2016 Recruiting Update

Commits:

Jon Pollock, LB, Dr. Phillips (FL)

Pollock is my favorite recruit in this class so far and brings a lot to the table, With the decommitment of Ted Field, Pollock is now the first member of the 2016 class to commit. Only a 3-star recruit, Pollock earned an invite to the US Army All-American Game and played for Team USA along with fellow commit Mo Jabbie. Pollock was previously committed to Mississippi St. but decommitted over the summer and chose the Scarlet Knights during his visit for the Michigan game. Listed as big as 225 lbs and running as fast as a 4.52 40-yard dash, Pollock is an outstanding athlete who boasts defensive-back coverage skills as well as above-average pass rushing abilities. He can make an impact Day 1 at any 3 of the linebacker spots and also provides Flood with some great connections in Florida. Note: Although he is a football recruit, Pollock helped bring 2015 SF Jonathan Laurent to The Banks to play for hoops coach Eddie Jordan.

Mo Jabbie, WR, Monmouth Junction (NJ)

Jabbie commited just after Pollock and has been a huge asset to the recruiting class in many ways. Jabbie is the nephew of former Rutgers star and Bengals WR Mohamed Sanu and has done an excellent job with other recruits. If it weren't for Jabbie, Rutgers probably would've never had a chance at Dwayne Haskins. He has shown unparalleled loyalty to the Knights along with having great relationships with fellow commits. On the field, Jabbie is a flat out playmaker. He can play on both sides of the ball but projects as a WR in college and is very similar to current WR and return specialist, Janarion Grant. He is a hands-catcher, which is very rare for a smaller and faster player like he is. Jabbie runs clean, crisp routes and has shown that he can be a great weapon for Ben McDaniels come 2016.

Nick Krimin, OL, St. Joseph (Metutchen, NJ)

Krimin has an NFL body with near-NFL strength. He is an absolute monster in the weight room and has outstanding size for only a high school junior. With depth being a major concern on the offensive line, the hope is that Krimin can make an immediate impact and will definitely have a shot to earn a starting job as a true freshman. Rutgers was fortunate to get an early pledge from Krimin who might see many more offers come his way if he continues to make strides at a school where football is relatively new but up-and-coming. Overall, Krimin is a big mauler type lineman who is a perfect fit in Rutgers' pro-style scheme. The fact that he is already 320 lbs is crucial and a huge asset, especially in the B1G and considering Rutgers' offensive lines have usually averaged around 300 lbs.

Trey Sneed, HB, Orange Park (FL)

With rising sophomores Josh Hicks and Robert Martin holding the top two running back spots for the foreseeable future, Snead seems to be a player who can learn a lot from the tandem and breakout after a probable redshirt year. Measuring up at 5-11, 198 lbs, Sneed can still put on some weight and become a great one-cut/power back similar to Hicks and Martin. Sneed chose Rutgers over offers from the likes of Duke, Louisville, UNC, and Utah along with receiving interest from ttfp and Florida. It may take Snead a few years to earn his chance with the Scarlet Knights, but if all goes well he could be a solid two-year starter for a team that boasts a multitude of strong ball carriers.

Anthony Russo, QB, Archbishop Wood (PA)

There's not much for me to say about Russo, for Andy Egan has you covered here and here. What I will say is this: Russo is a great fit in this offense and has about 30 pounds on "the other two" who Rutgers fans may have desired more. He plays for a better team and is a state champion who knows how to win big games. Shawn Brown also had great things to say about Russo:

I met @Anthony_Russo15 around this time last yr as he was a backup behind a 2 yr starter. He said he would stick it out, won the job last yr

— Shawn Brown (@ShawnBRivals) May 18, 2015

Much respect when he could have gone elsewhere, didn't run from the challenge. Says a lot about @Anthony_Russo15 's character.

— Shawn Brown (@ShawnBRivals) May 18, 2015

Top Targets:

Ahmir Mitchell, WR/ATH, Cedar Creek (NJ)

At this point, Mitchell is probably Rutgers' best chance at landing a top-tier recruit. He has pondered staying home and could lead to New Jersey's top talent finally pledging to represent their home state for Kyle Flood. Mitchell is a fantastic playmaker who is incredibly gifted with his blend of size (6-3, 210) and athleticism. Mitchell is a real possibility and could add a unique aspect that a Rutgers offense has not seen as of recent.

Rashan Gary, DT, Paramus Catholic (NJ)

Boy, would this be awesome. Gary can pick and choose wherever he wants to go and probably start from Day 1. He is 6-4 and close to 300 lbs and can still churn out and unbelievable 4.76 40-yard-dash. Rutgers is still very much in play for his services although he seems to be leaning towards Michigan, especially after they hired his former coach in Steve Partridge. If Rutgers can land Gary, it would be a defining moment in the history of the football team. Jersey recruits would flood to Rutgers, (pun intended), following the top player in the country.

