Recruiting Tidbits
WR Myles Farmer (West Lake - GA): With Yusuf Terry committing to Baylor on Wednesday, Rutgers sent an offer out to Farmer. Although Farmer just recently released his top five list, he told The Knight Report that he’ll look to learn more about Rutgers and that there is a chance he could consider the Scarlet Knights. Farmer is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound 3-star prospect.
TE Brenton Strange (Parkersburg - WV): Rutgers recently made the top eight list for the West Virginia tight end prospect. Originally, Strange was considered an Ohio State lean, but the Buckeyes decided to take another prospect. Strange just received an offer from Penn State and from the sound of it, the Nittany Lions are the favorites at the moment.
OL Christian Mahogany (Paramus Catholic - NJ): Mahogany also just recently released his top list of schools, which featured the likes of Rutgers among other programs. At the moment, it sounds like Mahogany is getting closer to deciding and as it stands right now, the Scarlet Knights are in very good position to land Mahogany.
DE Smith Vilbert (St. Joe’s Regional - NJ): The St. Joe’s defensive lineman is holding Rutgers in very high regard and has decided to move up his commitment date. Instead of waiting until after his senior season of basketball, Smith will instead make his decision some time between the second and third week of his football season. The Scarlet Knights are currently in the driver seat and I’m very close to putting in a Forecast for him to Rutgers.
DE Jason Blissett (Poly Prep - NY): Blissett is getting set to release his top five list of schools next week (Aug. 7th), TKR has learned that Rutgers will indeed be on that list. Now, while the Scarlet Knights are sitting in a good spot right now, there are two schools to watch out for in Texas A&M and Miami. Both programs have offered and are actively pursuing the New York defensive lineman. Similar to Vilbert, expect Blissett to take make a decision some time in mid-September.
DE Anthony Booker (Winton Woods - OH): TKR recently talked to Booker is who very high on both Rutgers and Maryland after making the trip out to the east coast. Those two schools both showed him very good times and expect Booker to come back again for a game visit some time in October.
Top Five Freshmen to Watch for in Camp:
Football: Here is a quick look at the class of 2018 and other notable players height and weight per ScarletKnights.com.
True freshmen:
QB Jalen Chatman: 6-foot, 180-pounds
QB Artur Sitkowski: 6-foot-5, 224-pounds
RB Isiah Pacheco: 5-foot-11, 210-pounds
WR Paul Woods: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds
WR Eddie Lewis: 6-foot, 182-pounds
WR Zihir Lacewell: 6-foot-3, 213-pounds
WR Daevon Robinson: 6-foot-3, 220-pounds
TE Jalen Jordan: 6-foot-5, 220-pounds
OL Matt Rosso: 6-foot-6, 276-pounds
OL Reggie Sutton: 6-foot-4, 270-pounds
OL Raiqwon O’Neal: 6-foot-5, 300-pounds
DE Jamree Kromah: 6-foot-3, 260-pounds
DE Robin Jutwreten: 6-foot-5, 250-pounds
DT Matthew Thomas: 6-foot-3, 273-pounds
LB Deion Jennings: 6-foot, 208-pounds
DB Jarrett Paul: 6-foot, 206-pounds
DB Avery Young: 6-foot, 193-pounds
DB Christian Izien: 5-foot-10, 193-pounds
DB Kessawn Abraham: 5-foot-10, 183-pounds
Chris’ Thoughts on the Freshmen:
At quarterback, Sitkowski already has the look of a NFL signal caller. He’s already 6-foot-5 and 224-pounds. By comparison, New Orleans Saints backup and former Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage is listed at 6-foot-4, 230-pounds. Strength and conditioning coach Kenny Parker will get his body in even better shape as the years go on. He was listed at 215-pounds in the spring.
Pacheco is jacked.
Woods has a bunch of receivers ahead of him and will likely redshirt to add size. It’s interesting that Rutgers has Robinson and Lacewell at wide receiver. Head coach Chris Ash wants more size at the position and both are 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds and 213-pounds respectively. Robinson will cross-train at tight end while Lacewell could eventually move over to defense at linebacker. Jordan added size and is now up to 220-pounds as well but is still lean. Look for him to possibly take to the sidelines and redshirt, where as a guy like Robinson could play some special teams.
