Linebacker chooses Rutgers

On Saturday the Rutgers football program picked up their tenth verbal commitment from the Class of 2010.

Linebacker Sam Bergen received an offer from the Scarlet Knights after Rutgers defeated Texas Southern 42-0 to move to 4-0 on the year.

“I went to the game yesterday and Rutgers has been my number one choice for a while,” Bergen explained. “I got offered at the end of the game and I told coach (Greg) Schiano that I would commit right then. It all happened yesterday.”

The 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker had been receiving interest from Pitt, UConn, Stanford, Michigan State and Illinois prior to making his decision.

In the end it wasn’t a tough choice. As he said, Rutgers was in the lead for a while, and all it took was the offer. Right when it came in he jumped on it.

“I’m really excited because I’ve wanted to do this for a while,” he said. “I’m really happy. I was pretty confident all along. I knew it was probably just a matter of time, so I wasn’t worried.

“It was mostly because of coach Schiano and just the kind of person he is. Just the way he and the coaches are handling the Rutgers football program. Also, it’s a good school academically, and it’s pretty close to home. My family and friends will be able to come watch me play. It just seemed like the perfect fit.”

Bergen plans on setting a date for an official visit to Rutgers in the near future. Does this decision end the recruiting process for Bergen?

“It’s pretty much a done deal, I think,” he concluded.