Quotables
Drew Mehringer on the Rutgers offense:
"I feel very young right now as an offense as a whole."
Brandon Russell on the linebacker competition:
"It has been competitive. It is going to get turned up every single day and there is a lot more physical stuff I am going to see soon.”
Deonte Roberts on the new Rutgers offense:
“The offense is different, so it’s much faster. We have to get lined up faster and get calls out quicker. It’s a lot different.”
TJ Taylor on returning from an ACL:
“I feel great. I am out here running and cleared to do everything. To be honest, I don’t think about my injury at all. There are so many other things to think about when it comes to plays and alignments, my knee is the last thing I am thinking about. I am getting my football legs back and I am just glad to be out here with my friends and teammates.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five Class of 2017 NJ Linebackers
5.) Paul Theobald – Seton Hall Prep
4.) Marvin Pierre – Mater Dei
3.) Lou Acceus – St. Joe’s Montvale
2.) CJ Onyechi – West Orange
1.) Drew Singleton – Paramus Catholic
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
The Rutgers QB competition will extend into the summer
Saturday Practice Visitors
Rutgers continues to welcome daily visitors and here is a look at the prospects who have confirmed with Scarlet Nation that they will be on campus this Saturday to check out Rutgers' intrasquad scrimmage.
QB Tayvon Bowers – Bishop McDevitt (PA)
QB Jonathan Lewis – St. Peter's Prep
QB Shelton Applewhite – DePaul Catholic
RB Jon Lovett – Cherokee
WR Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei Prep
OL Liam Fornadel – Don Bosco Prep
DE Tyree Johnson – St. John's College (DC)
LB James McCarthy – Middletown South
LB Marvin Pierre – Mater Dei
DB Stuart Cundiff – Immaculata
DB Harrison Hand – Cherry Hill-West
DB Naijee Jones – Timber Creek
DB Edwin Lopez – Woodrew Wilson
Team Tidbits
Redshirt freshman wide reciever Jawuan Harris has not suited up yet for a Rutgers spring practice being as though he is one of the top players on the RU baseball team. That appears as though it will continue as Harris is not expected to do much this spring.
“Right now he us a baseball player and that is an agreement we had. I am okay with him going and playing baseball as long as he can contribute to the team and help the team and continue to be successful,” head coach Chris Ash said yesterday. “And I think he’s been able to do that. And when he gets a chance, he will come over and work out with us, but right now he is a full-time baseball player.”
Harris did not play last season and still has four years of eligibility remaining. With limited scholarships options available for baseball, don’t expect Harris to hang up his football cleats anytime soon.
On an off-the-field note, Ash will be working a football clinic with Temple head coach Matt Rhule and he talked about that dynamic during his Thursday presser with the media.
“At the end of the day, we are in the Big Ten and they are in the American Conference. Are they competition? Yes, but they are really not. They shouldn’t be. I mean if we are going to recruit the type of players that we want here, we have to recruit at a higher level. They have done an outstanding job. They have gotten some players and people probably look at and say how did they get them? It’s because they have built a nice program, they do a good job of recruiting, they build good relationships; the same types of things we want to do here at Rutgers.”
Eye on Rutgers
Through the first four days of practice there has been a lot of work on fundamentals and technique along with a good amount of individual drills. However, there has been some live action and here is a closer look at who is standing out on the practice field.
The QB Competition
In the early going, it has been a neck and neck race between Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig with neither player having been able to forge ahead of the other. Laviano has settled in very comfortably to the new system and has come out and thrown the ball very well through the first four practices. He is very poised and a year of starting experience has been obvious with the way he’s handled himself in Rutgers’ new power spread offense.
Meanwhile, Rettig has come out rejuvenated after a frustrating 2015 season in which he was forced to do a lot of watching as the RU offense sputtered. Rettig has shown himself to have a very live arm and has really been slinging the football through the first four days. Rettig has been energized by this new staff and that has shown in his early production. This Saturday will be a huge test for both quarterbacks as Rutgers will scrimmage for the first time this spring. While Rettig and Laviano have remained neck and neck, they have been able to distance themselves a bit from No.3 quarterback Gio Rescigno.
