OT: Name one recruit you had a legit shot with who you missed and wish you wouldn't have

[Abro1975]

I agree about Toal, he simply dominated as a Linebacker and Fullback, of course he was one of the first NJ HS kids to be held back a year.
He was very good at BC as well, but shoulder injuries severely hurt his career.
I was on the sidelines for the Bosco- SPP playoff game with Huggins and Lumpkin playing for SPP and Nova, Carroo, & Hamilton as upper classmen for Bosco, Peppers as a freshman was the most impressive player on the field.

 

[Caliknight]

Jessica Biel

 

[AshSaturday]

I forgot that but you're right.....I remember reading Dick Anderson saying he's not going to argue with a bitter 17 yr old kid over Ironheads dismay.....I remember my HS team ''Belleville'' playing against him in ''81'' I think and beating Passaic 3-2 i believe and it took half the team to bring him down...I think they PHS was 1st or 2nd in the state SL poll and my school 5th or 6th !?!...Great memories..he would have been awesome here...unfortunately he passed away young...in his 40s!!!

Thanks for the confirmation and story-always love the stories about "commoners" once facing a great. Believe RU has other similar stories...BTW when I met Coach Anderson(fun years and had acquaintances on the team) it was at my church and a large cross was behind him (if you remember he was revered and had a bit of an aura). I made some sort of comment saying similar and I think he gave me a look like I was nuts!

 

[AshSaturday]

Jessica Biel

Now this was MY first reaction...someone said don't be immature??? I don't think Cali graduated yesterday...

 

[Cheesesteak Vegas]

Lol blacknall SUCKS. Even when he was our commit I went on the record saying he was crazy overrated. Hes done nothing at psu

Let's revisit this comment in December.

 

[RU848789]

As OP is a Penn Stater, the obvious response is Saquon Barkley as he was originally committed to RU. I love our RBs, but Barkley is on another level.

Absolutely - Barkley could win a Heisman if he gets enough carries and stays healthy - kid's got an unreal combination of power, moves, speed and balance.

 

[RUtrumpet92]

Now this was MY first reaction...someone said don't be immature??? I don't think Cali graduated yesterday...

I was expecting someone to say Kate Upton when I first read the thread title...

 

[PatrickRU92]

 

[cicero grimes]

Bryan Fortay pre Miami. Skai Moore really hurts b/c I seem to recall the young man really wanted to come here but the family insisted he go to USC.

 

[NickyNewark51]

After Brian Toal, heyward is right up there with Peppers as the second best high school player I've ever seen.

And Before you go nuts I said high school player. It was clear peppers had the most college potential. But if you saw Toal play live you would have agreed he was an all-time high school beast.

i think Lonnie Wright a Southside,Newark RB in the 60s was the best i seen..

 

[NickyNewark51]

Thanks for the confirmation and story-always love the stories about "commoners" once facing a great. Believe RU has other similar stories...BTW when I met Coach Anderson(fun years and had acquaintances on the team) it was at my church and a large cross was behind him (if you remember he was revered and had a bit of an aura). I made some sort of comment saying similar and I think he gave me a look like I was nuts!

Yeah keying on him was the key...if they opened it up they might have won...even so we were hard pressed to prevent 3 or 4 yard gains....ergo a 31 yd FG IIRC and intentional safety in the 4th qtr was the only scoring......an Essex County classic..

 

[DJ Spanky]

Not sure I read this right but I heard that the great PITT and NFL running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward wanted to play for RU but the Board of Directors wouldn't admit him (grades/SATs)

I forgot that but you're right.....I remember reading Dick Anderson saying he's not going to argue with a bitter 17 yr old kid over Ironheads dismay.....I remember my HS team ''Belleville'' playing against him in ''81'' I think and beating Passaic 3-2 i believe and it took half the team to bring him down...I think they PHS was 1st or 2nd in the state SL poll and my school 5th or 6th !?!...Great memories..he would have been awesome here...unfortunately he passed away young...in his 40s!!!

Just to be clear, Heyward was a package deal - you took him, you had to take his brother. As I recall, his brother was the one with the grades issues: I don't think there was any way he could have made it into RU.

Hard to believe that it's been 10 years since he passed away.

 

[NickyNewark51]

Just to be clear, Heyward was a package deal - you took him, you had to take his brother. As I recall, his brother was the one with the grades issues: I don't think there was any way he could have made it into RU.

Hard to believe that it's been 10 years since he passed away.

Nate:? I thought he was the brighter of the 2 and talented in his own right!?!

 

[DJ Spanky]

Nate:? I thought he was the brighter of the 2 and talented in his own right!?!

