Rutgers football has struggled a bit over the past few years in the second go-around of Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights are hoping to get things turned back in the right direction under Schiano.
How does that happen? Well, it needs to start with recruiting.
On Thursday, Schiano landed his first four-star of the 2024 class and 20th overall pledge in the form of tight end Korey Duff Jr. He chose the Scarlet Knights over North Carolina.
The four-star tight end visited Rutgers on June 2 to kick off official visit season and then took a trip to North Carolina the following weekend. Those were the only two official visits on his schedule and obviously they became his top two.
And he announced his commitment to one of them on Thursday, improving the Scarlet Knights’ 2024 class which was ranked No. 29 heading into the day.
This was a big recruiting win for Schiano over Mack Brown.
Rutgers football still looking to prove doubters wrong
Getting a recruiting win for the No. 341 overall recruit and 17th-best tight end in the class over a rising program like North Carolina is a good start for Schiano in his quest to prove doubters wrong.
The Scarlet Knights are pushing for a top 25 class and while it’s within reach, Schiano just needs a bowl berth this year to get the program trending in the right direction. That’s possible, but he’ll need to add more than just one four-star to the class.
Are there six wins on the schedule this year for the Scarlet Knights? I think they can start the season 4-1 and steal a couple of wins in the final seven. If that happens, look for the Scarlet Knights’ recruiting to see another uptick in the fall and winter.