The D-line
One of the early highlights of spring practice has been the play of the defensive line. Nose guard Sebastian Joseph has played well and it looks as though his time may finally arrive this season. Julian Pinnix-Odrick is also having a good showing through the early going. JPO has been in the thick of the action while also stepping up his role as a leader. Yesterday, the defensive line did a very good job of stifling the inside running game as that unit won its share of battles.
The O-line
It may still be early but Tariq Cole is making a strong case to be the next starting left tackle at Rutgers. He continues to remain ahead of Zack Heeman as the first-team left tackle. Left guard Dorian Miller is also off to a good start in spring practice and looks as though he could be very reliable as a second-year starter.
O-Lineman Commits on campus
Rutgers welcomed three of its O-linemen commits in the class of 2016 to campus yesterday as Mike Maietti (Don Bosco), Mike Lonsdorf (Immaculata) and Sam Howson (Pope John) all made the trip. Nick Krimin of St. Joe’s Metuchen did not make the trip.
“It was the first day I met them,” Maietti said of his linemates. “It was awesome to meet them. I just want to get up there and started with Sam and Mike and get some work in. They also did the ring of honor at practice and some of the linemen asked me if I had ever done that. I said, ‘if you met my head coach, you would see a lot of the crazy stuff we have done.’”
Lonsdorf offered his take on the day.
"Practice was a lot of fun to see. I loved seeing Coach Blazek work with the O-Line today. He brings the juice every day and on every rep and it was great to see him get after it with the players."
Walk-on Watch
Rutgers landed a pair of walk-ons this week and here’s a closer look at what Rutgers is getting in each of those players.
CB Lawrence Stevens – Don Bosco
Rutgers may have gotten a steal here as Stevens is not your typical walk-on. He was headed to Army but decided against it after a stint at Army Prep. Stevens will have a chance to actually compete for playing time as a cornerback, but is probably a couple years away from doing so. However, he could see some early special teams run right away as he has developed a nice skillset as a gunner and cover guy on kickoffs.
LB Dylan Rogers – Middletown South
Rogers was a very productive linebacker at the high school level and one of the top players on one of the top programs in the state. His recruitment was slowed at the FBS level because he was a little undersized. He played middle linebacker at Middletown South but may be more of on outside linebacker at the college level. Rogers will bring in a winning resume but will have to add some size before he will have a chance at pushing for a place on the two-deep.
Rutgers also had a pair of walk-on commits on campus yesterday and here is a look at the latest with those players.
WR Tom Kropowski – Paramus Catholic
The walk-on wide receiver is eager to get his chance to step on the field in the summer, especially with limited depth at the wide receiver position.
“I like the fact that there were more skill players on the field in the spread offense. I like to think of myself as more of a find the hole kind of guy, a possession receiver," Koprowski said. "Working out of the slot would benefit me and the team the most. I know I could be a key guy to find an opening in key situations.”
QB Matt Vitale – Paul VI
The walk-on quarterback has been to every RU spring practice thus far and offered his take on how things have gone,.
“It was intense, exactly how it should be. I have seen all the practices so far. It’s cool to see everyone progressing and every day practice has started to get a little smoother. There are no breaks at practice and everyone is running around and working. The tempo is right where it should be and it’s fun to watch. I am taking as many mental reps as possible so when my time comes, I am ready.”
Practice Visitor Reactions
OL Tyrone Sampson – East English Village (MI)
The 300-pound offensive center was on campus this past Wednesday for a personal unofficial visit.
“The coaches told me what they look for in a player is a player; someone that will come to practice and go to class every day and be dedicated. Their weight room and academic support center really stood out to me."
Sampson holds an offer from Akron but did not leave Rutgers with a tender.
2017 DB Stuart Cundiff – Immaculata
The 5-foot-11 cornerback made the trip down to Rutgers yesterday and offered his take on how things went.
"I really enjoyed it. Getting to see the work that players at that level put in to prepare for their season was great. Also it showed me things I need to work on and improve if I want to get to that level."