The three new offensive line members all have nice size, which is a major plus. Rosso, at 6-foot-6, 276-pounds, will be groomed as a tackle as will the 6-foot-4, 300-pounds O’Neal. O’Neal will definitely play as a freshman and put on weight from the spring when he came in early. Sutton, who could play guard, and Rosso, are destined for a redshirt year.
On the defensive line, one thing that stood out was Kromah. Kromah looks to eventually be a dynamic pass-rusher for the Scarlet Knights and he arrived as an underrated recruit at 6-foot-3, 260-pounds. That is 30 pounds more than what his Rivals profile has him at. He had 27 sacks as a high school senior. Thomas arrived at 6-foot-3, and 273-pounds and will provide depth inside on the line.
Jennings comes in at 6-foot-0, 208-pounds which is the look of a defensive back, but will play linebacker at Rutgers. He is also just in time to provide a body at the SAM, which is a hybrid linebacker/safety spot in Ash’s defense. In comparison, projected starting strong side linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams is listed at 6-foot, 220-pounds, so Jennings isn’t far off.
All four defensive backs -- Izien, Paul, Young, and Abraham, are all relatively the same size and will get better during their time under Parker. For what it’s worth, senior cornerback said some nice things and was high on Jarrett Paul at the recent Big Ten Football Media Days.
Notable Gains:
WR Myles Farmer (West Lake - GA): With Yusuf Terry committing to Baylor on Wednesday, Rutgers sent an offer out to Farmer. Although Farmer just recently released his top five list, he told The Knight Report that he’ll look to learn more about Rutgers and that there is a chance he could consider the Scarlet Knights. Farmer is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound 3-star prospect.
TE Brenton Strange (Parkersburg - WV): Rutgers recently made the top eight list for the West Virginia tight end prospect. Originally, Strange was considered an Ohio State lean, but the Buckeyes decided to take another prospect. Strange just received an offer from Penn State and from the sound of it, the Nittany Lions are the favorites at the moment.
OL Christian Mahogany (Paramus Catholic - NJ): Mahogany also just recently released his top list of schools, which featured the likes of Rutgers among other programs. At the moment, it sounds like Mahogany is getting closer to deciding and as it stands right now, the Scarlet Knights are in very good position to land Mahogany.
DE Smith Vilbert (St. Joe’s Regional - NJ): The St. Joe’s defensive lineman is holding Rutgers in very high regard and has decided to move up his commitment date. Instead of waiting until after his senior season of basketball, Smith will instead make his decision some time between the second and third week of his football season. The Scarlet Knights are currently in the driver seat and I’m very close to putting in a Forecast for him to Rutgers.
DE Jason Blissett (Poly Prep - NY): Blissett is getting set to release his top five list of schools next week (Aug. 7th), TKR has learned that Rutgers will indeed be on that list. Now, while the Scarlet Knights are sitting in a good spot right now, there are two schools to watch out for in Texas A&M and Miami. Both programs have offered and are actively pursuing the New York defensive lineman. Similar to Vilbert, expect Blissett to take make a decision some time in mid-September.
DE Anthony Booker (Winton Woods - OH): TKR recently talked to Booker is who very high on both Rutgers and Maryland after making the trip out to the east coast. Those two schools both showed him very good times and expect Booker to come back again for a game visit some time in October.
Top Five Freshmen to Watch for in Camp:
- QB Artur Sitkowski
- OT Raiqwon O’Neal
- DE Jamree Kromah
- RB Isaih Pacheco
- DB Christian Izien
- Hearing that Rutgers next commit will be an offensive player that will be from out of state.
Football: Here is a quick look at the class of 2018 and other notable players height and weight per ScarletKnights.com.
