Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU June Commits
5.) Damon Hayes
4.) Taysir Mack
3.) Rashawn Battle
2.) Phil Campbell
1.) Jarrod Hewitt
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
Three current RU seniors will be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft
Recruiting Tidbits
K Alex Barbir – South Forsyth (Ga.)
The Georgia native said last night that he still expects to make a decision by next Wednesday as Rutgers remains his front runner. He was slated to visit Illinois this weekend, but has still yet to set an exact date for that visit as nothing has been finalized. Barbir also maintained that the coaching staff is going to play an integral role in where he winds up.
“With Rutgers, I know 100 percent those coaches are ones I want to be with for the next four years,” Barbir said. “The coaching staff has to be right. The environment has to be right too. I don’t want to be living out in the middle of nowhere.”
DL Chinedu Udeogu – Georgetown Prep (Md.)
Scarlet Nation has learned that Udeogu’s visit went well to Rutgers yesterday, and the Scarlet Knights remain a strong contender for his commitment. It is looking like Rutgers may take another two to three defensive linemen in this class, depending on which prospects are left on the board. While Udeogu didn’t make a decision yesterday, he expects to have one before the football season begins. While they haven’t offered yet, Wake Forest and Duke have maintained contact following strong camp performances and an offer from either school could make things interesting. Udeogu currently holds offers from Rutgers, East Carolina, Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion, James Madison, Yale and Holy Cross.
DL Tymir Oliver – West Catholic (Pa.)
Oliver told Scarlet Nation that hasn’t pinned down an exact date for a visit, but is looking to get up to Piscataway soon. That visit, which will be made with his family, will likely happen later this month. The Philly defensive line target is still a priority for the Rutgers coaching staff and the Scarlet Knights still hold the lead in his recruitment.
DT Corey Bolds – Paramus Catholic
The class of 2017 target has been busy on the road, with plans to get to LSU next week and then he’ll join a group of local prospects visiting Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Clemson. Once he’s back in the area, Bolds is planning a visit to Rutgers, which he last visited this spring. Bolds was last on campus with former teammate and fellow Paterson native Najee Clayton, who has been giving Bolds insight on his short time with the RU program.
“He’s been telling me about how together they are as a team and how he has a lot of academic support,” Bolds said of Clayton. “I’m gonna go down for a practice this summer.”
WR Donald Stewart – Paramus Catholic
Stewart originally intended to make a final decision this month but told Scarlet Nation that he is thinking about taking official visits before making a final choice. He has scheduled an official visit to Michigan for November 28th when the Wolverines play Ohio State and he is thinking about scheduling visits to Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Rutgers and Stanford. Michigan and Stanford appear to be his current leaders.
While it seems as though the Scarlet Knights are content with their foursome of Mo Jabbie, Taysir Mack, Ahmed Bah and recent commitment Isaiah Wright, the staff is still recruiting NJ’s Kelvin Harmon and have maintained interest in Stewart. While Harmon, who plans to make a decision in October, looks to be a likely take, Stewart may be a prospect that Rutgers takes later down the line if he is the best player available. That is also assuming the staff doesn’t obtain a commitment for Harmon.
OL Justin Morgan – Poly Prep (N.Y)
Since committing to Rutgers back in June, Morgan has been hard at work trimming some weight for the upcoming season. When he committed at the RU Big Man Camp a month ago, he was tipping the scales at 338 pounds.
“The summer has been going good. I have been working out a lot," Morgan said. "The last time I checked I was 333 [pounds]. I hope to be down to 320 by the season. We can’t have practice yet, but every day after work, I work out.”
Morgan is really just getting back in the swing of working out after a case of appendicitis slowed him down during the offseason.
Former Rutgers DT hard at work
Former Rutgers defensive tackle and multi-year NFL veteran J’Vonne Parker is back in New Jersey as he has started a training program for linemen looking to better their skills. The program is called Pro E.D.G.E. and its members include Union High defensive end Mike Tverdov and North Carolina freshman Tommy Hatton.