QB Kyle McCloskey - Germantown Academy (PA)
The Philadelphia area quarterback was on campus this Thursday and mentioned how things unfolded from his vantage point.
"It went really well, spent the whole day with the staff watching practice and doing everything with them. I got to spend a ton of time with Coach Mehringer and Coach Ash."
McCloskey did not leave with an offer, but looks to be in the next tier of quarterbacks and would likely be in line for an offer should the current offerees start to commit elsewhere.
LB Souleymane Camara - Cardinal Hayes (NY)
The junior linebacker came up to campus yesterday with a group of his teammates and talked about his experience.
"It was great. I had a wonderful time and was able to watch them practice."
Belleville Visitors
On Wednesday, Rutgers welcomed some faraway visitors from the state of Michigan. Here is a look at what the Belleville High School contingent had to say about their RU experience.
2017 QB Jahz Watts - "It went good got a lot of communication with coaches. The facilities were amazing. The coaches message was to just keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster a unit."
2017 ILB George Douglas - "It was sensational. It's a great school, there is a ton of support. The coach message basically was to handle your business and you'll be successful as long as you stay on track.”
2017 DB Devonni Reed - "It went great got a good fill and look at everything. What I got from the coaches is that you should just handle your business in the class room always and the head coach stood out to me. Coach Ashseems like he knows what he is doing and his experience from Ohio State which is big."
2018 DB Patrick Lupro – “It was really good. The campus stood out because it looks so new, it doesn't look old at all. Everything looks up to date and really good. The coaches message was keep working don't get caught up in the recruiting because everything is going to fall into place. The head coach seems like he's really trying to do something big there.”
2018 DB Kmare Carey - "It was a great experience, I really like the campus and their facilities a lot. Their weight room, and all the technology really stood out.”
2019 DE Devontae Dobbs - "It went great I like the coaches. The atmosphere was good. They've got some changes that they are going to make. The coaches’ message was academics, hard work, and dedication. Coach Ash told me the same thing my coach Jermaine Crowell tells me it takes zero talent to have effort. Coach Ash also said he has high hopes for his team, for the future of the school and developing players"
Drew Mehringer on the Rutgers offense:
"I feel very young right now as an offense as a whole."
Brandon Russell on the linebacker competition:
"It has been competitive. It is going to get turned up every single day and there is a lot more physical stuff I am going to see soon.”
Deonte Roberts on the new Rutgers offense:
“The offense is different, so it’s much faster. We have to get lined up faster and get calls out quicker. It’s a lot different.”
TJ Taylor on returning from an ACL:
“I feel great. I am out here running and cleared to do everything. To be honest, I don’t think about my injury at all. There are so many other things to think about when it comes to plays and alignments, my knee is the last thing I am thinking about. I am getting my football legs back and I am just glad to be out here with my friends and teammates.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five Class of 2017 NJ Linebackers
5.) Paul Theobald – Seton Hall Prep
4.) Marvin Pierre – Mater Dei
3.) Lou Acceus – St. Joe’s Montvale
2.) CJ Onyechi – West Orange
1.) Drew Singleton – Paramus Catholic
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
The Rutgers QB competition will extend into the summer
Saturday Practice Visitors
Rutgers continues to welcome daily visitors and here is a look at the prospects who have confirmed with Scarlet Nation that they will be on campus this Saturday to check out Rutgers' intrasquad scrimmage.
QB Tayvon Bowers – Bishop McDevitt (PA)
QB Jonathan Lewis – St. Peter's Prep
QB Shelton Applewhite – DePaul Catholic
RB Jon Lovett – Cherokee
WR Eddie Lewis – Mater Dei Prep
OL Liam Fornadel – Don Bosco Prep
DE Tyree Johnson – St. John's College (DC)
LB James McCarthy – Middletown South
LB Marvin Pierre – Mater Dei
DB Stuart Cundiff – Immaculata
DB Harrison Hand – Cherry Hill-West
DB Naijee Jones – Timber Creek
DB Edwin Lopez – Woodrew Wilson
Team Tidbits
Redshirt freshman wide reciever Jawuan Harris has not suited up yet for a Rutgers spring practice being as though he is one of the top players on the RU baseball team. That appears as though it will continue as Harris is not expected to do much this spring.