Perhaps I'm mis-remembering, but I thought it was him that had the grades issues. I do know that he was borderline Div 1A, and back then it was well known that you had to take both in order to get the more talented brother.

 

[cicero grimes]

If only we could have landed Savon Huggins. He would have broken all kinds of records here.

 

[knightfan7]

Thanks for the confirmation and story-always love the stories about "commoners" once facing a great. Believe RU has other similar stories...BTW when I met Coach Anderson(fun years and had acquaintances on the team) it was at my church and a large cross was behind him (if you remember he was revered and had a bit of an aura). I made some sort of comment saying similar and I think he gave me a look like I was nuts!

My favorite funny memory was seeing Anderson on a local cable show shortly after he was hired. The hosts were Bob Ley (pre ESPN) and either Bruce Beck or Matt Laughlin. After they interviewed him they took viewer calls. The very first caller asked Anderson if he thought Rutgers could realistically compete against a school like Montclair State. Anderson had a look on his face that was priceless but recovered enough to give some stock answer about college football.

 

[cicero grimes]

My favorite funny memory was seeing Anderson on a local cable show shortly after he was hired. The hosts were Bob Ley (pre ESPN) and either Bruce Beck or Matt Laughlin. After they interviewed him they took viewer calls. The very first caller asked Anderson if he thought Rutgers could realistically compete against a school like Montclair State. Anderson had a look on his face that was priceless but recovered enough to give some stock answer about college football.

Wow I remember that. Great post!

 

[kjb32812]

If only we could have landed Savon Huggins. He would have broken all kinds of records here.

What you did there, I see it.

 

[Rutgers85]

Not that RU had a shot but the best local HS player I ever saw was Brian Cushing from Bergen Catholic. He dominated every aspect of the games that I watched.

 

[knightfan7]

Wow I remember that. Great post!

I was at an event with Bob Ley a few months ago. He has very fond memories of those days at Suburban Cablevision.

 

[knightfan7]

Not that RU had a shot but the best local HS player I ever saw was Brian Cushing from Bergen Catholic. He dominated every aspect of the games that I watched.

Best I ever saw was Willie Wilson but if he had decided on college it likely would have been Michigan iirc.

 

[Zombo NJ]

you guys are taking me back

Wilson was a great HS fb player..only saw him once but that was enough to know

Grew up in Clifton so saw Ironhead a couple of years..think he was same size in 8th grade as a Saint...think he had grade issues not Nate...that was a package worth taking for sure

RU was so irrelevant when I was younger....any and all good players went out of state

 

[RUsojo]

Gerald Hodges was one. That stung. Glen Carson too that same year. We did get 2 goods ones in Steve Beauharnais and Kas Greene. (Not sure if Greene was the year before.)

Skai Moore is up there. But, not getting Calhoun stung more seeing what he turned into. I was indifferent at the time, but he really developed in college.

Corey Clement and Barkley also, but agree we have 2 very good RBs with Hicks and Martin...and Sneed is getting a lot of positive pub as well.

For realistic candidates, Shilique Calhoun is probably the guy.

IIRC we didn't miss out on Calhoun in the sense he chose somewhere else - I think we came down to a scholarship crunch and went another direction. Mods seemed to think he was ours for the taking but the odd man out. But hey that's when the stars were aligning...

A lot of guys mentioned we didn't have a shot with ie Apple, Peppers, Gary, Bridgewater, etc

 

[NickyNewark51]

Perhaps I'm mis-remembering, but I thought it was him that had the grades issues. I do know that he was borderline Div 1A, and back then it was well known that you had to take both in order to get the more talented brother.

I'm pretty sure it was the other way around....Craig wasn't the brightest bulb..lol...but Nate was erudite IIRC? I'm pretty sure they were twins!?! Not identical though..

 

[rutger80]

Jay Williams (oops, wrong sport)

 

[ScarletRunner]

Jay Williams (oops, wrong sport)

I had a similar thought...

If we had this same thread for BB recruits (where we have been the bridesmaid so many times and a single good player means more for the program than football) it could stretch on for five pages.

 

[thad23]

IIRC we didn't miss out on Calhoun in the sense he chose somewhere else - I think we came down to a scholarship crunch and went another direction. Mods seemed to think he was ours for the taking but the odd man out. But hey that's when the stars were aligning...

A lot of guys mentioned we didn't have a shot with ie Apple, Peppers, Gary, Bridgewater, etc

Calhoun got kicked off the basketball team (or at least a game) and we seemed to back off. No one knew he would the player he has become. No fault of RU's.

 

[RU23]

Devin Fuller is another big one.

