Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Rutgers Recruiting: Scarlet Knights land commitment from 3-star DB Patrice Rene

By Michael Briggs

facebooktwitterreddit

Rutgers landed a talented playmaker Saturday when four-star defensive back Patrice Rene offered up his verbal commitment to the Scarlet Knights coaching staff.

Patrice Rene (Alexandria, Va. Episcopal), a big, physical defensive back, has announced he will continue his football career at Rutgers, choosing the Scarlet Knights over finalist Ohio State.

More from College Football Recruiting

Rene, who is originally from Canada, is a three-star recruit and the No. 31 cornerback in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He also reported offers from Duke, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Rene has the size to play either cornerback or safety at the next level, but the Rutgers staff plans to start him off at corner. He is talented enough to earn early playing time in Rutgers’ defensive backfield and shows the necessary physicality to jam Big Ten receivers at the line of scrimmage.

According to NJ.com’s Todderick Hunt, Rene expressed a desire to commit to the Scarlet Knights back in July, but held off because he wanted to attend Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights camp. While there were questions whether OSU would accept his commitment, as the Buckeyes weren’t planning on taking another defensive back in their 2016 class, Rene was reportedly assured that they would take him after his strong performance at the event.

However, the prospect of joining a rising Big Ten program where’s he more likely to see the field early was too hard to pass up. Rutgers, which was the third program to offer Rene a scholarship, also built an early relationship the young Canadian, which paid off in the long run. The fact that he has family in the area certainly didn’t hurt the Scarlet Knights’ chances, either.

With his verbal commitment, Rene becomes the Scarlet Knights’ top-rated recruit in their 19-member 2016 class, which is now ranked 42nd nationally and 11th in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.

Next: 10 Greatest Players in Rutgers History

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/College Football Recruiting