“Right now he us a baseball player and that is an agreement we had. I am okay with him going and playing baseball as long as he can contribute to the team and help the team and continue to be successful,” head coach Chris Ash said yesterday. “And I think he’s been able to do that. And when he gets a chance, he will come over and work out with us, but right now he is a full-time baseball player.”
Harris did not play last season and still has four years of eligibility remaining. With limited scholarships options available for baseball, don’t expect Harris to hang up his football cleats anytime soon.
On an off-the-field note, Ash will be working a football clinic with Temple head coach Matt Rhule and he talked about that dynamic during his Thursday presser with the media.
“At the end of the day, we are in the Big Ten and they are in the American Conference. Are they competition? Yes, but they are really not. They shouldn’t be. I mean if we are going to recruit the type of players that we want here, we have to recruit at a higher level. They have done an outstanding job. They have gotten some players and people probably look at and say how did they get them? It’s because they have built a nice program, they do a good job of recruiting, they build good relationships; the same types of things we want to do here at Rutgers.”
Eye on Rutgers
Through the first four days of practice there has been a lot of work on fundamentals and technique along with a good amount of individual drills. However, there has been some live action and here is a closer look at who is standing out on the practice field.
The QB Competition
In the early going, it has been a neck and neck race between Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig with neither player having been able to forge ahead of the other. Laviano has settled in very comfortably to the new system and has come out and thrown the ball very well through the first four practices. He is very poised and a year of starting experience has been obvious with the way he’s handled himself in Rutgers’ new power spread offense.
Meanwhile, Rettig has come out rejuvenated after a frustrating 2015 season in which he was forced to do a lot of watching as the RU offense sputtered. Rettig has shown himself to have a very live arm and has really been slinging the football through the first four days. Rettig has been energized by this new staff and that has shown in his early production. This Saturday will be a huge test for both quarterbacks as Rutgers will scrimmage for the first time this spring. While Rettig and Laviano have remained neck and neck, they have been able to distance themselves a bit from No.3 quarterback Gio Rescigno.
The D-line
One of the early highlights of spring practice has been the play of the defensive line. Nose guard Sebastian Joseph has played well and it looks as though his time may finally arrive this season. Julian Pinnix-Odrick is also having a good showing through the early going. JPO has been in the thick of the action while also stepping up his role as a leader. Yesterday, the defensive line did a very good job of stifling the inside running game as that unit won its share of battles.
The O-line
It may still be early but Tariq Cole is making a strong case to be the next starting left tackle at Rutgers. He continues to remain ahead of Zack Heeman as the first-team left tackle. Left guard Dorian Miller is also off to a good start in spring practice and looks as though he could be very reliable as a second-year starter.
O-Lineman Commits on campus
Rutgers welcomed three of its O-linemen commits in the class of 2016 to campus yesterday as Mike Maietti (Don Bosco), Mike Lonsdorf (Immaculata) and Sam Howson (Pope John) all made the trip. Nick Krimin of St. Joe’s Metuchen did not make the trip.
“It was the first day I met them,” Maietti said of his linemates. “It was awesome to meet them. I just want to get up there and started with Sam and Mike and get some work in. They also did the ring of honor at practice and some of the linemen asked me if I had ever done that. I said, ‘if you met my head coach, you would see a lot of the crazy stuff we have done.’”
Lonsdorf offered his take on the day.
"Practice was a lot of fun to see. I loved seeing Coach Blazek work with the O-Line today. He brings the juice every day and on every rep and it was great to see him get after it with the players."
Walk-on Watch
Rutgers landed a pair of walk-ons this week and here’s a closer look at what Rutgers is getting in each of those players.
CB Lawrence Stevens – Don Bosco
Rutgers may have gotten a steal here as Stevens is not your typical walk-on. He was headed to Army but decided against it after a stint at Army Prep. Stevens will have a chance to actually compete for playing time as a cornerback, but is probably a couple years away from doing so. However, he could see some early special teams run right away as he has developed a nice skillset as a gunner and cover guy on kickoffs.
