As if a 2-10 record in 2016 wasn’t going to be difficult enough to overcome in recruiting battles, Rutgers was slapped with a NCAA Notice of Allegations as some Christmas coal in the stocking left over from the Kyle Flood era.
Rutgers recruiting classes – 2014, for example – have crumbled over less.
And yet, subject to today’s additions and defections, Rutgers is expected to beat the odds by inking a consensus Top 45-ranked national class on National Signing Day.
“It doesn’t matter because I’m there to build a tradition,” said Micah Clark, the state’s No. 1-ranked recruit out of St. John Vianney. “I want to start something new there. I feel that family aspect. I never thought, ‘I should de-commit and go to Michigan because they are doing so well.'”
RU recruits share bond of brothers
Clark, his step-brother and fellow offensive lineman Jamaal Beaty, offensive lineman Sam Vretman, defensive lineman Brendan Bordner and Arkansas graduate transfer Damon Mitchell enrolled at Rutgers at the start of the spring semester and thus will participate in spring practice.
At least 18 more recruits are expected to round out the class as of Tuesday night, with several others making last-minute decisions involving Rutgers.
“In my mind, we stayed true because we all bonded in our time as commits here,” St. Peter’s Prep quarterback Johnathan Lewis said. “You know how coaches always say that in order to succeed you have to buy into the program? That’s what we did. We knew that it was going to be rebuilding, but we were going to be that class to help the rebuilding kickstart.”
Lewis, Clark and four-star receiver are seen as “cornerstones” by recruiting experts.
“They certainly overachieved when you look at how they did last season,” Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman said.
“With teams that are rebuilding, I look more at the pieces they are bringing in than the overall ranking of the class. Lewis is in line to play a lot early in his career, Clark has NFL-type potential with that frame and that athleticism, and Melton is simply electric with the ball in his hands and can score from anywhere on the field.”
Johnathan Lewis of St. Peter’s Prep talks Rutgers, National Signing Day
To minimize surprises and build trust, Rutgers coach Chris Ash and his assistants got in front of the public news and addressed with recruits all the changes made since Flood’s academic improprieties and alleged lax enforcement of the drug policy behind the NCAA allegations.
While Rutgers officials remain hopeful Bahsine of a probation sentence because of the pro-active approach taken to cleaning house in athletics, the full scope of sanctions likely will not be determined by the NCAA until May or June.
“That was the old coaching staff, and with the new coaching staff we knew that we had bigger things going than what happened in the past,” Beaty said. “They stayed straight up with us. You saw what they did last year — no kids got kicked off (the team). They’re changing it.”
It turned out that the biggest factor that Rutgers had to overcome was the loss of three assistant coaches. All were replaced with more experienced options but there was no making up for lost time in relationship-building.
Cornerbacks Bryce Watts (Virginia Tech) and Ihmir Marsette (Iowa) flipped commitments after assistant defensive backs coach Aaron Henry left for North Carolina State.
Halfbacks Jon Lovett (Baylor) and Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) flipped in-season. All four were in-state recruits. Defensive lineman Darius Stills was a 48-hour commitment in July.
“The biggest misconception in recruiting is that wins and losses matter, especially early in a tenure,” Scout.com national analyst Brian Dohn said.
“What matters is your relationship, and do the kids have trust and belief in the coaching staff? It was clear that most of them did, in this instance, believe in the vision that they are selling. The 2-10 record and the blowout losses did not come as a surprise to kids in recruiting. They knew this was possible.”
As for the NCAA allegations and the possible penalties almost sure to be used by rivals in negative recruiting tactics, Dohn said, “I did not hear one kid ever bring it up.”
By comparison, Rutgers suffered 14 decommitments in the class of 2014 after stumbling to a 6-7 finish. Three assistants were fired as Flood fought to keep his job and coach-player bullying allegations surfaced within the team.
What Urban Meyer told Ash about NJ
“Nowadays, it’s really easy to get into the mind of a 17- or 18-year-old,” Union defensive lineman Mike Tverdov said.
“Schools, coaches, family, friends will get in your ear and say, ‘Why are you going there? They only won two games this year. They don’t belong in the Big Ten. Blah Blah Blah.’ A lot of those kids are going to take that and believe it because everything they hear in their recruiting process. But leaders stay.”
Tverdov grew up a Rutgers fan and is following in the footsteps of his older brother Pete, who played for the Scarlet Knights from 2005-09. Along with Clark and Beaty, other family ties include Melton, whose father played for the football program in the 1990s, and twin brothers Tyler and Hunter Hayek.
“You have to see the bigger picture,” Tverdov said. “It’s not going to be like this. Things are going to change. Things are going to get better. All these kids coming in in this class are going to have a chance to play early and make an impact early. When that happens, we’re going to turn things around. And all that’s going to do is create a better environment.”
Friedman said Ash’s second-year staff has changed the recruiting perception.
“Things can only get better at Rutgers right now, and these players know that,” Friedman said. “The attitude this coaching staff brings is much different than in years past. They are much more gung-ho. They are able to relate better with some of their players and their parents.
“They’ve seen the track record at Ohio State and bringing that developmental program and trying to build this program into a program that operates the same way has really caught the eye of these players, their families and their coaches.”
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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