 

[AshSaturday]

My favorite funny memory was seeing Anderson on a local cable show shortly after he was hired. The hosts were Bob Ley (pre ESPN) and either Bruce Beck or Matt Laughlin. After they interviewed him they took viewer calls. The very first caller asked Anderson if he thought Rutgers could realistically compete against a school like Montclair State. Anderson had a look on his face that was priceless but recovered enough to give some stock answer about college football.

LOL never heard that one. Ah (radio) On "KNightline"-there were thimgs you could do or say that wpuldn't be "captured" here on the internet.. There was Mr. Lumkpin who for 3 years defended Darnell's ongong childhood behavior (gave up in 4th year after certain incdents). Aslo not to insult him as hes a good guy and has done well but spent a lot of time at games in college witj Shields on ths board. Shields at that point like myself didn't have vthe greatest oral skills (later took a class so havev to give him credit).

Shields worlks for "Kmightlne"" andc finally gets his break after about two years. If you know shelds he's a RU amndc sports encyclopedia-and can talk for hours.

It's postgame ( think after a controversial game) so lots to say. The co-panelist goes "shields, what do yopu think". Poor Shields fre

 

[czxqa]

IIRC we didn't miss out on Calhoun in the sense he chose somewhere else - I think we came down to a scholarship crunch and went another direction. Mods seemed to think he was ours for the taking but the odd man out. But hey that's when the stars were aligning...

A lot of guys mentioned we didn't have a shot with ie Apple, Peppers, Gary, Bridgewater, etc

Wasn't Calhoun the one who had issues with his basketball team and quit the team in the middle of, or right before a game? I'm pretty sure it was him. Schiano backed off him because of those character questions.

 

[160louis]

Eli Apple...

Never had a legit shot. He was a die hard Osu fan as a child

 

[160louis]

With Saaed I think his career would have been a little different at Rutgers. Playing alongside Carroo would have really helped him simply because of how much attention Carroo drew to him. Not saying he would be a star but I think it would have been different.

As for Guarantano, he is a perfect fit for th offense Ash is trying to run. There's a reason Urban Meyer wanted him. I think he could have been very good here under Ash.

 

[RUfanEst89]

Recently retired Plainfield natives Eugene Munroe. We had a great OL but I can't help but wonder.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Not sure why posters have such a hard time recognizing that this was a sincere thread. And even if it wasn't, who cares? Have some fun with it, and stop being so insecure.

An Iowa fan or Nebraska fan starting this thread might be sincere. Methinks this was bait.. trying to get Rutgers fans to list some names where he can come back and say we had no shot and we are all delusional.

I could be wrong... then again...

 

[kjb32812]

An Iowa fan or Nebraska fan starting this thread might be sincere. Methinks this was bait.. trying to get Rutgers fans to list some names where he can come back and say we had no shot and we are all delusional.

I could be wrong... then again...

Yes, I came here to purposely troll your face off.

Good God.

 

[GSGS]

kjb is one of the few decent PSU fans who post here, even if he does include that picture of Gerald F&cken Hodges.

I would have loved to get NYC's Arthur Jones, who went to Syracuse because they had a better bowl history than RU. It would have probably been a great double-get with him, since his brother Chandler Jones followed him to Cuse.

 

[koleszar]

An Iowa fan or Nebraska fan starting this thread might be sincere. Methinks this was bait.. trying to get Rutgers fans to list some names where he can come back and say we had no shot and we are all delusional.

I could be wrong... then again...

You got me thinking, what about Mike Rozier and Shonn Greene not sure we had a shot. Also Knowshon Moreno get those three along with Iron Head and RU is Running Back U.

 

[ScarletKnightRider]

With Saaed I think his career would have been a little different at Rutgers. Playing alongside Carroo would have really helped him simply because of how much attention Carroo drew to him. Not saying he would be a star but I think it would have been different.

As for Guarantano, he is a perfect fit for th offense Ash is trying to run. There's a reason Urban Meyer wanted him. I think he could have been very good here under Ash.

Yeah... to play WR after losing the QB competition.

 

[AshSaturday]

Technically getting back to the "babes" in 2015 Kristen Symogi technically qualified for me.

1) A 4 star recruit (transferred back into RU after UVA). Thought at least back then she was kind of hot-and had the vibe of a "dirty girl". Ash Saturday likes petite (and lots o=f else).

2) of course POST GAME early last year Piscataway Mike's brother informs me that Kristen sat next to him the whole game and they talked a bunch. Mike's brother has good attributes-looks (AshSaturday will never be mistaken for Brad Pitt) but looks ain't one of therm...

3) Wish (atv least back then) I had hooked up with her-at least back then-and gave her both the knoshing and spanking she deserved for being so cocky and turning down RU for UVA.

 

[FastMJ]

I really like Jon Hilliman. He will do a lot of damage at BC the next couple years.