Quotables
Quentin Gause on opening up against an FCS team:
“It is good to have a game like that to see the performance, what can happen and I am glad some guys were able to get their feet wet. Things are going to happen and it is about how you bounce back. That is the game of football, how you bounce back."
Chris Muller on starting for the third straight season on the RU O-line:
“I am an older guy so there is a lot more responsibility on me and I like that. It is also great playing with the guys I came into school with. Having Derrick [Nelson] and J.J. [Denman] play beside me, that’s what we talked about since we all got here. We all worked up to that and it’s nice that it is finally starting to happen.”
Anthony Cioffi on playing safety:
“I am comfortable wherever the coaches need me. I love safety, I grew to love it. Safety is about seeing things from a different perspective. But if the coaches ever needed me at corner, I would move there too.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Keys to Victory on Saturday
5.) Give the RU quarterback time to throw
4.) Win the turnover battle
3.) Pressure the WSU quarterback
2.) Establish a consistent ground game
1.) Close down the WSU passing lanes
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
There will be a new starter in the RU secondary on Saturday
Recruiting Tidbits
Additional scholarships
Rutgers now has some additional scholarships to work with after the recent dismissals and here is a look at some new names to keep an eye on through the football season.
DB Elijah Battle – Dodge City (Kansas) JUCO
A name we highlighted during a spring Fat Cat, the Irvington (N.J) native has multiple offers with Arizona being an early standout after an official visit this summer. If Rutgers turns up the heat, he’ll be ready to listen.
DB TJ Morrison – Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.)
Morrison was one of the standouts at the cornerback position during the two Rutgers summer camps. He was also told that Rutgers was full at his position this summer and it seems as though he was recruited as a safety. A strong senior season could put him back on the radar.
LB Jamar Watson – Bishop McNamara (Md.)
Watson is committed to Kentucky but was receiving a lot of attention from the Scarlet Knights, and was a likely recipient of an offer from Rutgers if they didn’t receive commitments from Solomon Manning and Rashawn Battle in June. If RU decide they need an additional LB, Watson could get the call.
Florida DB’s
Rutgers worked multiple satellite camps in the Sunshine state this summer and typically news is hard to come by from these events, but Rutgers has obviously done well in this region so expect some new names to emerge here.
Additional O-linemen
It seemed unlikely that Rutgers would take a dream scenario of Yasir Durant, Johncarlo Valentin, Lucas Niang and Malcolm Pridgeon but with some available spots, anything is now possible.
More tidbits
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
The Philadelphia OL told Scarlet Nation that he’s down to a top three of Arizona State, Temple and Rutgers (no order) with plans to make a decision later this month. Durant told Scarlet Nation about his top three schools.
ASU: “They play my kind of offense like passing and zone blocking. Also, they pull their tackles like us. Also I heard the environment is wonderful and I have a great relationship with the O-line coach.”
Rutgers: “I love their intensity that they have at practice and Coach Flood knows what he is talking about as a former O-line coach. I am close with Coach Browning as well.”
Temple: “I have a tight relationship with all of the coaches at Temple, when I go there it's always love and feels like home.”
Durant also told Scarlet Nation that he is trying to find the availability to get back up to Rutgers one more time for a game, but he has his own games around the same time as the Rutgers upcoming home games.
DL Chinedu Udeogu – Georgetown Prep (Md.)
The Maryland defensive lineman target seems to be closing in on a decision and is looking to finalize it in the coming weeks. Udeogu told Scarlet Nation.com that he is working on planning one more visit to Rutgers before he makes a decision, possibly taking an official visit on homecoming weekend September 26th for the Kansas game. While schools such as Tennessee and Maryland have started to express interest, Udeogu seems to be locked into a top two of Rutgers and California.
DB Tony Butler – St. Edwards (Ohio)
As first reported on the Round Table earlier this week, the Ohio DB target will take advantage of already being in New Jersey for St. Edward’s battle against St. Joseph of Montvale this weekend. Butler will make the trip south afterwards to take his first official visit of the process to Rutgers.
Along with the proximity to New York City, Butler was already interested in the depth chart at Rutgers and the possibility of early playing time. With the recent dismissals, a strong visit will likely put Rutgers firmly in contention for his signature.
TE Jovani Haskins – Bergenfield
No news is good news for RU in regards to the NJ tight end target. Although he enjoyed a great official visit to Virginia Tech to watch them play Ohio State earlier this week, he didn’t commit and he told Scarlet Nation that he isn’t close to a decision yet. He doesn’t have any additional visits planned yet but Rutgers is working hard to get him back on campus in the near future. Haskins was a frequent visitor for the big home night games last year so we would look at October 10th as the date he could most likely make it back to campus when Rutgers hosts Michigan State.
