Did Miami get to Malcolm Bunche?
Newark (Del.) offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche has informed Rutgers coaches that he was decommitting.
The 6-foot-6 prospect is now considering the Scarlet Knights, Miami-Florida, West Virginia, Connecticut and Maryland. He does not expect to make a final decision until national signing day.
Among Bunche's other offers are Illinois, South Florida, Tennessee and Syracuse.
Scout.com has an update on Gerald Hodges:
On why he originally committed with the Knights, Hodges said he was impressed with the solid recruiting class Schiano was compiling.
"I liked the players they had coming in," he said. "I also had a good relationship with Coach Schiano."
Besides Tom Savage who's in contact with almost every Rutgers prospect, Hodges has been in contact with Aaron Hayward, Shawney Kersey and Logan Ryan. All of them except for Kersey have been nudging him to stay in Jersey.
"There trying to except for Shawney Kersey," he said. "He's kind of stayed by my side. Me and him are close friends so we're trying to pick the same school basically."
While it's between Rutgers and Penn State, Hodges said he will probably takes official visits to Iowa and Maryland. He will make a decision on where he's going to commit for sure by January because he's going to college in the spring.
With Andre Civil and Michael Larrow long in the fold, it's no surprise that RU dropped their pursuit of Hoboken DE Bernardo Nunez.
So with distance being such an important factor for Nunez, why isn't Rutgers on his list? "They were my first offer," he said of the Scarlet Knights.
"But I wasn't getting the right vibe from them," Nunez said. "They've got a lot of commitments on defense already and I want to make sure I go where they actually need me."
Is RU going after another JUCO lineman?
OL Jeff Vinson (6-8 315) of Lackawanna JC, PA had drawn some interest from South Carolina, but he's been told the university can't take some of his grades. "They've told me I can't qualify for them," Vinson said. "I talked to coach Rychleski about two weeks ago. That's when he broke the news to me." Vinson has offers from Oklahoma, Rutgers, South Florida, Illinois State and Jackson State.
Greg Schiano doesn't think that Rutgers is abandoning Florida.
Schiano said he disagreed with the premise that Florida was no longer part of the "State of Rutgers" as a recruiting area because only one player from the Sunshine State -- safety Terrance Taylor -- is from Florida in next year's incoming class.
"I don't agree with that," he said. "I think it's very much a part of where we want to recruit."
Schiano paused briefly before adding, "This class isn't over yet, either."
Speaking of Florida, another likely token 2010 offer is out to LaMarcus Joyner.
Defensive back LaMarcus Joyner (Miami, Fla./Southwest), another Class of 2010 ESPNU150 prospect, continues to pick up offers.
Rutgers, Maryland, Ohio State, LSU and Notre Dame are the most recent programs to join Miami, Florida and Florida State in offering the dynamic defensive back. It's easy to see why they're impressed. Despite missing two games with an ankle sprain, he's racked up 495 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns and is among his team leaders in sacks.
Joyner already is one of the most highly-recruited players in the 2010 Class from Dade County, Fla., and Florida State and Miami have been mentioned as potential early leaders.
Delaware receiver Justin Brown still looks like a longshot.
It was the battle of Rutgers on Saturday in the South Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinal, as Aaron Heyward's Penns Grove team squared off with Shawney Kersey's Woodbury. Penns Grove won, 28-21, behind a big game from Heyward.
Hayward was a difference maker, rushing for 230 yards and two touchdowns as No. 5 Penns Grove defeated No. 4 Woodbury, 28-21, in yesterday's thrilling South Jersey Group 1 quarterfinal.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Hayward is one of the most decorated athletes in South Jersey. With a combination of power and speed it's easy to see why Rutgers is thrilled that he has made an oral commitment to the Scarlet Knights.
Still, it hasn't been an easy season.
Hayward has missed time with an ankle injury, which coach Kemp Carr says still isn't 100 percent, although it was hard to tell on his 41-yard touchdown bolt, or a 71-yard run that set up another score.
What added to his frustration is that published reports about two separate fights last weekend in Penns Grove mentioned Hayward prominently.
It was reported that Hayward was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct. According to Hayward and Carr, those reports were erroneous.
"I was never arrested, nor was I fighting," Hayward said. "I was with the guys who were fighting. I talked to the police but was never arrested."
Carr was exasperated, and rightly so when asked about the incident minutes after Penns Grove had earned a berth in the semifinals against No. 8 seeded Haddon Heights.
"It's not something to talk about, but all I can say is that he wasn't arrested," Carr said.
RU Commit Logan Ryan's Eastern team is still alive in the playoffs.
Duron Harmon and his Caesar Rodney team are one of the best teams in Delaware.
Mark Harrison has continued his productive senior season.
Rutgers-bound receiver Mark Harrison had eight catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
RU Commit Jordan Hill had his own big play last weekend. (This article also has some details on his teammate RB Jeremiah Young, who reportedly would be a bigger prospect if he didn't have some academic issues.)
Then, with just over a minute to go in the third, Rutgers-bound defensive lineman Jordan Hill picked off a deflected Brett Boyer pass and returned it 28 yards to kick in the mercy rule.
It's unclear whether D.C. safety Don Hursey will be a big prospect next year, but he does like Rutgers early on.
"I’ve been to Maryland’s game and I missed my trips to Rutgers and Pitt. I really like those schools and the coaches at those schools like me.
"I would really like to hear from Virginia Tech at this point. My top schools are Maryland, Rutgers, Pitt, Virginia, NC State, Boston College, West Virginia and UCLA."