The Monday Morning Kickoff (2024)

It was a big commitment week for Rutgers football as the staff pulled in six more prospects in the class of 2025. On Monday, Joshua Blackston of Dunbar High (Baltimore, Md.) announced his commitment although he informed the staff on the preceding day. That was followed by a big Tuesday when offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews of Toms River (N.J.) chose Rutgers over offers from 29 other schools, including finalists Miami, Georgia and Tennessee.

"[Rutgers was] the first school that recruited me," Matthews told Scarlet Nation of his commitment. "The way that [special assistant to the head coach Joe] Susan, [head coach Greg] Schiano and [offensive line coach Pat] Flaherty and [strength and conditioning coach] Jay Butler have built an amazing and elite program as of right now with a top recruiting class in the country [stands out]. That's such a diverse program - I think that's something that's going to definitely help them along the way."

The day wasn't done yet with another commitment following shortly thereafter. Four-star wide receiver Michael Thomas III of Donovan Catholic (Toms River, N.J.) gave Rutgers a fourth four-star in the class of 2025. Donovan Catholic head coach Dan Curcione spoke with Scarlet Nation about what Rutgers is getting in Thomas, who is the highest-ranked recruit in the class at No.170 in the nation.

"Skill-wise, I would say his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands [stands out the most] - he makes plays after the catch," Curcione said. "He spent most of his youth career as a running back. So, I think he has a really good ability to catch the ball, make a guy miss and create chunk plays for an offense."

Rutgers landed its top running back target on Saturday as John Forster of St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) ended his recruitment, choosing the Scarlet Knights over other finalist Illinois. Forster was a longtime target of Rutgers and has a player rating of 89, just shy of four-star status. He spoke with 247Sports about his commitment.

"I really like the staff and (running backs) coach (Damiere) Shaw," Forster said. "He's a great teacher. It definitely would be easy to learn from him, learn some new things in the offense as well. I love how they use their running backs in the passing game, too."

The weekend brought forth another contingent of official visitors, two of whom wound up committing on Sunday. Both play the cornerback position and both are relatively new targets. Kaylib Singleton of Fleming Island (Orange Park, Fla.) and Jakarrion Kenan of Marlboro County

(Bennettsville, S.C.) each committed on Sunday bringing the total of Rutgers commits in the class of 2025 to 26.

There could be more commitments on the way with another successful official visit weekend. Edge rusher Canaan Edwards of Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.) told Scarlet Nation that his Rutgers visit was "fantastic."

After Sunday's commitments, Rutgers has the No.9-ranked class of 2025.

Rutgers is also continuing to recruit the class of 2026 and that meant a recent offer going out to offensive lineman Kai Pritchard who is a teammate of Michael Thomas at Donovan Catholic. His Rutgers commitment has caught the attention of Pritchard.

"[Thomas] has always had my back in this recruiting process and even more on the field," Pritchard said. "He is a good friend in school and I'm excited to see him ball in college."

Pritchard has already seen a busy recruitment with 12 offers coming his way. However, seeing his teammate commit could make a difference for Rutgers moving forward.

Last week was also the first time Schiano spoke publicly about Athan Kaliakmanis winning the starting quarterback job which led to Gavin Wimsatt transferring to Kentucky.

"Athan clearly won the job, so that's why we announced that when we did," Schiano said during his charity golf tournament. "But I also wanted to make sure that whoever didn't win it - in this day of modern college football with the transfer portal - had a chance if they wanted to look elsewhere," Schiano said. "I think that's the wave of the future. I think if your team knows that you're definitely there to win and make sure they get their degree, but you also want to try to help them individually in their pursuit."

Rutgers basketball saw its entire team arrive last week as team activities began on Saturday. Five-star freshman Dylan Harper made his way onto campus but will be limited for the next four to six weeks after undergoing a voluntary procedure on his knee. Head coach Steve Pikiell remains positive about Harper and told Scarlet Nation what the extensive recruiting process was like.

"We have seen him since day one really, since we could see him. I have seen the growth too. It's been so amazing. Some kids jumped in this year and tried to recruit him, I saw him four years ago. So I really know how far he's come. Awesome family and a hard-working kid. It's been an unbelievable journey and we are looking forward to add to that talent and experience and, hopefully, it is a great experience here."

Last week also meant the arrival of Ace Bailey, who is the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers history. Pikiell also talked about bringing in the No.2-ranked prospect in the nation alongside Harper, who is slotted at No.3 in the 2024 class.

"They are elite passers. When people start talking about players that are ranked that high, it is usually because you can score points. Both have the chance to be elite passers. They both led their teams to state championship games and I would not say the roster around them was exactly elite. They raised the level of their teammates and they are going to do that here."

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