ATH Jordan Fuller – Old Tappan
Rutgers is among a little more than ten schools still in the running for Fuller, who is still planning on narrowing his list down relatively soon, probably in a week. He is prepping to play on both sides of the football for Old Tappan and there is no immediate visits in the works.
Scarlet Nation on Location
Saturday afternoon 1pm - St. Edwards of Ohio at St. Joseph’s Montvale
Rutgers 2016 DB target Tony Butler and his teammates travel to Montvale to face a Green Knights squad riding high after a season opening win over rival Don Bosco. For St. Joe’s, junior RU offeree Robert Martin is one to watch as well as sophomore QB Nick Patti, junior center Sean Mitchell and junior slot receiver Jordan Scott who makes up for his size with speed as he reportedly ran a 4.3 at Rutgers camp this summer. Junior LB Louis Accues will not play for St, Joe’s as he is serving a suspension for being thrown out of the season opener.
Scarlet Nation will also be on hand to check out senior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon tonight when his Palmyra squad opens the season against Maple Shade High School. This weekend, Harmon will take an official visit to NC State. He is still planning on announcing his decision in Octobers as Rutgers and South Carolina are still in contention.
Hoops Tidbits
This weekend is another big one for RU head coach Eddie Jordan and the crew as they host Hutchinson (KS) JUCO wing Bashir Ahmed on an official visit as first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBSSports. The NYC native Ahmed (6-foot-6 , 190 pounds) would add another impressive prospect on the heels of the Kwe Parker commitment. Cincinnati, Louisville and St. John’s will provide Rutgers with some stiff competition.
Scheduled for his official visit during the homecoming weekend of September 25th, Hargrave Academy (Va.) class of 2016 SF De’Riante Jenkins received a visit from the Rutgers staff earlier this week. He took his official visit to VCU last weekend, but the Corey Sanders connection will likely play a big part as Jenkins highlighted in his recent interview with Scarlet Nation.
Rutgers will host Brewster Academy class of 2016 wing Aaren Smith for an unofficial visit today. Doing a Post Grad year after staring at Mount Hebron in Maryland, Smith seems like a backup plan if Rutgers can’t close on some of the previously mentioned prospects.
Quentin Gause on opening up against an FCS team:
“It is good to have a game like that to see the performance, what can happen and I am glad some guys were able to get their feet wet. Things are going to happen and it is about how you bounce back. That is the game of football, how you bounce back."
Chris Muller on starting for the third straight season on the RU O-line:
“I am an older guy so there is a lot more responsibility on me and I like that. It is also great playing with the guys I came into school with. Having Derrick [Nelson] and J.J. [Denman] play beside me, that’s what we talked about since we all got here. We all worked up to that and it’s nice that it is finally starting to happen.”
Anthony Cioffi on playing safety:
“I am comfortable wherever the coaches need me. I love safety, I grew to love it. Safety is about seeing things from a different perspective. But if the coaches ever needed me at corner, I would move there too.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Keys to Victory on Saturday
5.) Give the RU quarterback time to throw
4.) Win the turnover battle
3.) Pressure the WSU quarterback
2.) Establish a consistent ground game
1.) Close down the WSU passing lanes
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
There will be a new starter in the RU secondary on Saturday
Recruiting Tidbits
Additional scholarships
Rutgers now has some additional scholarships to work with after the recent dismissals and here is a look at some new names to keep an eye on through the football season.
DB Elijah Battle – Dodge City (Kansas) JUCO
A name we highlighted during a spring Fat Cat, the Irvington (N.J) native has multiple offers with Arizona being an early standout after an official visit this summer. If Rutgers turns up the heat, he’ll be ready to listen.
DB TJ Morrison – Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.)
Morrison was one of the standouts at the cornerback position during the two Rutgers summer camps. He was also told that Rutgers was full at his position this summer and it seems as though he was recruited as a safety. A strong senior season could put him back on the radar.
LB Jamar Watson – Bishop McNamara (Md.)
Watson is committed to Kentucky but was receiving a lot of attention from the Scarlet Knights, and was a likely recipient of an offer from Rutgers if they didn’t receive commitments from Solomon Manning and Rashawn Battle in June. If RU decide they need an additional LB, Watson could get the call.
Florida DB’s
Rutgers worked multiple satellite camps in the Sunshine state this summer and typically news is hard to come by from these events, but Rutgers has obviously done well in this region so expect some new names to emerge here.
Additional O-linemen
It seemed unlikely that Rutgers would take a dream scenario of Yasir Durant, Johncarlo Valentin, Lucas Niang and Malcolm Pridgeon but with some available spots, anything is now possible.
