Commit alert! Rutgers Football gets verbal pledge from Isaiah Wright

The Rutgers football coaching staff continues to put work on the recruiting trail and received their second defensive player commit of the 2020 recruiting class. The Scarlet Knights secured a verbal commitment from Isaiah Wright of Metuchen on Sunday night:

Rutgers was the first power five conference school (five total) to offer Isaiah per 247sports, but Boston College and Syracuse also showed strong interest. At 6’5” and 275 pounds, Wright is a solid three-star prospect, the 26th best in New Jersey for the 2020 class according to the 247 composite which includes other sources.

Isaiah doesn’t have as much film out there as others, so a lot of my thoughts are based on his sophomore film. The first thing you notice is how low he can get in his stance. This allows him, even more so on the offensive side of the ball, to simply over power anyone in front of him. He shows flashes of incredible straight line strength, critical to “pushing the pocket” or moving the interior lineman to the quarterback’s lap. His lateral quickness is very inconsistent and his functional strength needs to improve when he’s on the move. In a straight line he has great power, especially when blocking down, but at times he can’t grab a ball carrier shifting away from him.

Wright is at worst a solid three-star prospect who will compete hard in practice and provide depth on one or both lines like Manny Taylor has done in his career. Isaiah most likely will be able to contribute in the defensive tackle rotation by late in his third season with an effectiveness similar to Willington Previlon. Best case Isaiah is a difference making disruptor who can push the pocket like Sebastian Joseph.

I like the pickup because Rutgers needs to get more defensive tackles in their recruiting classes even if the player does not possess other Power Five offers yet. Finding large, not yet men who have the quickness to carry even more weight is tough enough, nevermind get a pass rush on top of it so team often have to settle by beefing up defensive ends. Wright has this upside and the frame to develop into a star. Rutgers got a boost from the addition of Corey Bolds, Nick Bags, and Ron Johnson in the last few weeks.

Wright is the second defensive tackle in this class, joining Nick Bags. The five total verbal commits thus far each have a 3-star rating in the latest 247 composite rankings. With two quarterbacks and two defensive tackles, it’s obvious the coaching staff knows that to get better they need to upgrade the passing game and at interior defensive line.

Check out some highlights from his sophomore year:

Welcome to the banks Isaiah!