Rutgers Football Recruiting Commit Alert! Ron'Dell Carter

Long Reach, Maryland (that's the high school, not an evaluation of his wingspan) Defensive End Ron'Dell Carter committed to the Scarlet Knights by notifying DL coach Jim Panagos last night, and confirming with head coach Kyle Flood early this morning.  Carter is the fifth commitment in a whirlwind recruiting week that saw the Knights 2015 class balloon from two commits Tuesday morning to seven today. Rutgers has some real recruiting momentum right now, and the positive vibes are contagious.

At 6'2" 235 lbs, Carter is not a behemoth B1G defensive lineman.  He projects to the Rutgers "R" position, a hybrid D-End/linebacker that requires an abundance of quickness, speed and football IQ to generate pressure on the quarterback.  And don't forget, Carter still has his entire senior year to put on strength and functional mass, making 250-260 lbs by the time he comes to Rutgers next May a real possibility.

Carter's ability to shed blockers and get into the backfield is impressive.  For example, check the big hits at 1:37 and 1:51 and a nasty blow-up of an O-linemen at 2:50 in his junior season highlight tape.  He also demonstrates good athleticism and speed for his size, and he also played as a pass-catching TE in high school.

With the benefit of Coach Cole's strength and explosion training, Carter should prove a force to be reckoned with in the B1G for the Knights.

Carter spoke with Todderick Hunt about his commitment, and explained why he pulled the trigger for the Knights.

"I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself because I have a lot going on, right now," Carter said. "So, I just wanted to knock one big thing out my life. And I know for sure this right here was the right decision for me . . . It’s just sometimes you have a gut feeling about something and that’s the one you go with. And that’s the way I felt for sure, that Rutgers is the right fit for me."

This is a very nice pickup for Coach Flood and Coach Panagos (who is starting to look like the ace recruiter on this staff), as Carter had offers from Boston College, Old Dominion and Buffalo, with many more likely on the way as the spring evaluation period and summer camp season got underway.  Rutgers was the first team to recruit Carter, starting in his sophomore year, and that early attention paid off for the Knights.

Congratulations, and welcome to the Banks Ron'Dell!