The Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights open life as a member of the Big Ten on Saturday as it hosts Penn State. Alone that would be enough to make Saturday a significant moment in the history of Rutgers’ football, but it could be even more significance off the field and on the recruiting trail.
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On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights will host two 5-star prospects and a host of 4-star recruits for its Big Ten opener. Needless to say the results of these official visits could matter as much, if not more, than the result on the field.
It’s especially important for Rutgers considering the ability of Penn State to go in to the state of New Jersey and get major players out of that state. Keeping more of that talent home is vital to building Rutgers into a relevant Big Ten program.
Visiting Piscataway, NJ this Saturday will be 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary and 5-star running back Kareem Walker. The duo aren’t just 5-star players, they are also the top two players in the state of New Jersey.
Gary is the No. 5-ranked player in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings, the No. 1-ranked defensive tackle and the No. 1-ranked player in the state of New Jersey.
Walker is seen as the No. 6-ranked player in the country and the No. 1-ranked running back in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings. He trails just Gary in the rankings in New Jersey.
Those two are great players to be getting on campus, but they aren’t the only ones visiting. Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reports that the Scarlet Knights are also set to host six 4-star players and numerous top players from the state of New Jersey.
Hosting them and getting them to sign and fax come the first Wednesday in February of 2015 are very different things. Yet, with the biggest opponent in the state of New Jersey on the opposite sideline, a win against the Nittany Lions could be a nice point to make on the recruiting trail.
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