Rutgers Signs What Could Be Best Recruiting Class In School History

Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano, with the help of two former University of Pittsburgh assistant coaches and an incoming freshman wide receiver, made a strong statement today:  "We're strong in New Jersey, we can recruit quality players, and we covered our needs."

It was Frank Cignetti, Rutgers' new offensive coordinator and Jeff Haley, Rutgers' new assistant coach, who brought with them from Pittsburgh QB Gary Nova and DT Marquise Wright.  Nova and Wright had de-committed from Pitt when former coach Dave Wannstedt was fired at the end of last season.

It was Cignetti that Savon Huggins, the Scarlet Knights' new five-star running back, gave credit for his decision to play his college football in Piscataway.

And it was Rutgers' new wide receiver, four-star Miles Shuler, the first big name to commit to Schiano, who took it upon himself to spend hours on the phone selling his vision of Rutgers football to as many prospects that would listen.

The day started off a little shaky when Lafayette Pitts, a four-star cornerback from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, changed his mind and decided to withdraw his soft verbal commitment to Rutgers and signed with Pitt.

But another surprise took place early in the day, this one went in Rutgers' favor: Kaleb Johnson, a 6'4", 285 lb. offensive lineman from Jacksonville turned down offers from North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, and Arkansas, and announced he was heading for Rutgers.

What's so encouraging about this class is it showed how dominant Rutgers can be in the state of New Jersey.  The Scarlet Knights were able to land the state's no. 1, 3, and 4 players (Huggins, Shuler, and Wright).

They were able to sign 10 of New Jersey's top 28 players and clearly dominated the state like never before.

Rutgers had a good recruiting class in 2007.  They signed  Anthony Davis, the no. 1 or 2 player in the state,  no. 4  Manny Abreu,  no. 7  Mason Robinson, no. 10  Keith Newel,  no. 11  Wayne Thomas, and all together 9 of the state's top 30 players.

This year's class might have been a little more impressive.

Rutgers also filled needs: With only one experienced quarterback coming back (Chas Dodd), Rutgers brought in highly regarded Mike Bimonte of Manalapan and Gary Nova.  Nova, who played for Don Bosco, held offers from Pitt, Boston College, and Virginia.

One of these young quarterbacks is probably going to be asked to play immediately.

The poor performance of the offensive line over the last two seasons made bringing in some quality offensive linemen a top priority. 

The three offensive linemen in the class (four-star keith Lumpkin, three-star Johnson, and JUCO transfer Dallas Hendrikson) are all going to get a chance to play next year.

The Scarlet Knights added plenty of run stoppers.  Wright, Max Issaka, Kenneth Kirksey, Al Page, Daryl Stephenson, Kyle George, and Djwany Mera are all talented and big. There's a good chance that some of these guys are going to develop into that big nose guard  the Rutgers defense has always been missing.

This group is loaded with speed at the skill positions:  Schiano described Shuler as the third fastest player in the country.  Shuler, a state track champion. is listed at 4.38 in the forty.  Three others have turned in sub-4.5 forty times.

And then there's Huggins.  The 190 lb. running back held offers from USC, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Auburn.

It also looks like Rutgers has solved their punting problem with Anthony DiPaula, who average 43 yards per punt at St Johns Vianney in Holmdel.

The Scarlet Knights were hoping to add a fourth offensive lineman, but Fau Fonoti from Cerritos Junior College decided to sign with Michigan State.

Like every coach in the country, Schiano had good things to say about this class.  "I am thrilled about the young men we are bringing here."

Of course this sounds like coaching rhetoric, but he's got a good reason to be happy with this class: Talent!  Rutgers has just become a considerably more talented football team.

And there's one other thing about this class that makes it special:  Everyone except Pitts (soft verbal) signed, and they signed early.  That's a sign of dedication

There are 24 recruits in the 2011 class.