“We found it off the premise that there was nowhere for offensive and defensive linemen to train, not just to work out but to train on the fundamentals of their craft," Parker said. "We know there was no place in the tri=state and I know in my five year career, I was trying to find a place like this to train for myself. I couldn’t find one, so we decided to create one.”
Eye on Rutgers
Training camp is just on the horizon and with it will come a lot of changes from last year’s team. Having been on the sidelines for spring practice, this eek's Eye on Rutgers focuses in on some things the scarlet nation can expect from the latest summer camp.
Offensive tweaks
Now that Ben McDonald is in control of the offense, there could be a lot of similarities between the way it is run and the way McDaniels’ brother, Josh, runs the New England Patriot offense. One thing to keep in mind is that McDaniels will have to compensate for losing two key offensive players in Tyler Kroft and Mike Burton, who wound up being 3rd and 5th round NFL Draft picks respectively. That could compel McDaniels to revert to using more wideouts more often while leaving a single tailback in the backfield on passing downs. That could mean the best blocking tailback would find his way on the field more often on 3rd downs. It also means the top tight end might be the one who plays better flexed out off the line of scrimmage.
Ghosts of the Gasser
One of the more entertaining parts of summer practices under former head coach Greg Schiano was watching him drive his players through gassers to finish off each practice. Players would run the width of the field from sideline to sideline, which totals 106 yards. Schiano was notorious for finishing practices with a lot of gassers. On the final day of training camp in 2008, he actually threw former walk-on Richard McCann out of what was then Rutgers Stadium for not going all out in what was a total of 19 gassers. As entertaining as some of those gassers were to onlookers, they did have a negative effect p the team. Rutgers came out flat in both 2008 and 2009 as many players cited the fact that their legs were heavy to start the season. The result was a 24-7 opening day loss to Fresno State in 2008 and a 45-17 drubbing at the hands of Cincinnati in 2009.
Since head coach Kyle Flood has taken over, he has not employed the use of the gasser. Instead, players are put through strenuous conditioning workouts in the summer leading up to camp. Players who fail those conditioning tests must pass them before they can practice with the team. Last year, Devan Carter and L.J. Liston saw the start of their training camps delayed because of a failure to pass those conditioning tests.
The results have spoken for themselves as Flood has produced a record of 10-1 in the month of September while also posting a 1-1 mark in August, with that lone August loss coming in a triple OT 52-51 defeat out at Fresno State in 2013. His only September loss came in a heartbreaker to Penn State last year.
The QB controls
It’s been a rarity to see someone other than Gary Nova taker snaps from under center. Nova wound up starting 41 of the past 52 games Rutgers has played. While RU has not done anything drastic to change the offense, the fan base will not really know what to expect this season with a new QB running the show. Both Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig remain a bit of a mystery as both lack any real collegiate playing experience. What they do on the practice field this summer will not be a total indication of what to expect as neither one will have to deal with getting hit while throwing the football.
However, some of their tendencies will start to surface as the start of a new era of quarterbacks draws closer. In the past, fans came to terms with having to rely on Nova for better or for worse. There will likely be some differentiating opinions with the open competition between Rettig and Laviano as both have different strengths and weaknesses. Both also come from very different places while having very different recruitments.
The evolution of the corners
Rutgers has a promising true freshman cornerback in Blessuan Austin and another high talent in sophomore Andre Boggs. Both are similar in that each prepped for a year before coming to Rutgers. But fans should not expect All Big-Tem performances too soon. It took Logan Ryan three years to land a starting role as he did not break onto the first-team defense until his redshirt sophomore season. It was the same story with Devin McCourty, who also had to wait until his third season to claim a starting role.
While RU might have a pair of future all-conference players in Austin ad Boggs, there are still going to be growing pains involved. For even the top two RU corners of the last decade (Ryan and McCourty) had to bide their time and learn the ropes before becoming stars. The loss of Darian Dailey and the potential loss of Nadir Barnwell may call for the need to speed up the progress of Austin and Boggs being as though the defense will probably need them to play beyond their years this season.
