Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Twenty-five sign letter of intent to Rutgers

Rutgers R.small
Rutgers announced the results of its 2006 football recruiting. I said earlier that they would have to do something to shore up the Scarlet Knights’ defense as well as their receiver corps. It would appear that Coach Greg Shiano has done just that.
Included in the group are six linebackers, four defensive linemen, a cornerback and a safety on defense. Offensively, the class includes a trio of wide receivers, two quarterbacks, tight ends, fullbacks and offensive linemen each, along with a running back. Rounding out the class is an athlete who is projected to play either offense or defense.
Coach has brought in nine players from New Jersey, eight from Florida, four from New York, three from Pennsylvania and one from Massachusetts. From those numbers, it would appear that Schiano and Rutgers’ bowl appearance have improved RU’s reputation with the locals. (The Floridians can be explained by Schiano’s previous incarnation as an assistant for the Miami Hurricanes.)

I've always believed that if RU could get some of the local stars to stay home--and import a few as well--the Scarlet Knights could compete with anyone in the country. Look at the rosters of some of the teams on national TV every Saturday and you'll find New Jersey guys starting for nearly all of them. With the excellent facilities now on the Rutgers campus and its reputation for academics, RU can already compete off the field. The other draw for recruits is the placement of players in the NFL, and there are more and more of those from RU every year. (It didn't hurt to have a Knights combo playing catch for the Eagles after McNabb went down. McMahon and Smith.)

You can read about the 25-member class here.

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