Final thoughts on the Rutgers Football Recruiting Class of 2013

With Rutgers Football pro day tomorrow, several of these individuals will compete to continue their dreams of playing the game at the next level. Some of the young men completed their time on the banks already.

This regular segment on how each of the last five recruiting classes have performed and their outlook for the future concludes with the Class of 2013. Previously: transfers/walk-ons, Class of 2017, Class of 2016, Class of 2015, and Class of 2014. Check out last year’s review here of the Class of 2013.

Most career contributions:

1. Janarion Grant - WR, Pasco, Dade County, FL

State (FL) Overall Ranking: 87 National ATH Ranking: 40

Spot last year: #1. Janarion returned for his 5th year to bring a burst of energy to the program at various times. Had he not been injured for the Nebraska game, Rutgers may have surprised many with a win. After that he still led the team’s receivers in receptions (16) though that is not saying much for the rest of the group. Though he didn’t show much of the unbelievable speed we saw in year’s past, his run against Michigan was the most impressive play by anyone on the team all year. Hopefully he can get healthier and earn a shot in the NFL like he deserves. If not, it was still a helluva ride for the fans.

2. Dorian Miller - G, Metuchen, Metuchen, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 14 National OG Ranking: 20

Spot last year: #2. I give the edge to Miller over Turay because he was consistent as a three year starter. A captain, Miller does not have the prototypical size of an NFL lineman but the way the game has changed he still might have a chance to catch on somewhere. Even if we have seen his smile on a football game day in pads for the last time, it does not take away from the steady contributions of a local guy who was the only OL in his class. The top rated lineman in New Jersey in 2013, keeping kids like him at home is a huge factor in the continued improvement of the Rutgers program.

3. Kemoko Turay - DE, Barringer, Newark, NJ

State (NJ) Overall: 40 National WDE Ranking: 72

Spot last year: #9. An uneven career finished on a positive note as Turay was the most important player to a defense that lacked any other dominant pass rusher. Though he didn’t play every down and was banged up a little bit, Turay was third on the team with 65 tackles despite many double teams. He had four sacks which some may consider underachieving but a forced fumble, two recoveries, and the tackles were enough to get him to the Senior Bowl. From there he ended up at the NFL combine and is a projected 3rd round pick. If healthy, he could participate tomorrow. If not, he will still get drafted and hopefully be a situational pass rusher at the next level from Day 1.

4. Sebastian Joseph-Day, DT - Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg, PA

State (PA) Overall Ranking: 39 National SDE Ranking: 72

Spot last year: #6. Joseph gets a boost as a team leader who actually played with a broken hand in 2017. With some help on the interior line, he was able to stay fresh with 41 tackles, 4.5 TFL, a forced fumble, and another blocked kick that gave RU one final shot against EMU. His inspiration from playing through injury was huge for a young contingent and it will be difficult to replace him on the interior defensive line. We will see him tomorrow and he has a good shot to get an NFL tryout.

5. Andre Patton - WR, St. Elizabeth, Wilmington, DE

State (DE) Overall Ranking: 1 National WR Ranking: 104

Spot last year: #4. He deserves the #5 position on this list because after what many considered a disappointing final year on the banks, no one in 2017 was even close to matching his production or chemistry with Gio or any other QB. Patton had a nice preseason with the Los Angeles Chargers (still weird to say) and was a member of their practice squad all season. He’s still on their roster and could make the team this season.

6. Justin Goodwin - RB, Madison, Madison, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 31 National RB Ranking: 73

Spot last year: #3. Goodwin left the starting running back position to a number of suitors as he ran out of eligibility after the 2016 finale. In 2014, Goodwin set the standard Jawuan Harris equaled by tallying an interception after less than two weeks of time on defense after coming over from the offense. No major news on Goodwin this past year so maybe we see him in action again tomorrow.

7. John Tsimis, WR - Bergen Catholic, Oradell, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 28 National WR Ranking: 137

Spot last year: #5. As expected by many, Tsimis’s steady hands were missed badly in 2017 as Rutgers struggled to complete passes to receivers even more than they did in 2016. John made 14 catches and added a touchdown for Towson as a 5th year senior this past fall. The Scarlet Knights could have used it as only Janarion Grant among wideouts had more receptions (16).

8. Anthony Cioffi - SS, Jonathan Dayton, Springfield, NJ

State (NJ) Overall: 42 National CB Ranking: 46

Spot last year: #8. After playing well with the Oakland Raiders in the NFL preseason, Cioffi did not make an NFL roster and did not join the practice squad as many expected. Hopefully he gets another look in 2018, even though with his speed he could probably excel in the Canadian Football League if the NFL doesn’t call soon.

