3-star DL D.J. Allen commits to Rutgers

Rutgers football received the thirteenth verbal commitment for its 2022 recruiting class on Sunday when D.J. Allen announced he was joining the program following a official visit this past weekend.

The 3-star defensive end from Leo, Indiana is ranked the 15th best recruit in the Hoosier state per the 247 Sports composite rankings. The 6’7”, 225 pound prospect has a 4.0 GPA and has gained more than 30 pounds since last fall per Todderick Hunt of NJ Advance Media in this article. He also plays basketball and competes in multiple track and field events in high school in addition to football.

Allen holds almost two dozen offers, as well as from multiple Big Ten schools including Michigan and Michigan State. He had official visits scheduled for Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Iowa but ultimately chose the first power five program to offer him in Rutgers.

Defensive line coach Jim Panagos was the lead recruiter for Allen, who is an intriguing add to the position group. He is very quick for his size, has good change of direction skills and can finish off tackles. Adding strength and power to his tall frame while maintaining the speed and quickness he already possesses is key to his overall development.

The 2022 recruiting class for Rutgers is now ranked 2nd in the Big Ten and 5th nationally per the 247 Sports composite rankings. It’s still early in the cycle but remarkable just the same.

Head coach Greg Schiano and his coaching staff are doing a good job of landing talent in other Big Ten states aside from New Jersey in Illinois (Rashad Rochelle), Ohio (Kwabena Asamoah), Pennsylvania (Samuel Brown, Anthony Johnson) and now Indiana with Allen.

To view junior season highlights for Allen, click here.