College Football's Next Big Thing: 2016 No. 1 Overall Recruit Rashan Gary

Every June, high school linemen from around the country lumber into Piscataway, New Jersey, for Rutgers University's Big Man Academy, aiming to expand their collegiate horizons and options.

Four years ago, however, the biggest splash made among a group of big people was by a middle schooler, one who has become the top recruit in the nation: Rashan Gary.

"As a recruiting staff, you sometimes hear about the potential of eighth-graders, but you really don't believe it until you see it," former Rutgers recruiting assistant Sopan Shah said. "When Rashan Gary showed up, it quickly became clear his ceiling was about as high as it gets."

And Gary was still months away from his first varsity snaps at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in New Jersey.

"He was just as big as the juniors and seniors who already had several college offers. Then he gets into drills and starts beating those guys," said Shah, who most recently served in the Philadelphia Eagles' scouting department.

Rutgers extended a verbal scholarship offer to the middle school sensation that month. It became the first college option on a list that now includes national championship contenders from every corner of America.

"It's been a journey since I got that first offer in eighth grade. I didn't think much of it until I got to high school and realized there were seniors who worked really hard and still didn't have any offers," Gary said last summer. 

Several years in the spotlight have supplied him with a strong impression of the college football recruiting landscape, in which he reigns as the No. 1 overall prospect in 247Sports' 2016 composite rankings.

"Seeing players struggle to get colleges interested at camps kind of puts things in perspective and keeps me humble. A lot of people want to be in my shoes," Gary said. 

Those shoes carry a 6'5", 293-pound defensive tackle who many believe is destined to dominate in college football and beyond. Within a few months, Gary will once again be the compelling newcomer attempting to challenge older, more established linemen.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

This next chapter may take place on practice fields in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Or Clemson, South Carolina.

We don't yet know which college Gary will select on Feb. 3, when national signing day concludes a whirlwind recruitment that began well before several interested head coaches inhabited their current jobs. When he makes his choice this Wednesday, one college fanbase will enthusiastically welcome him to campus with immediate expectations for greatness.

"He is two years ahead of almost any high school lineman in the country when it comes to college-level technique," Gary's mentor and trainer, Peter Kafaf, said. "That technique builds off itself, so I expect him to be perfecting it during these next few seasons while other kids are just attempting to learn it."

Kafaf, an offseason volunteer trainer for several local New Jersey linemen, has worked with Gary since March 2014. Several marquee college coaching staffs were already chasing his young pupil, but there was room for improvement.

"His upper body was very, very tight. His chest was tight, his arms were tight, and his hands were slow," Kafaf recalled. "We gave him some martial arts hand moves that translate directly into football and had him practice those repeatedly until he was ready to develop more moves off those."

Credit: 247Sports

Todd Huber, a former offensive lineman at Cal and current director of football at Student Sports, a company that hosts skills camps, has worked closely with Gary during several football events. He also noted how Gary's improved handwork has been crucial to his ascension.

"He's probably the one kid in my years of doing this that I had to pull out of a drill because he played with the same motor that he does now, but he was so raw and didn't know how to use his hands. It wasn't intentional, but he ended up just head-butting kids," Huber said. "It's kind of funny to look back at that and then now see the finished high school prospect he's become."

The change didn't happen overnight but pretty close to it. Prior to his junior season, Gary received an ultimatum from Kafaf.

Even though Gary was essentially a wrecking ball as a sophomore, further enhancement would require precision few prospects ever display before college.

"He was trying to rip and bull-rush everybody because that's what he was comfortable with. At that point I said, 'Look, Rashan, I really can't work with you anymore if all you want to do is run through people,'" Kafaf said.

Gary got the message and sent one back.

"The next day, I got a text from Rashan," Kafaf said. "It was, 'I needed to hear that. I'm all in.' From that point forward, his hands just got electric."

Combined with rare speed for his stature—Gary has been timed at 4.74 seconds in the 40-yard dash—the sharpened technique took him one step closer toward becoming a complete package.

Courtesy of Peter Kafaf

Two months before debuting at Paramus Catholic High School, to which he had transferred for his final two seasons, Gary traveled to Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, for The Opening, an annual invite-only football skills camp. Despite his status as the only non-senior competitor in the trenches that week, Huber hailed him as one of the top five overall performers.

"As an offensive lineman, you've got to pick your poison because of the leverage and effort he plays with. If you stop Rashan on his first move, he'll throw another one at you. If you stop his second move, he's ready to counter with another," Huber said.

The youngster's effort also drew recognition from the premier 2015 prospects in attendance. Offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt, a former 5-star recruit who started this season for Clemson as a true freshman, was among those who walked away from one-on-one showdowns with a newfound respect.