More tidbits
OL Yasir Durant – Imhotep Charter (Pa.)
The Philadelphia OL told Scarlet Nation that he’s down to a top three of Arizona State, Temple and Rutgers (no order) with plans to make a decision later this month. Durant told Scarlet Nation about his top three schools.
ASU: “They play my kind of offense like passing and zone blocking. Also, they pull their tackles like us. Also I heard the environment is wonderful and I have a great relationship with the O-line coach.”
Rutgers: “I love their intensity that they have at practice and Coach Flood knows what he is talking about as a former O-line coach. I am close with Coach Browning as well.”
Temple: “I have a tight relationship with all of the coaches at Temple, when I go there it's always love and feels like home.”
Durant also told Scarlet Nation that he is trying to find the availability to get back up to Rutgers one more time for a game, but he has his own games around the same time as the Rutgers upcoming home games.
DL Chinedu Udeogu – Georgetown Prep (Md.)
The Maryland defensive lineman target seems to be closing in on a decision and is looking to finalize it in the coming weeks. Udeogu told Scarlet Nation.com that he is working on planning one more visit to Rutgers before he makes a decision, possibly taking an official visit on homecoming weekend September 26th for the Kansas game. While schools such as Tennessee and Maryland have started to express interest, Udeogu seems to be locked into a top two of Rutgers and California.
DB Tony Butler – St. Edwards (Ohio)
As first reported on the Round Table earlier this week, the Ohio DB target will take advantage of already being in New Jersey for St. Edward’s battle against St. Joseph of Montvale this weekend. Butler will make the trip south afterwards to take his first official visit of the process to Rutgers.
Along with the proximity to New York City, Butler was already interested in the depth chart at Rutgers and the possibility of early playing time. With the recent dismissals, a strong visit will likely put Rutgers firmly in contention for his signature.
TE Jovani Haskins – Bergenfield
No news is good news for RU in regards to the NJ tight end target. Although he enjoyed a great official visit to Virginia Tech to watch them play Ohio State earlier this week, he didn’t commit and he told Scarlet Nation that he isn’t close to a decision yet. He doesn’t have any additional visits planned yet but Rutgers is working hard to get him back on campus in the near future. Haskins was a frequent visitor for the big home night games last year so we would look at October 10th as the date he could most likely make it back to campus when Rutgers hosts Michigan State.
ATH Jordan Fuller – Old Tappan
Rutgers is among a little more than ten schools still in the running for Fuller, who is still planning on narrowing his list down relatively soon, probably in a week. He is prepping to play on both sides of the football for Old Tappan and there is no immediate visits in the works.
Scarlet Nation on Location
Saturday afternoon 1pm - St. Edwards of Ohio at St. Joseph’s Montvale
Rutgers 2016 DB target Tony Butler and his teammates travel to Montvale to face a Green Knights squad riding high after a season opening win over rival Don Bosco. For St. Joe’s, junior RU offeree Robert Martin is one to watch as well as sophomore QB Nick Patti, junior center Sean Mitchell and junior slot receiver Jordan Scott who makes up for his size with speed as he reportedly ran a 4.3 at Rutgers camp this summer. Junior LB Louis Accues will not play for St, Joe’s as he is serving a suspension for being thrown out of the season opener.
Scarlet Nation will also be on hand to check out senior wide receiver Kelvin Harmon tonight when his Palmyra squad opens the season against Maple Shade High School. This weekend, Harmon will take an official visit to NC State. He is still planning on announcing his decision in Octobers as Rutgers and South Carolina are still in contention.
Hoops Tidbits
This weekend is another big one for RU head coach Eddie Jordan and the crew as they host Hutchinson (KS) JUCO wing Bashir Ahmed on an official visit as first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBSSports. The NYC native Ahmed (6-foot-6 , 190 pounds) would add another impressive prospect on the heels of the Kwe Parker commitment. Cincinnati, Louisville and St. John’s will provide Rutgers with some stiff competition.
Scheduled for his official visit during the homecoming weekend of September 25th, Hargrave Academy (Va.) class of 2016 SF De’Riante Jenkins received a visit from the Rutgers staff earlier this week. He took his official visit to VCU last weekend, but the Corey Sanders connection will likely play a big part as Jenkins highlighted in his recent interview with Scarlet Nation.
Rutgers will host Brewster Academy class of 2016 wing Aaren Smith for an unofficial visit today. Doing a Post Grad year after staring at Mount Hebron in Maryland, Smith seems like a backup plan if Rutgers can’t close on some of the previously mentioned prospects.