9. Chris Laviano - QB, Holy Trinity, Hicksville, NY

State (NY) Overall: 3 National QB Ranking: 31

Spot last year: #7. Laviano decided to play his final year at San Diego State but during summer camp informed the staff he planned to instead play college lacrosse. He has not surfaced anywhere for that purpose yet, though his younger brother (maybe cousin) has been a freshman sensation at Virginia this year in the sport.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

10. Myles Nash - DE, Timber Creek, Sicklerville, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 19 National ATH Ranking: 37

Spot last year: #11. Nash moved to tight end in spring 2017 as the team lacked depth even though I pegged him for a pass rushing specialist. He leapfrogs Arciadacono (a multi-year starter) by a nose because Myles played both ways as a 5th year senior in 2017. His team first-attitude was contagious as other players also answered the bell in a similar fashion. As a solid athlete, he was key to achieving pass rush pressure opposite Turay in a few wins. It was nice to see him finish his career on such a positive note and I hope to see how he performs physically at Pro Day even if he has played his last game.

11. Nick Arciadacono - TE, Archbishop Wood, Warminster, PA

State (PA) Overall: 27 National TE Ranking: 43

Spot last year: #10. Arciadacono was out of eligibility after playing as a true freshman in 2013 and being a two-deep tight end virtually his entire career. Since completing his time in football, he is in the Philadelphia area as a sales associate for Stryker.

12. T.J. Taylor - LB, South Brunswick, Monmouth Jct, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 43 National ATH Ranking: 139

Spot last year: #12. Taylor couldn’t shake the injury bug and didn’t get a chance to end his career on the field before being honored on senior day. This was unfortunate as he came to Rutgers with good speed in that hybrid safety / linebacker mold that may have paid dividends had he been in a Chris Ash defense earlier in his career. He did get to play in Rutgers last bowl campaign of 2014 at least and a little in 2016.

13. Devan Carter - LB, Brighton, Rochester, NY

State (NY) Overall Ranking: 15 National ILB Ranking: 74

Spot last year: #13. Carter graduated in four years and returned to his hometown of Rochester where he is the Director of Operations for a moving company.

Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images

Did not complete four years in the program.

1. Nadir Barnwell - CB, Piscataway Twp., Piscataway, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 8 National ATH Ranking: 8

Nadir turned up at Tennessee tech with Hayden Rettig and had 4 tackles in 5 games.

2. Delon Stephenson - CB, Milford Academy, New Berlin, NY

POST Ranks: State (NY) Overall Ranking: 5 National CB Ranking: 2

Stephenson, like Barnwell had legal hurdles to climb, but did not appear on any other roster this past year.

3. Lester Liston - LB, Hargrave Military Academy, Chatham, VA

PST ranks: State (VA) Overall Ranking: 20 National LB Ranking: 2

Liston is in his own legal situation and will not be playing football again.

4. Nick Internicola - DE, University School, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

State (FL) Overall Ranking: 90 National OLB Ranking: 46

Florida Atlantic got a lot out of Nick including two tackles in their Boca Raton bowl win over Akron this past season.

5. Taylor Marini - TE, Lake Mary, Lake Mary, FL

State (FL) Overall Ranking: 202 National TE Ranking: 53

Southern Miss got two years from Marini before he was injured the entire 2016 campaign. It does not appear he played in 2017.

6. Josh Klecko - DT, Red Bank Catholic, Red Bank, NJ

State (NJ) Overall Ranking: 36 National DT Ranking: 85

Fordham received contributions from Josh in 2015, but after that it appears his career was over. He’s a sales manager in New York City.

7. Bryant Gross-Armiento - CB, American Heritage, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

State (FL) Overall Ranking: 230 National S Ranking: 113

Wake Forest now employs Bryant as a coach after he played there after RU.

8. Dontea Ayres - RB, Middletown, Middletown, DE

State (DE) Overall Ranking: 24 National RB Ranking: 59

Ayres went to Towson then Stevenson where he had 5 TDs as a redshirt junior.

20/20 Hindsight:

2016 Strength: Versatility and athleticism: The purpose in this class was to improve team speed which it certainly did. Even a guy like T.J. Taylor who never made an impact on game day consistently brought speed to the practice field at his position.

2016 Weakness: Overall numbers epitomized by just one offensive lineman. With just 13 players that likely will graduate, it was an overall disappointment. The manner in which many of these players departed from the program was the reason Kyle Flood got fired.

2017 impressions. Though many players had moved on, the redshirt seniors that remained really did their part in the leadership department. Miller was a captain, Joseph AND Turay played hurt while still putting up stats, Nash played both ways. If every 5th year group can do what they did, especially now that the Big Ten only guarantees scholarships for four years, it would be awesome.

NOTE: For the rankings in this article I arbitrarily chose 247 rankings.

Thank you for all your contributions to the Rutgers football program over the last five years. So good luck fellas at Pro Day tomorrow!