As a Rutgers fan, this is a welcome development. The team's scheduling model has changed. Not only is there not necessarily the ironclad need for 7 home games every year (though it would be nice), but more conference revenue coming in lessens the need for a paycheck game against a poor opponent. Ideally now if there are going to be 9 conference games, Rutgers would schedule one other "good" OOC opponent a year (UCLA, Miami, etc...), and then buy two other home games.

There are a lot of rumors right now floating around regarding the Rutgers coaching staff (like Ron Prince interviewing for the RB coach job with the Saints), but it is always important to wait before things are fully finalized. One case in point is the Wilson hire; a week ago it was being reported that GA Anthony Campanile was being promoted to DB coach, and now comes word that Wilson (who spent 1999 on Terry Shea's staff before leaving for Wisconsin and then Iowa) is returning to Rutgers. Wilson, the former head coach at Wilson High in Camden, has a reputation as a top South Jersey recruiter. With Rutgers beating him a bit in recent years, he's had some success moving into Maryland; with Rutgers to sell instead of Iowa though, Rutgers should be doing a great job with prospects from the likes of Winslow and Timber Creek. This hire should help recruiting significantly, and credit has to go to Kyle Flood and the athletic department for making it happen. This helps Rutgers, and not only weakens a future league opponent, but also helps stem the flow of good prospects out of state even further. So if Wilson's coming, what happens to Campanile? There is a lot of value in making him a full assistant with the idea that he could be a good North/Central Jersey recruiter, as opposed to the current committee approach there. One other note: Devin Fitzsimmons doesn't seem to be listed as a GA anymore on scarletknights.com for what that's worth.

It's been several seasons now since the Rutgers women's basketball team was consistently competing at an elite level. Indeed, 2012-2013 has brought new indignities to the squad, such as losing to Big East doormat Seton Hall. Given the downward trend and her hefty salary, C. Vivian Stringer is starting to face a lot of criticism locally. If anything, she probably just poured gasoline on the fire with her combative response to critics the other day. Getting defensive absolutely was not the right move here.

to be the LBs coach. Good lord. Smith is certainly qualified, and I get that Schiano wants to reward his friends and loyal former staffers, but this is ridiculous. You're telling me he couldn't have found someone else who was qualified for the job? Bob Fraser is a great LB coach, so I don't even see what's the point in the first place. Stay tuned - I'm going to do a survey later tonight to see who might be a realistic option, besides an internal hire. (Pure speculation - Dave Cohen has DC experience, and one rumor has been that Dave Brock was trying to hire him at Delaware.)

In a year where Rutgers has a lot of NFL prospects, a lot of snubs are inevitable. The following players were invited: RB Jawan Jamison WR Mark Harrison TE D.C. Jefferson LB Khaseem Greene LB Steve Beauharnais CB Logan Ryan Players notably missing include: RT R.J. Dill DE Ka'Lial Glaud DT Scott Vallone CB Brandon Jones S Duron Harmon Dill, Vallone, and Jones are fringy prospects probably in the late day three range, but Harmon could be late day two/early day three, so his snubbing is a big surprise. Seeing all this NFL talent only makes coming short in 2012 that more upsetting, even if we know that guys like Harrison and Jefferson were mainly invited due to their physical measurables.

According to Coahing Search, Ron Prince interviewed for the vacant OC position. Ron Prince?!!! You have got to be kidding me. With the upcoming move to the Big 10, surely we can do better. Has anyone heard of who else has interviewed?

The missing piece for RU the past two years has been a wing that could make the opponents pay from beyond the arc. Hopefully Rutgers has found that in the 6'5" Craig Brown. In his freshman season, Brown averaged 20 points a game and shot nearly 40% from beyond the arc. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining starting next year. Brown joins Shane Rector as a part of this recruiting class. Rutgers has 1 more scholarship to give and is hot on the trail of guard Jon Severe and F Demetrius Henry.

More details still have to come out, but this sure is a strange situation. Brooklyn JUCO lineman Ali Kassem issued a public verbal commitment to Rutgers today, only to switch to NC State several hours later. Personally, I was lukewarm on Kassem. I thought he was a decent prospect, but only decent. I wanted Rutgers to sign another high school offensive lineman in this class, not a JUCO, as they already had plenty of upperclassmen. Perhaps some more behind the scenes details will come out, but I don't really see this as making much of a difference either way regardless of what happens.

Craig Brown, a 6'5" JC shooting guard at Broward C.C. in Florida, committed today according to Matt Sugam. According to Rivals he had offers from Gonzaga and Auburn.

Talking Rutgers and St. John's with Norman from Rumble in the Garden. Touches on Jakarr Sampson, Eli Carter, Rutgers woes, Mike Rice and what St. John's will be doing for the rest of the season.