True freshmen:
QB Jalen Chatman: 6-foot, 180-pounds
QB Artur Sitkowski: 6-foot-5, 224-pounds
RB Isiah Pacheco: 5-foot-11, 210-pounds
WR Paul Woods: 6-foot-1, 170-pounds
WR Eddie Lewis: 6-foot, 182-pounds
WR Zihir Lacewell: 6-foot-3, 213-pounds
WR Daevon Robinson: 6-foot-3, 220-pounds
TE Jalen Jordan: 6-foot-5, 220-pounds
OL Matt Rosso: 6-foot-6, 276-pounds
OL Reggie Sutton: 6-foot-4, 270-pounds
OL Raiqwon O’Neal: 6-foot-5, 300-pounds
DE Jamree Kromah: 6-foot-3, 260-pounds
DE Robin Jutwreten: 6-foot-5, 250-pounds
DT Matthew Thomas: 6-foot-3, 273-pounds
LB Deion Jennings: 6-foot, 208-pounds
DB Jarrett Paul: 6-foot, 206-pounds
DB Avery Young: 6-foot, 193-pounds
DB Christian Izien: 5-foot-10, 193-pounds
DB Kessawn Abraham: 5-foot-10, 183-pounds
Chris’ Thoughts on the Freshmen:
At quarterback, Sitkowski already has the look of a NFL signal caller. He’s already 6-foot-5 and 224-pounds. By comparison, New Orleans Saints backup and former Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage is listed at 6-foot-4, 230-pounds. Strength and conditioning coach Kenny Parker will get his body in even better shape as the years go on. He was listed at 215-pounds in the spring.
Pacheco is jacked.
Woods has a bunch of receivers ahead of him and will likely redshirt to add size. It’s interesting that Rutgers has Robinson and Lacewell at wide receiver. Head coach Chris Ash wants more size at the position and both are 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds and 213-pounds respectively. Robinson will cross-train at tight end while Lacewell could eventually move over to defense at linebacker. Jordan added size and is now up to 220-pounds as well but is still lean. Look for him to possibly take to the sidelines and redshirt, where as a guy like Robinson could play some special teams.
The three new offensive line members all have nice size, which is a major plus. Rosso, at 6-foot-6, 276-pounds, will be groomed as a tackle as will the 6-foot-4, 300-pounds O’Neal. O’Neal will definitely play as a freshman and put on weight from the spring when he came in early. Sutton, who could play guard, and Rosso, are destined for a redshirt year.
On the defensive line, one thing that stood out was Kromah. Kromah looks to eventually be a dynamic pass-rusher for the Scarlet Knights and he arrived as an underrated recruit at 6-foot-3, 260-pounds. That is 30 pounds more than what his Rivals profile has him at. He had 27 sacks as a high school senior. Thomas arrived at 6-foot-3, and 273-pounds and will provide depth inside on the line.
Jennings comes in at 6-foot-0, 208-pounds which is the look of a defensive back, but will play linebacker at Rutgers. He is also just in time to provide a body at the SAM, which is a hybrid linebacker/safety spot in Ash’s defense. In comparison, projected starting strong side linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams is listed at 6-foot, 220-pounds, so Jennings isn’t far off.
All four defensive backs -- Izien, Paul, Young, and Abraham, are all relatively the same size and will get better during their time under Parker. For what it’s worth, senior cornerback said some nice things and was high on Jarrett Paul at the recent Big Ten Football Media Days.
Notable Gains:
- RB Raheem Blackshear: 5-foot-9, 192-pounds -- The knock on Blackshear has been his size which will limit his touches, but Blackshear added a good seven pounds.
- TE Travis Vokolek: 6-foot-6, 250-pounds -- Vokolek has worked extremely hard and added 15 pounds from his listed 2017 235-pounds. Vokolek looks to be a force not only catching the ball but blocking as well, something he’s improved at this past spring.
- OL Micah Clark: 6-foot-4, 300-pounds -- Clark added 11 pounds from last year.
- OL Owen Bowles: 6-foot-4, 298-pounds -- Bowles gained six pounds than he was listed at in 2017 and seemed to have put his redshirt freshman year to good use. Expect Bowles to push for a backup role at center this year.
- DE Elorm Lumor: 6-foot-3, 246-pounds - Lumor was listed at 245-pounds in 2017
- DE Tijaun Mason: 6-foot-5, 230-pounds - Gained five pounds from his listed 225-pounds last year while rehabbing an injury
- DE Mike Tverdov: 6-foot-4, 255-pounds -- Tverdov is beginning to look like a solid defensive end and more like his brother
- DT Brendan Bordner: 6-foot-4, 285-pounds -- Bordner redshirted a year ago to add size and he did just that gaining five more pounds
- LB Olakunle Fatukasi: 6-foot-2, 228-pounds -- Fatukasi jumped up the depth chart with Malik Dixon being out. Fatukasi is at the SAM linebacker spot and actually dropped two pounds as he was previously at 230-pounds.
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