Rutgers' 2016 recruiting class is mostly a known commodity at this point. With 17 commits, the Scarlet Knights are likely to take only another 5 or so players - think linemen on both sides of the ball and DBs - and even getting to 22 or 23 will require some attrition beyond graduation. The roster lists only 10 seniors/grad students, so anything beyond that in this class comes at the expense of someone else on the team.
So what are we going to talk about in recruiting for the next six months, if we can only expect half a dozen or so additional '16 "Commit Alerts"?!?
Rising Juniors, of course! Here are five names you need to know in the class of 2017.
Isaiah Wilson, Poly Prep, Brooklyn, NY - 5* OL
This is where we see how much of a hammerlock Kyle Flood really has on NYC - can he land the huge national recruit from the 5 boroughs, against entreaties from every program in the country? Wilson is a 6'6" 330 lb rising junior, rated as a five-star by Rivals and just about everyone else. He already has offers from the likes of Michigan, tOSU, Alabama, Auburn and Florida State, to name a few. He put out an early top ten this week, and the Block R made the cut. Read the subtweets too - a Wisconsin fan said there was no way Rutgers was a serious contender, and offered to bet a lot of money on that - Wilson told him he'd go broke making that bet.
To all the fans this is not a finalized list. Every school is still in the running these are just my favorite ten. pic.twitter.com/ZWVnOtbvPN
— Lay Zay (@savagezay74) July 24, 2015
PS - If you like Syracuse fan meltdowns, there are some good ones out there after he released his top ten, and no large orange "S" appeared on the list. They go from "we need this kid, he's a program changer" to "he's probably an attention whore from a lousy program and not OUR type of guy anyway" in about five seconds.
Fred Hansard, Hun School, Princeton, NJ - 4* DT
For the second year in a row, the top player in New Jersey will be a defensive tackle from a school that doesn't send a lot of kids to Rutgers. Hansard is a 6'3" 314 pound wrecking ball up the middle. Rivals ranks him a 4-star. Hansard already has offers from Michigan, tOSU, ttfp, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others.
D'Andre Swift, St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, PA - 4* RB
Swift is a 5'10", 208 pound bolt of lightning out of the backfield, as well as a track star. Rivals rates him a 4-star, and the number 2 PA prospect. He already has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, ttfp, Pitt, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Va Tech, and West Virginia.
Mark Webb, Archbishop Wood, Warminster, PA - 4* WR
Who else do we know from Archbishop Wood in Warminster, PA? If you guessed Elite 11 QB and future Scarlet Knight superstar Anthony Russo, you win! Webb is Russo's primary target, to whom he will throw many, many touchdowns this season. Webb is a 6'2" 195 lb. 4-star receiver, and rated by Rivals as the 9th best prospect in PA. He has offers from UNC, ttfp, Pitt, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. Rutgers is hoping his connection with Russo puts the Scarlet Knights in good shape for what could be the next Nova/Carroo-type bond.
Drew Singleton, Paramus Catholic - 4* LB
Drew Singleton is a 6'2" 204 lb. linebacker from Paramus Catholic. Rivals rates him as a 4-star prospect, and the #3 player in New Jersey. Singleton has offers from Alabama, Boston College, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, tOSU, ttfp and Virginia Tech. If Rutgers signs all four linebackers currently committed in the 2016 class, they will likely take fewer next year - the Scarlet Knights would love one of those spots to go to Singleton.