Top Five RU June Commits
5.) Damon Hayes
4.) Taysir Mack
3.) Rashawn Battle
2.) Phil Campbell
1.) Jarrod Hewitt
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
Three current RU seniors will be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft
Recruiting Tidbits
K Alex Barbir – South Forsyth (Ga.)
The Georgia native said last night that he still expects to make a decision by next Wednesday as Rutgers remains his front runner. He was slated to visit Illinois this weekend, but has still yet to set an exact date for that visit as nothing has been finalized. Barbir also maintained that the coaching staff is going to play an integral role in where he winds up.
“With Rutgers, I know 100 percent those coaches are ones I want to be with for the next four years,” Barbir said. “The coaching staff has to be right. The environment has to be right too. I don’t want to be living out in the middle of nowhere.”
DL Chinedu Udeogu – Georgetown Prep (Md.)
Scarlet Nation has learned that Udeogu’s visit went well to Rutgers yesterday, and the Scarlet Knights remain a strong contender for his commitment. It is looking like Rutgers may take another two to three defensive linemen in this class, depending on which prospects are left on the board. While Udeogu didn’t make a decision yesterday, he expects to have one before the football season begins. While they haven’t offered yet, Wake Forest and Duke have maintained contact following strong camp performances and an offer from either school could make things interesting. Udeogu currently holds offers from Rutgers, East Carolina, Dartmouth, Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion, James Madison, Yale and Holy Cross.
DL Tymir Oliver – West Catholic (Pa.)
Oliver told Scarlet Nation that hasn’t pinned down an exact date for a visit, but is looking to get up to Piscataway soon. That visit, which will be made with his family, will likely happen later this month. The Philly defensive line target is still a priority for the Rutgers coaching staff and the Scarlet Knights still hold the lead in his recruitment.
DT Corey Bolds – Paramus Catholic
The class of 2017 target has been busy on the road, with plans to get to LSU next week and then he’ll join a group of local prospects visiting Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Clemson. Once he’s back in the area, Bolds is planning a visit to Rutgers, which he last visited this spring. Bolds was last on campus with former teammate and fellow Paterson native Najee Clayton, who has been giving Bolds insight on his short time with the RU program.
“He’s been telling me about how together they are as a team and how he has a lot of academic support,” Bolds said of Clayton. “I’m gonna go down for a practice this summer.”
WR Donald Stewart – Paramus Catholic
Stewart originally intended to make a final decision this month but told Scarlet Nation that he is thinking about taking official visits before making a final choice. He has scheduled an official visit to Michigan for November 28th when the Wolverines play Ohio State and he is thinking about scheduling visits to Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Rutgers and Stanford. Michigan and Stanford appear to be his current leaders.
While it seems as though the Scarlet Knights are content with their foursome of Mo Jabbie, Taysir Mack, Ahmed Bah and recent commitment Isaiah Wright, the staff is still recruiting NJ’s Kelvin Harmon and have maintained interest in Stewart. While Harmon, who plans to make a decision in October, looks to be a likely take, Stewart may be a prospect that Rutgers takes later down the line if he is the best player available. That is also assuming the staff doesn’t obtain a commitment for Harmon.
OL Justin Morgan – Poly Prep (N.Y)
Since committing to Rutgers back in June, Morgan has been hard at work trimming some weight for the upcoming season. When he committed at the RU Big Man Camp a month ago, he was tipping the scales at 338 pounds.
“The summer has been going good. I have been working out a lot," Morgan said. "The last time I checked I was 333 [pounds]. I hope to be down to 320 by the season. We can’t have practice yet, but every day after work, I work out.”
Morgan is really just getting back in the swing of working out after a case of appendicitis slowed him down during the offseason.
Former Rutgers DT hard at work
Former Rutgers defensive tackle and multi-year NFL veteran J’Vonne Parker is back in New Jersey as he has started a training program for linemen looking to better their skills. The program is called Pro E.D.G.E. and its members include Union High defensive end Mike Tverdov and North Carolina freshman Tommy Hatton.