Patrice Rene, CB, Episcopal (Alexandria, VA)

With all of the madness going on with the top recruits in the state of New Jersey, Rene has quietly emerged as one of Rutgers top targets. Rene possesses great size for a CB, listed at 6-2, 203 on Rivals. In 24/7's rankings, he is a top-10 CB along with being the 81st overall prospect in the nation. Rene's recruitment seems like it will come down to Rutgers and the defending champs Ohio State. Rutgers clearly needs Rene more and if were to commit, could definitely battle for a starting job as soon as he steps foot on campus. With many big prospects on Rutgers' board committed elsewhere, look for their attention to shift to guys like Rene who have had pretty quiet recruitments so far.

Karamo Dioubate, Prep Charter (Philadelphia, PA)

Dioubate is a big defensive lineman who is very versatile. Similar to Rene, his recruitment has been relatively quiet but is now heating up. ttfp has shown strong interest and it will be interesting to see if Kyle Flood can give Coach Hype a taste of his own medicine and snag a player from his own backyard. Dioubate has been to Rutgers multiple times recently and his interest in the school is growing. Look for Rutgers and ttfp to battle it out for this highly-touted PA lineman as National Signing day approaches.

Jordan Fuller, ATH, North Valley Regional (NJ)

Fuller's brother was a similar player to him and his now at UCLA playing WR. Many expected Jordan Fuller to follow his brother to UCLA but Rutgers is still very much in the picture. Obviously, it is much easier for him to take visits to Rutgers as opposed to UCLA, which could prove to be very helpful. Interestingly enough, because of his brother, Fuller was overlooked a lot and it became easy to forget his name when thinking of New Jersey's top recruits. Despite this, Fuller is a consensus top-10 player in the state and would be a great addition to the Rutgers family.

Ron Johnson, DE, Camden (NJ)

Johnson's Camden teammate, Brad Hawkins, seems to be leaning elsewhere although Johnson is still in play for the Scarlet Knights. Depending on the future of Kemoko Turay and Marques Ford, Johnson could step in and make an early impact. At 6-4, 240, Johnson has a thicker frame than Turay and Ford, and should still be able to put on some weight. You can never have enough talent on the defensive side of the ball, especially the d-line in a run heavy conference. ttfp is making a strong push for him but expect Rutgers to push even harder for the service of the Camden standout.

Kelvin Harmon, WR, Palmyra (NJ)

Harmon, a 6-3 200 WR, might just be the most underrated player in the state. He has great size and length to go along with outstanding hands. Harmon is just a 2/3 star prospect, depending on which website you look at, but plays above that. He won WR MVP at the Rivals camp series just a few weeks ago, outshining many prospects ranked higher than him. Harmon hails from Palmyra, the same small town as former Rutgers WR and current Eagles player Quron Pratt. Harmon seems like a prospect who values home a lot and is a guy that I see donning the Scarlet and Silver one day.

Other Prospects to Look Out For:

Gene Coleman, WR, Bergen Catholic (NJ)

Hasise Dubois, WR, DePaul Catholic (NJ)

K.J. Gray, WR, St. Peter's Prep (NJ)

Jovani Haskins, TE, Bergenfield (NJ)

Lucas Niang, OL, New Canaan (CT)

Elijah Johnson, OL, DeMatha Catholic (MD)

Will Fries, OL, Cranford (NJ)

Solomon Manning, LB, Colonia (NJ)

Timothy Poindexter, S, Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY)

Thoughts:

There are clearly many wide receivers and there is a definite lack of defensive players. However, National Signing Day is more than 8 months away and Kyle Flood will have plenty of time to piece together a full recruiting class. He may not be able to get top-tier guys at every position of need but have faith that Coach Flood will do what it takes to get bodies where he needs them. Hopefully Flood can land a few more Kemoko Turays in the future, opening the floodgates (pun intended, once again) for Rashan Garys to come play "On The Banks".

Notes:

• Dwayne Haskins committing to Maryland has taken numerous recruits out of play for Rutgers, most notably ATH/DB Trevon Diggs, WR Tino Ellis, and TE Naseir Upshur
• WR/CB Steven Smothers, the god-brother or Tavon Austin, put Rutgers in his top 5 but it seems like his favorite is West Virginia. However, his recruitment will reportedly take him all the way up to NSD, per Todderick Hunt in that article.
• Rutgers fans should feel confident in getting a pledge from Taysir Mack sometime soon, and possibly his teammate Ahmed Bah

Final Note: If you're a big fan of hypotheticals then check out this feature on 24/7 that allows you to add players to the recruiting class and see the new score for Rutgers and compare it to the rest of the B1G or any other team in the country.

One more thing for all ttfp lovers and haters: