Here's why this was a big weekend for Rutgers football recruiting
PISCATAWAY – It’s been just over a month since Rutgers football’s season ended with a Pinstripe Bowl victory, but recruiting never stops.
And this past weekend was a perfect example.
Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights hosted more than 30 recruits as they look to build out their 2025 recruiting class.
They included St. Joseph Regional running back John Forster, DePaul Catholic offensive lineman Michael Troutman, Toms River North offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews and Union cornerback Renick Dorilas.
Some recruits from future classes also visited, including 2026 quarterback Derek Zammit, also from DePaul Catholic.
All of the recruits were on hand to watch the Rutgers men’s basketball team play Purdue Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena. They also got to see the current football team be honored for its Pinstripe Bowl victory during a first-half timeout.
It was a loud, electric atmosphere in the arena – the type of atmosphere Rutgers hopes will help convince some recruits to eventually commit.
“The environment at Jersey Mike's Arena has provided a really good stop on these types of visits as the recruits get to experience a raucous setting and they usually get a lot of love from students while in attendance,” said Bobby Deren, a writer and recruiting analyst for Scarlet Nation, part of 247Sports. “For members of the class of 2025, it is still early in the process so none are going to make a decision based on today's visit. But it serves as another building block in their recruitment. For example, freshman quarterback AJ Surace was at one of these types of visits last January before he committed."
Greg Schiano and Co. also have an advantage this year that they haven’t had in recent years – the benefit of coming off a winning season.
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The Scarlet Knights’ win over Miami secured a 7-6 campaign, the program’s first winning season since 2014.
That’s a significant achievement.
“Winning has helped immensely as the caliber of recruits who are looking at Rutgers now probably don't consider it three years ago,” Deren said. “Recent commit and early enrollee freshman Kaj Sanders has only lost a handful of games in his entire football career. As a highly touted recruit at Bergen Catholic, he was not looking to go to a losing team and Rutgers' resurgence played a role in him joining the Scarlet Knights. The staff can now sell the new recruits on more than just winning a bowl game but getting to that next echelon beyond just bowl eligibility.”
Rutgers currently has one commitment for its 2025 recruiting class, a pledge from Florida quarterback Sean Ashenfelder.
This past weekend might’ve convinced others to join him.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football recruiting: Big weekend for Class of 2025 prospects
