New Jersey native sees big opportunity after transferring back home to Rutgers football
PISCATAWAY – When Eric Rogers was trying to find his new home after spending three years at Northern Illinois, a big part of the cornerback’s decision-making process came down to family.
Both his own, and the new one he found with Rutgers football.
“I would say it’s just the culture. Everybody’s welcoming,” Rogers said Wednesday at the Marco Battaglia Practice Complex. “Why wouldn’t you want to be here? It’s a family. That’s something we preach here and it’s something I really bought into in the recruiting process. Just being able to come home and play in front of everybody, my family, my friends, it was a big thing for me.”
Now the Burlington Township High School product has a big opportunity.
Rogers committed to Rutgers back in December as the first transfer the Scarlet Knights landed in the offseason. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Rogers is joining a defense that is poised to be Rutgers’ strength once again – and he has a chance to play a significant role in defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak’s system.
After being with the team for spring practices, Rogers picked up where he left off once training camp began. He said everyone around him – from fellow cornerbacks Max Melton and Robert Longerbeam to cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey – have helped him adjust and learn the system.
Praise from defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak
“Every day the guys in the room help me, Coach O helps me understand things,” Rogers said. “I’m just trying to take it day by day and grasping onto the little things, and taking everything in and applying it to the field every day.”
Harasymiak said during a Big Ten Network interview Wednesday that Rogers is "playing at a really, really high level."
Rogers played in 10 games last season for Northern Illinois, including six starts. He finished with 17 tackles and six pass breakups.
Shortly after entering the transfer portal in late November, Rogers received offers from Arkansas and Rutgers. But the chance to play about an hour away from home helped solidify his decision to join the Scarlet Knights.
NEW KNIGHT Division II All-American transfer receiver ready for big chance with Rutgers football
“It’s great. Just being able to come home whenever I’m able to,” Rogers said. “I wasn’t able to do that before. Being able to be around my family more, my little brother, watching him grow up, it’s been pretty good.”
Offers out of high school from Stony Brook, Monmouth, UMass and North Carolina
Rogers, who was born in Hackensack, wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. In addition to Northern Illinois, he also had offers from Stony Brook, Monmouth, UMass and North Carolina. He was rated a three-star prospect and the No. 42 overall recruit in New Jersey, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Now playing in the Big Ten, Rogers said he isn’t focusing on trying to prove himself – just help the defense as much as he can.
“I just want to take it day by day,” Rogers said. “Just chop, stay in the moment. When the time comes, just let my play speak for itself.”
It remains to be seen what Rogers’ exact role will be come Sept. 3 when Rutgers opens its season against Northwestern, but the cornerback so far likes the chemistry and the aggressiveness the entire defense has shown so far.
“That’s the most important thing for a defense, just chemistry, being on the same page, communicating and getting things done pre-snap, post-snap,” Rogers said. “That’s really big thing. Without that, there’s nothing. We’ve all got to be on the same page.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football: Eric Rogers of Burlington NJ back home
