Rutgers Football Picks Up Commitment in 3-Star CB Jarrett Paul

Last week, Rutgers picked up their first commitment in the class of 2018 with Florida defensive back Rachad Wildgoose Jr. After last night’s Scarlet-White game, a local target, also in the secondary, made his pledge to Rutgers official.

Jarrett Paul, a 3-star cornerback, recently transferred from Christ The King in New York to Paramus Catholic this past winter. Rutgers offered Paul back in February and he has visited campus multiple times since, before making things official last night.

He received interest from and visited Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, Indiana and Maryland in 2016, while also attending camp at Penn State, but has had Rutgers on his mind for years. His only other official offer so far was from Buffalo. Paul was also recruited by the previous coaching regime under Kyle Flood and spoke to our own Andy Egan back in 2015 about his interest in Rutgers here.

The 6’2”, 190 pound Paul is a big, physical corner who excels in press coverage. He should fit the style and approach well that head coach Chris Ash and co-defensive coordinator Jay Niemann are looking for to play in their quarters defense. Paul spoke with NJ Advance Media’s Todderick Hunt in this article and he emphasized he is “100% Rutgers” and does not plan to taking any visits to other schools. From Hunt’s article, Paul said this about what made him choose Rutgers:

"I was just looking at the location. It's close to home so my family and friends, they get to see me play. And the fact that coach Ash specializes in DBs (defensive backs). I've always wanted to play for a head coach who knows what he's doing in the secondary," he said. "And third, I was just looking at the Big Ten. You get to play against top competition like Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State. I'm a competitor, so I wanted to compete against the top schools.

"I was looking at the recruiting pitch they were giving me about the DB depth and how for the future they are gonna need guys like me to come in and be ready and make that early impact."

Paul is the type of athletic, hard working player that Rutgers needs to stockpile on the roster. He seems extremely coachable and hungry to make a difference. The points that Paul referenced in choosing Rutgers show that the staff nailed his recruitment. Paul is a player who is already on the radar of several other Big Ten programs and will likely pick up more offers playing in the Big North conference for Paramus Catholic next season. Receiving his commitment now, as well as his pledge to not visit any other schools, is a solid victory for the Rutgers staff.

Congratulations to Jarrett Paul and welcome to the banks!

Here are his highlights from his junior season at Christ The King.