Hype around the Rutgers football program has not been this high since 2006.
Under head coach Greg Schiano, they are on a “scarlet hot” run recruiting for their 2025 class.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off their first winning season as part of the Big 10 since 2014. They’ve built on that momentum from the 2023 season by getting commitments from 28 3-star or higher recruits since February. Their 2025 recruiting class has soared to as high as No.5 nationally as recently as last month.
Here’s how the Rutgers 2025 recruiting class ranks nationally as of 7/9/2024:
Rivals.com – #13 Nationally, #5 in the Big 10
247sports.com – #16 Nationally, #5 in the Big 10
ESPN.com – #12 Nationally, #2 in the Big 10
This success on the recruiting trail combined with a prosperous 2023 season has Rutgers fans thrilled with what’s to come.
Promising Signs Going Forward
There are promising signs for Rutgers when digging deeper into the recruitment of those 28 players. They have received commitments from 10 recruits who are rated 4-star by at least one scouting service (ESPN, 247, Rivals).
Moreover, Rutgers has beat out many powerhouse programs when competing for these recruits. They fended off Georgia and Tennessee for Toms River North offensive tackle Jaelyne Matthews. Donovan Catholic wide receiver Michael Thomas III chose to stay home amid interest from Penn State and Michigan. Hun School linebacker Kamar Archie snubbed Michigan and Clemson in favor of playing under Schiano. Most impressively, they flipped Snyder linebacker DJ McClary from Big 10 rival Penn State.
There are also encouraging signs when recruiting within Rutger’s home state of New Jersey. For the 2025 recruiting class, Rutgers has secured commitments from 7 of the top 20 recruits from the Garden State. 10 of their 29 total commitments are from New Jersey.
Recruiting New Jersey
Greg Schiano always had a knack for convincing New Jersey’s top talent to stay home throughout his first stint as Rutgers head coach. He was renowned for developing players of any skill level into key contributors for his program. He was also able to help 15 players reach the NFL. More importantly, Schiano constantly had his finger on the pulse of New Jersey’s football landscape, building sustained relationships with many coaches and programs.
Since Greg Schiano left Rutgers after the 2011 season, fielding competitive teams had been an uphill and challenging battle. The Rutgers football brand suffered as Schiano’s successors failed to replicate what he accomplished.
Even more concerning, recruiting New Jersey had become challenging for Rutgers. It’s a state brimming with elite high school football talent. That type of elite talent attracted many out-of-state powerhouse programs to come in and poach players from Rutgers.
Now in his second stint, Schiano has restored that reputation to keep players home to compete with fellow Big 10 programs.
Rutgers 2024 Season Outlook
Rutgers has a very favorable schedule going into the 2024 season. They will avoid matchups with Big 10 powerhouses Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. Most of Rutgers’ tougher matchups will be against rebuilding teams joining from the Pac-12, namely USC, UCLA, and Washington.
The consensus is that Rutgers should cruise comfortably to a winning season and bowl eligibility in 2024. Some are even picking Rutgers to win 8 games or more, which would be their most since 2014.
This 2024 Rutgers team is a battle-tested, experienced group. They return multiple key contributors on offense and defense, like star running back Kyle Monangai and star linebacker Mohamed Toure.
However, replacing many key contributors is a concern when looking beyond the 2024 season. This historic haul of talent that Greg Schiano is bringing in for 2025 aims to do just that.
The Bigger Picture
Back-to-back winning seasons in the Big 10 would be a groundbreaking accomplishment for this Rutgers football program. It would solidify Schiano’s program as one to be reckoned with in the Big 10 going forward. Successes they’ve had recently in recruiting certainly bolster their reputation as well.
With more than half a year left before 2025 signing day, any other additions to this stellar recruiting class would be cherries on top. And a historic 2024 season would have the Scarlet Knights faithful ecstatic at their future prospects.
