Rutgers lands 3-star DL Rene Konga as late addition to 2020 class

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano continues to surprise on the recruiting trail and Tuesday night brought a late addition to the first class of his second tenure on the banks. 3-star defensive lineman Rene Konga, the top Canadian recruit in the 2021 class per 247 Sports, committed to the program after reclassifying to the 2020 class.

The Ottawa native joined Wesley Bailey as the second defensive lineman from Canada to sign in Schiano’s first class since returning. The 2021 class also includes Canadian offensive lineman Albert Reese. Of course, one of the best recruiting finds of Schiano’s first tenure was landing former 2-star defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman, who was from Brooklyn but played his last three seasons of high school in Ontario. He has spent the last decade playing in the NFL and CFL.

The 6’4”, 255 pound Konga held offers from Syracuse, Boise State, UConn, UMass and Toledo before commuting to Rutgers.

Schiano has pulled off a recruiting coup with the 2020 class by signing well more than the typical limit with 32 players, which includes 10 transfers. As expected, he has made adding defensive linemen a major priority since his return in December. Adding the big bodied, extremely athletic Konga so late in the process is huge in building depth at a position of need with the undermanned roster he inherited.

Here are highlights of Konga from the 2019 season.