Rutgers Football Announces 2016 Recruiting Class

* – Indicates mid-year enrollee

httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0BT8g9L6Rc

On Feb. 3, 2016, Rutgers and head coach Chris Ash announced the newest Scarlet Knights to the football team on National Signing Day. Due to a rash of off-field issues, poor performance on the field, and coaching turnover, this is a small class due to many decommitments and some prospects deciding not to flip and stick with their original teams and prospects who were committed to RU and flipped on NSD.

DoubleGSports couldn’t make it to the signing day press conference at the Hale Center, but nonetheless, here is the 2016 Rutgers football recruiting class. Feel free to examine the chart above and be sure to click on each name and watch their highlight film.

National Rank: 74

Big Ten Rank: 13/14

Early Enrollees:

Jonathan Pollock (LB) – Pollock is a solid 3* linebacker from Florida who has had nothing but good things to say about Rutgers and was a main recruiter trying to get guys to follow him to Piscataway. With all three starting linebackers all gone from a year ago, all three spots are open and depth is needed so Pollock, as well as two other early enrollees are critical in providing depth at the position. Easily one of the leaders of the class.

Solomon Manning (LB) – The Colonia, N.J. native stuck with Rutgers despite all the issues and like Pollock, will provide depth at the linebacker position. Manning will likely play outside at Rutgers.

Elorm Lumor (LB) – Lumor originally committed to Temple after graduating from Piscataway High School in 2015, but spent the fall semester at Milford Academy in New York. He was all set to enroll for this current semester in Philadelphia but Ash offered Lumor in mid-January and he flipped. He now gets to play five minutes away from his hometown high school. Lumor shows explosion and has length that will provide depth at linebacker, defensive end, or possible safety (Kemoko?).

Trey Sneed (RB) – Running back may be the deepest and most talented position on the team. And now Sneed just makes it better. The 3* back is perfect for the spread attack Rutgers will implement as he has experience in that system from high school. The coaches said Sneed has great vision.

Other Signees:

Tylin Oden (QB) – With Rutgers and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer bringing a power-spread look to the offense, it didn’t fit previous quarterback commit Anthony Russo’s skill set. The staff extended offers to a couple dual-threat signal callers and after the staff visited with the Tennessee native, the three-star prospect Oden jumped on board just before his official visit which he took on Jan. 29. Oden has the height (6-foot-5) but needs to put on weight and will most likely redshirt. Rutgers will go into the season with Chris Laviano, Hayden Rettig, Gio Rescigno, and Mike Dare as the other options.

Nick Krimin, Mike Lonsdorf, Sam Howsen, Michael Maietti (Offensive Line) – Krimin has the look already of a B1G lineman coming from St. Joes (Metuchen). Lonsdorf and Howson just recently earned offers and committed just a few days before signing day. Rutgers lost offensive linemen Elijah Johnson and Justin Morgan to Boston College and Pitt respectively so Ash needed to scramble to find big bodies. Lonsdorf previously pledged to UConn. Maietti came on board a day before signing day by way of Don Bosco Prep. He was a First-Team All-Metro by MSG Varsity.

Mo Jabbie, Dacoven Bailey, Ahmed Bah (WR) – The trio of wide receivers will look to add depth to an attack that will spread out defenders and use up the whole field, something that hasn’t really been done lately “On the Banks”. Jabbie is from South Brunswick HS and is the nephew of former Rutgers star and Cincinnati Bengal Mohamed Sanu. He’s a dependable route-runner an has great hands, much like Sanu. Ahmed Bah decommitted in December but decided to come back and sign with the Scarlet Knights. Teammate Taysir Mack looked like he was going to stay with Rutgers despite picking up offers late in the game, but flipped to Indiana on signing day. Even after a good official visit on the 29th of January, RU lost Connecticut wide receiver Isaiah Wright to Temple a day later so Rutgers swooped in grabbed Texas native Dacoven Bailey. Bailey only has two other offers from Division-II, and looks like a sleeper that can play H-Back (think Braxton Miller at OSU).

Rashawn Battle, Tyreek Williams (LB) – MORE LINEBACKERS! Battle is a stud linebacker from Pennsylvania who looks to play the Mike at Rutgers. Williams came into the fold late after receiving a RU offer and decommitting from Buffalo. Williams comes from South Jersey powerhouse Timber Creek and is fast. Both will provide more depth to the linebacker corps.

Damon Hayes, KJ Gray (DB) – Hayes is from Maryland and flirted with flipping to another school, but ultimately chose to stay put since committing back in June of 2015. Gray, an athlete that could either play WR or CB, is a flip from Boston College and comes from non-public powerhouse St. Peter’s Prep in North Jersey.

Julius Turner (DT) – Rutgers adds some much needed defensive line help in Turner, who is from Mississippi. Turner was originally committed to Louisiana Tech, but flipped to the Scarlet Knights on signing day. Turner recently came to light late in the process and visited RU on Jan. 22.

*In addition, Rutgers will bring in graduate transfers Ross Taylor-Douglass from Michigan and Malachi Moore from Boston College. Taylor-Douglass graduated form U-M in three-and-a-half-years and will have two years of eligibility left. He will play cornerback. Moore is from Sparta, N.J. and will provide help along the defensive line.

#FenceTheGarden

Ash and his staff have said their main priority is keeping New Jersey talent home at Rutgers, something former head coach Kyle Flood couldn’t do. While the class is small and doesn’t have any 4*’s thanks to a couple decommittments, Ash brought in and kept Garden State talent home.

What do you think of the class? Comment below!

For more information, check out ScarletReport.com.

@ChrisWasky

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