“We found it off the premise that there was nowhere for offensive and defensive linemen to train, not just to work out but to train on the fundamentals of their craft," Parker said. "We know there was no place in the tri=state and I know in my five year career, I was trying to find a place like this to train for myself. I couldn’t find one, so we decided to create one.”
Eye on Rutgers
Training camp is just on the horizon and with it will come a lot of changes from last year’s team. Having been on the sidelines for spring practice, this eek's Eye on Rutgers focuses in on some things the scarlet nation can expect from the latest summer camp.
Offensive tweaks
Now that Ben McDonald is in control of the offense, there could be a lot of similarities between the way it is run and the way McDaniels’ brother, Josh, runs the New England Patriot offense. One thing to keep in mind is that McDaniels will have to compensate for losing two key offensive players in Tyler Kroft and Mike Burton, who wound up being 3rd and 5th round NFL Draft picks respectively. That could compel McDaniels to revert to using more wideouts more often while leaving a single tailback in the backfield on passing downs. That could mean the best blocking tailback would find his way on the field more often on 3rd downs. It also means the top tight end might be the one who plays better flexed out off the line of scrimmage.
Ghosts of the Gasser
One of the more entertaining parts of summer practices under former head coach Greg Schiano was watching him drive his players through gassers to finish off each practice. Players would run the width of the field from sideline to sideline, which totals 106 yards. Schiano was notorious for finishing practices with a lot of gassers. On the final day of training camp in 2008, he actually threw former walk-on Richard McCann out of what was then Rutgers Stadium for not going all out in what was a total of 19 gassers. As entertaining as some of those gassers were to onlookers, they did have a negative effect p the team. Rutgers came out flat in both 2008 and 2009 as many players cited the fact that their legs were heavy to start the season. The result was a 24-7 opening day loss to Fresno State in 2008 and a 45-17 drubbing at the hands of Cincinnati in 2009.
Since head coach Kyle Flood has taken over, he has not employed the use of the gasser. Instead, players are put through strenuous conditioning workouts in the summer leading up to camp. Players who fail those conditioning tests must pass them before they can practice with the team. Last year, Devan Carter and L.J. Liston saw the start of their training camps delayed because of a failure to pass those conditioning tests.
The results have spoken for themselves as Flood has produced a record of 10-1 in the month of September while also posting a 1-1 mark in August, with that lone August loss coming in a triple OT 52-51 defeat out at Fresno State in 2013. His only September loss came in a heartbreaker to Penn State last year.
The QB controls
It’s been a rarity to see someone other than Gary Nova taker snaps from under center. Nova wound up starting 41 of the past 52 games Rutgers has played. While RU has not done anything drastic to change the offense, the fan base will not really know what to expect this season with a new QB running the show. Both Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig remain a bit of a mystery as both lack any real collegiate playing experience. What they do on the practice field this summer will not be a total indication of what to expect as neither one will have to deal with getting hit while throwing the football.
However, some of their tendencies will start to surface as the start of a new era of quarterbacks draws closer. In the past, fans came to terms with having to rely on Nova for better or for worse. There will likely be some differentiating opinions with the open competition between Rettig and Laviano as both have different strengths and weaknesses. Both also come from very different places while having very different recruitments.
The evolution of the corners
Rutgers has a promising true freshman cornerback in Blessuan Austin and another high talent in sophomore Andre Boggs. Both are similar in that each prepped for a year before coming to Rutgers. But fans should not expect All Big-Tem performances too soon. It took Logan Ryan three years to land a starting role as he did not break onto the first-team defense until his redshirt sophomore season. It was the same story with Devin McCourty, who also had to wait until his third season to claim a starting role.
While RU might have a pair of future all-conference players in Austin ad Boggs, there are still going to be growing pains involved. For even the top two RU corners of the last decade (Ryan and McCourty) had to bide their time and learn the ropes before becoming stars. The loss of Darian Dailey and the potential loss of Nadir Barnwell may call for the need to speed up the progress of Austin and Boggs being as though the defense will probably need them to play beyond their years this season.