"We just assumed he was another senior, especially based on the way he competed. It was a shock for sure," Hyatt said afterward. "He's way above his level when compared to other players at that age. He's going to be fun to watch in the future because he has everything a defensive lineman needs to be dominant at the next level."

Matthew Burrell, now a freshman offensive lineman at Ohio State, offered even loftier praise.

"I think he could be the top player in our class [2015], let alone his own," Burrell said.

The momentum he gained at The Opening carried into his first campaign at Paramus Catholic, where he was coached by current Michigan Wolverines recruiting director Chris Partridge. The highlight of his 2014 campaign, which included 55 tackles and 14 sacks in 11 games, occurred in October against regional rival Bergen Catholic High School.

Gary created a nightmare afternoon for Bergen Catholic quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, sacking the Tennessee commit five times in just three quarters of a blowout win. He also blocked a punt, returning it for a touchdown:

By the end of his junior season, Gary was considered the country's top 2016 prospect by most. He would use a return trip to The Opening as a method of removing any notion of doubt.

"Last year gave me a lot of confidence because I knew I could compete against the top linemen in the country who were a year older than me," Gary said before heading back to Beaverton. "Now I'm looking to go back with that confidence and bring that defensive line MVP back home to Jersey."

That's exactly what he did, decimating America's most lauded offensive linemen in bunches:

"He went from big-time recruit to No. 1 overall recruit in the country during the year between his trips to The Opening," Huber said. "With a bigger [target] on his back and more hype around him than ever, Rashan brought even more competitiveness. He's the most complete player we've had on the defensive line since I've been around [2013]."

Simply put, Gary put on a clinic that showed consistency well beyond his years.

"I got some reps against Rashan, and they were humbling experiences for sure," 5-star offensive lineman Jack Anderson said after drills. "He's the real deal."

Despite dozens of scholarship offers, endless media inquiries and constant attention from fans on social media, Gary has impressed those around him by carrying himself the same way as when he was the oversized eighth-grader on Rutgers' campus.

"Rashan is one of the most extraordinarily humble young men I've ever met," Kafaf said. "He's quiet but incredibly focused. Once he understands what he's trying to accomplish, he comes back with a better effort every time."

Gary is known for sprinting back to his side of the line when a whistle ends one-on-one drills. He is not known to stand over his opponent and gloat, nor does he search the field for onlookers (essentially every recruiting analyst in attendance).

Instead, he pops up, bursts back behind the row of defensive linemen and waits for his next opportunity to wreak havoc.

"He attacks the more mundane items of football," Huber said. "That motor isn't just on when the lights are on."

Huber compares Gary to former Ohio State star and current Pittsburgh Steelers defender Cameron Heyward.

"His ability to play off the edge when he has a huge defensive tackle body is rare. He's powerful but has enough speed to make you stay honest," Huber added.

That versatility makes him a coveted commodity for defensive coordinators who've invested significant time, travel and phone calls in an attempt to land this recruiting cycle's biggest prize.

"If you're doing your job as a coach, you probably don't have him lined up in the same spot on every single down. You want to move Rashan around and have the offense account for him on each snap," said Todderick Hunt, an NJ.com recruiting analyst who has covered Gary as long as anyone.

Gary's mother, Jennifer Coney, also understands how valuable her son's assets are in a college attack. She made it clear that everything, including scheme, is under consideration during a midsummer conversation with Chris Kirschner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"

I know [Georgia runs] a 3-4 defense, and I don’t know how good that would be for my son. In that three-person line, their job is to hold the offensive line so the linebackers can come in to make the tackle. Well, how is Rashan supposed to shine in a 3-4? A 4-3 defense is what I prefer. It’s OK for him to play in a 3-4, only if they rotate in a 4-3. I just don’t see how playing in a 3-4 defense would benefit him.

"

It didn't seem to matter where he lined up during the Under Armour All-America Game, held Jan. 2 in Orlando, Florida. Beforehand, Gary returned to what he calls "The Lab" and capitalized on a series of postseason sessions with Kafaf. He capped off an illustrious prep career with his most impressive performance to date.

Gary tied the All-America Game record with three sacks, tallying six total tackles in a rotational role.

"He played like I've never seen him play before," Kafaf said. "He was beating other All-Americans with a combination of hand moves. Once an offensive lineman showed his hands off the snap, Rashan counterattacked. He exceeded my expectations with that performance."

A matchup filled with highly regarded college recruits became a coronation of sorts. Within weeks, the four major recruiting industry sites—247Sports, Scout, Rivals and ESPN—released final 2016 rankings with Gary on top.

Honor naturally comes from widespread acknowledgement. But contentment? That simply isn't Gary's style.

"Rashan is driven by his own metric, not anybody else's," Kafaf said. "That's what sustains him."

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.