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Rutgers Football Recruiting: Junior Day Impressions

RU hosted more than 20 high school prospects on campus this past weekend. Let's take a look at who received offers and who is gaining interest.

By Kevin Recio
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers had a big recruiting weekend this past Saturday, as the program hosted upwards of 20 high-school prospects for Junior Day. Several big names were on hand to get acquainted with the program, like Dontae Strickland (South Brunswick HS) and Tommy Hatton (St. Joseph's Regional). Linemen seemed to be a big target for Kyle Flood, as they focused their efforts on gaining steam on four-star prospect Steven Gonzalez (Union City). The offensive tackle prospect is quickly becoming one of the top recruits in New Jersey, as he already has offers from Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina to name a few.

RU Junior Day seemed to go well for him after seeing this tweet:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>4-star OL Steven Gonzalez&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/StevenG511">@StevenG511</a>: Rutgers has moved up to third on my list. Visit today went very well. <a href="http://t.co/8G34NQJnM4">http://t.co/8G34NQJnM4</a>&quot;</p>&mdash; Mark Pszonak (@njrivals1) <a href="https://twitter.com/njrivals1/statuses/439858009729400832">March 1, 2014</a></blockquote>

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Based on his 24/7 composite, Rutgers would be pegged behind Ohio State and Penn State. Gonzalez is a consensus four-star recruit, so it would be a major coup if Coach Flood could keep him home.

Rutgers is looking to establish a stronger pipeline with Union City, as Flood has offered tenders to two of Gonzalez's teammates. ATH Daiquan Kelly is a high three-star recruit, rated as a four-star by some services. He is 6'3" 200 pounds and projects as a wide receiver. According to Todderick Hunt, Kelly has RU second behind Pitt.

Flood also offered Ulises De Los Santos, a sophomore Union City offensive guard. At 6'4" 280, De Los Santos has the frame necessary to compete in the Big Ten. It's tough to accurately gauge his talent level since it's early in his recruitment, but Flood appears set on offering early to build the relationship.

News & Notes

  • Rob Ennis out of Millville received an offer at the event, which serves as his first BCS offer. Ennis claims he has received interest from several top programs, including Alabama, Oregon, and Penn State.
  • Barneget N.J. OLB Manny Bowen was in attendance as well. Looks like he still has Michigan State on top, though Rutgers doesn't seem too far behind.
  • Dontae Strickland continues to be on the radar for Rutgers. 24/7's crystal ball currently has RU as his final choice, but he claims otherwise at the moment.