LB Dylan Rogers – Middletown South
Rogers was a very productive linebacker at the high school level and one of the top players on one of the top programs in the state. His recruitment was slowed at the FBS level because he was a little undersized. He played middle linebacker at Middletown South but may be more of on outside linebacker at the college level. Rogers will bring in a winning resume but will have to add some size before he will have a chance at pushing for a place on the two-deep.
Rutgers also had a pair of walk-on commits on campus yesterday and here is a look at the latest with those players.
WR Tom Kropowski – Paramus Catholic
The walk-on wide receiver is eager to get his chance to step on the field in the summer, especially with limited depth at the wide receiver position.
“I like the fact that there were more skill players on the field in the spread offense. I like to think of myself as more of a find the hole kind of guy, a possession receiver," Koprowski said. "Working out of the slot would benefit me and the team the most. I know I could be a key guy to find an opening in key situations.”
QB Matt Vitale – Paul VI
The walk-on quarterback has been to every RU spring practice thus far and offered his take on how things have gone,.
“It was intense, exactly how it should be. I have seen all the practices so far. It’s cool to see everyone progressing and every day practice has started to get a little smoother. There are no breaks at practice and everyone is running around and working. The tempo is right where it should be and it’s fun to watch. I am taking as many mental reps as possible so when my time comes, I am ready.”
Practice Visitor Reactions
OL Tyrone Sampson – East English Village (MI)
The 300-pound offensive center was on campus this past Wednesday for a personal unofficial visit.
“The coaches told me what they look for in a player is a player; someone that will come to practice and go to class every day and be dedicated. Their weight room and academic support center really stood out to me."
Sampson holds an offer from Akron but did not leave Rutgers with a tender.
2017 DB Stuart Cundiff – Immaculata
The 5-foot-11 cornerback made the trip down to Rutgers yesterday and offered his take on how things went.
"I really enjoyed it. Getting to see the work that players at that level put in to prepare for their season was great. Also it showed me things I need to work on and improve if I want to get to that level."
QB Kyle McCloskey - Germantown Academy (PA)
The Philadelphia area quarterback was on campus this Thursday and mentioned how things unfolded from his vantage point.
"It went really well, spent the whole day with the staff watching practice and doing everything with them. I got to spend a ton of time with Coach Mehringer and Coach Ash."
McCloskey did not leave with an offer, but looks to be in the next tier of quarterbacks and would likely be in line for an offer should the current offerees start to commit elsewhere.
LB Souleymane Camara - Cardinal Hayes (NY)
The junior linebacker came up to campus yesterday with a group of his teammates and talked about his experience.
"It was great. I had a wonderful time and was able to watch them practice."
Belleville Visitors
On Wednesday, Rutgers welcomed some faraway visitors from the state of Michigan. Here is a look at what the Belleville High School contingent had to say about their RU experience.
2017 QB Jahz Watts - "It went good got a lot of communication with coaches. The facilities were amazing. The coaches message was to just keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster a unit."
2017 ILB George Douglas - "It was sensational. It's a great school, there is a ton of support. The coach message basically was to handle your business and you'll be successful as long as you stay on track.”
2017 DB Devonni Reed - "It went great got a good fill and look at everything. What I got from the coaches is that you should just handle your business in the class room always and the head coach stood out to me. Coach Ashseems like he knows what he is doing and his experience from Ohio State which is big."
2018 DB Patrick Lupro – “It was really good. The campus stood out because it looks so new, it doesn't look old at all. Everything looks up to date and really good. The coaches message was keep working don't get caught up in the recruiting because everything is going to fall into place. The head coach seems like he's really trying to do something big there.”
2018 DB Kmare Carey - "It was a great experience, I really like the campus and their facilities a lot. Their weight room, and all the technology really stood out.”
2019 DE Devontae Dobbs - "It went great I like the coaches. The atmosphere was good. They've got some changes that they are going to make. The coaches’ message was academics, hard work, and dedication. Coach Ash told me the same thing my coach Jermaine Crowell tells me it takes zero talent to have effort. Coach Ash also said he has high hopes for his team, for the future of the school and developing players"
