guard, but has since moved back to his more natural position of tackle. His primary competition looks as though it is going to be redshirt sophomore Tariq Cole. Scarlet Nation is hearing that Cole will be on the move this spring and compete with Heeman for the right to start at left tackle. Cole worked in as an interior lineman under the previous coaching staff and was steadily working himself into game shape. Opening day will mark the first time since 2012 that someone other than Lumpkin started a game at left tackle. To conclude the 2012 season, Kaleb Johnson started the season finale at left tackle against Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
On the Mat
The RU wrestlers had a rough day in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament yesterday. With ten qualifiers, only one advanced to the quarterfinals. Anthony Ashnault posted two wins in the 141-pound division yesterday to move into the quarterfinals. Four wrestlers will get another chance today in the wrestlebacks as 157-pounder Richie Lewis, 165-pounder Anthony Perrotti, 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina and heavyweight Billy Smith are all still alive. They advanced in the consolations and will wrestle this morning in the championships’ third session. Five other RU grapplers were eliminated, each suffering a pair of defeats.
“Honestly, it was a tough day for us. It was a humbling day,” RU head coach Scott Goodale in a statement. “It was a humbling experience. We got pinned more than we’ve probably gotten pinned all year long. So it’s humbling, but you’ve got to stay on the positives right now. We’ve got some guys coming back, coming through. It’s a long haul to get to Saturday and that’s what we need to do.”
Top Five Class of 2017 NJ Wide Receivers
5.) Bryce Watts – Toms River North
4.) Evidence Njoku – Cedar Grove
3.) Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei
2.) Markquese Bell - Bridgeton
1.) Bo Melton – Cedar Creek
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
A new candidate will soon emerge in the RU hoops coaching search
Hoops Coaching Search Update
Now the Danny Hurley experiment has fallen through, the roadmap to the next Rutgers coach has no distinct route. George Washington head coach Mike Longeran is rumored to be high up on Pat Hobbs’ list, but there is question as to whether or not he really wants the job. Longeran’s squad is still in the NIT, which could draw things out if he is indeed a top choice of Hobbs. Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell still remains in the running and now that his team has been bounced out of the NCAA Tourney at the hands of Kentucky, an interview could take place within the next day or two. The same goes for Tim Cluess, who saw his Iona squad bow out of the NCAA Tourney yesterday with a 94-81 loss to Iowa State. That does not mean they are the only candidates as Hobbs could really expand his search and even opt to go the same route he did for football, hiring an assistant coach in Chris Ash. That is not completely out of the question.
Recruiting Tidbits
DE Mike Tverdov – Union
The Rutgers staff continues to make Tverdov a priority and he has already scheduled his next visit to campus, which will take place on Saturday, April 16th. Tverdov also continues to receive ongoing interest from an array of schools and will check in among the top 10 in our latest NJVarsity Top 30.
WR Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei
Another top 10 NJ class of 2017 prospect, Lewis recently added offers from Colorado State and Buffalo. Lewis’ original plan was to end his recruitment later this spring and some upcoming visits could shed some light on where he winds up.
“Me and my parents are working on scheduling those visits now,” Lewis told Scarlet Nation last night.
Rutgers continues to heavily recruit Lewis and he mentioned that things are going “great” with Rutgers.
RB Jon Lovett – Cherokee
The South Jersey standout running back continues to hear a great deal from Rutgers and confirmed that he will be visiting Piscataway on April 2nd for a spring practice.
“It’s going great [with Rutgers]. They are still being loyal to me and contacting me often,” Lovett said.
WR Everett Wormley – Burlington Township
Rutgers is making a strong push for the South Jersey receiver and it looks to be working as Wormley has Rutgers firmly at the top of his list.
“Right now, Rutgers is my leader,” Wormley told Scarlet Nation last night.
Wormley plans to visit Temple on Friday and will be at Rutgers for a spring practice on March 29th. He has also developed a strong bond with head coach Chris Ash.
“Me and him talk constantly,” Wormley said of Ash.
ATH Bryce Watts – Toms Rover North
Watts is seeing his recruitment become busier by the day while Rutgers continues to maintain a lot of interest. He confirmed with Scarlet Nation that he will be in attendance for RU’s first Saturday practice.
“I can't wait to go to Rutgers spring practice on the 2nd [of March],” Watts said.
Watts is planning to visit Indiana and Purdue a week later and also intends to visit Boston College and Syracuse.
QB Jarius Grissom – River Rouge (MI)
Grissom was trying to schedule a visit out to Rutgers after initially receiving his offer, although things have cooled off a bit between him and the Scarlet Knight coaching staff. At this point, it looks as though RU has some higher QB targets on its board.
QB Tommy Devito – Don Bosco
Devito has emerged as a legitimate quarterback target, recently adding an RU offer. Being a high-profile quarterback at state champion Don Bosco, Devito admitted that he talks to other prospects about recruiting.
“One of the most recent guys I have been talking to has been Corey Bolds [of Paramus Catholic]. Everybody is just waiting to see who they are really interested in and where they are going to go visit. We are all going to talk more and see what players like and don’t like, then take that and look for ourselves."
Tight end recruiting
Branden Atkinson of Maryland tight end recently visited Rutgers but did not walk away with an offer. He said that contact has been minimal since that visit as it appears that RU is looking elsewhere for a tight end. Interest remains high in Metuchen's Devin Miller, who has upcoming visits scheduled to Temple and Houston. There are only two other tight end offers out as of now, one to New Hampshire product Alex Marshall and the other just went out last week to Charles Reeves of Steubenville, Ohio. Both of those prospects are national recruits and at this time, it does not appear that Rutgers is major player for either of them.
Eye on Rutgers
The Left Tackle Battle
Now that three-year starting left tackle Keith Lumpkin has moved on, Rutgers is in search of someone to replace him. That is setting up for an interesting battle which will begin in the spring. Redshirt sophomore Zack Heeman will compete for the starting spot and looks to be the front runner. He started two games at the end of last season at guard, but has since moved back to his more natural position of tackle. His primary competition looks as though it is going to be redshirt sophomore Tariq Cole. Scarlet Nation is hearing that Cole will be on the move this spring and compete with Heeman for the right to start at left tackle. Cole worked in as an interior lineman under the previous coaching staff and was steadily working himself into game shape. Opening day will mark the first time since 2012 that someone other than Lumpkin started a game at left tackle. To conclude the 2012 season, Kaleb Johnson started the season finale at left tackle against Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
On the Mat
The RU wrestlers had a rough day in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament yesterday. With ten qualifiers, only one advanced to the quarterfinals. Anthony Ashnault posted two wins in the 141-pound division yesterday to move into the quarterfinals. Four wrestlers will get another chance today in the wrestlebacks as 157-pounder Richie Lewis, 165-pounder Anthony Perrotti, 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina and heavyweight Billy Smith are all still alive. They advanced in the consolations and will wrestle this morning in the championships’ third session. Five other RU grapplers were eliminated, each suffering a pair of defeats.
“Honestly, it was a tough day for us. It was a humbling day,” RU head coach Scott Goodale in a statement. “It was a humbling experience. We got pinned more than we’ve probably gotten pinned all year long. So it’s humbling, but you’ve got to stay on the positives right now. We’ve got some guys coming back, coming through. It’s a long haul to get to Saturday and that’s what we need to do.”
