Commit Alert: Amad Anderson Pledges To Rutgers Football

The good news keeps on coming, after an initial slow start and one early de-commit, the 2018 recruiting class is on an upward swing. After the exciting commit of EJ Turner last month, Amad Anderson brings the 2018 recruit count to 16 with his announcement Sunday night.

Listed as an athlete on 247Sports, the versatile athlete was originally being recruited as a free safety but has more recently been said to be a strong addition to the experienced receiver corps. With Janarion Grant and Duwop Mitchell graduating after this year, Rutgers will need to continue to build depth at this position.

The 3-star Anderson, who is 5’11”, was the 7th ranked prospect in the state of New York. The final six schools in contention included Rutgers, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland, N.C. State, and Temple.

Watching his highlights, Anderson has all the skills needed to be an explosive receiver. I saw flashes of two of my all-time favorite Scarlet Knights watching his reel, with the slipperiness and speed of Janarion Grant, and the power of Brian Leonard. Seeing him jump over defenders like Leonard brought me so much joy as you can see he loves the game and will do what it takes to make a play and get those extra yards. We need more of that fire and excitement in our plays, as I think it will inspire our Knights to enjoy the game and up the level of play. His speed comes from his multi-sport background, as he plays basketball and runs track in addition to his football duties at Curtis. He holds the sophomore city record in the 200-meter dash at 22.64 seconds.

Anderson is the 12th out of state recruit for the class, coming from Curtis High School in Staten Island. Anderson played a crucial role in Curtis’ clenching on the 2016 PSAL City Conference Title, hauling in a key 44-yard touchdown pass to win the game 24-21 over Erasmus in the final minutes of the game. Anderson has great speed, ball control, and awareness, often shirking off defenders to make key catches. His highlights show him as a punt receiver as well, deepening the comparison to Grant. This versatility will make him a great fit to Ash’s commitment to having more players focus on special teams. It is interesting to note that he wears #1 at Curtis, as does the Rutgers fan favorite. His potential is great, and he will make an exciting addition to a strong 2018 class. As of now, the 16 member 2018 class includes 14 3-star commitments.

Welcome to the banks, Amad Anderson. We can’t wait to see you on the field!