2022 Early Signing Period: Samuel Brown Signs With Rutgers Football

Samuel Brown had been committed since March 31st so it was merely a formality for him to make it official Wednesday. Signing the 4-star prospect from Philadelphia is a much needed addition to the 2022 recruiting class for Greg Schiano and the coaching staff.

247 Sports Composite Ranking: 4-star; 11th in PA; 32nd RB & 370th nationally

High School Position: RB (6’1”, 195 lbs.)

Projected college position: Running Back

High School: LaSalle College High School

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Most notable other offers: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Baylor

When you are a running back and Wisconsin offers you, that is about as good an indication as any that you are wanted at the college level. Samuel is the second highest rated running back in the state of Pennsylvania and is considered a four star prospect by virtually every one who ranks players. Brown shows good commitment to the initial play call, but has the acceleration to bounce outside with good instincts and timing if required. He has an incredibly smooth stride and simply gallops away from downfield tackling attempts which was broken down in the tweet below:

Samuel shows a pretty good stiff arm that he also uses to maintain balance at the point of contact. He’s the highest rated running back commit since Savon Huggins, but appears to be an even better receiver which should allow him to be a better college player than Savon. It’s difficult to say if Brown can just run people over to get those small gains needed to move the chains as his style is more elusive than pure power, able to avoid square contact most of the time. There’s a chance he ends up more effective as a receiver with his route running already than a between the tackles runner. That’s also where he could see time as a freshman if he needs to improve his pass protection as virtually all freshmen running backs need to do.

As a running back, Brown joins a room that lost its leading rusher of the past three seasons (Isaih Pacheco to the NFL) so carries will be available for the taking. This is a position where true freshmen are most able to contribute on game day, so it will be a battle all spring, summer, and after the season commences. Rutgers has some niche players at the moment in Kyle Monangai, Aaron Young, and Jamier Wright-Collins, but anyone including a freshman could emerge as a true bell cow and get a stranglehold on the job behind an offensive line that can open holes in the run game when defenses have to respect the pass.

Floor: Trey Sneed

Most likely: Robert Martin

Potential: Terrell Willis

Check out his highlights below:

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