2008 Jersey DT is getting noticed

Nottingham, N.J. is home to one of the top defensive tackles in the country in 2007, Rutgers commit Wayne Thomas. Assistant coach C.J. McKenna believes he has an even better prospect next year in 6-foot-4, 275-pound Richard Cunningham.

"This kid is awesome and he's only a sophomore," McKenna said. "Where he is at developing now, he is 10 times better than Wayne was. He is an incredible prospect that is stronger than a house and benches 225-pounds for 18 times and squats over 600-pounds. He also runs a 4.9-second 40-yard dash.

"As a player, he is one of the most explosive kids I've seen and is real thick. He often times gets overshadowed by Wayne, but they both make each other better because they battle all the time."

Cunningham isn't just a great prospect. He is an extremely good person according to McKenna.

"He's the most humble kid I've met in my life," he said. "He's actually really shy which isn't what you'd expect from such a big guy. Once he gets on the field though, he is aggressive."

Lots of schools have already begun to take notice of the young tackle prospect.

"Pretty much every school that was in on Wayne is taking a look at Richard," he said. "He's starting to see stuff from Iowa, Minnesota, Rutgers, Temple, Syracuse, Boston College and more. I know Richard and Wayne are very close and now that Wayne committed to Rutgers this year, Richard will probably follow next year."

Last season Cunningham registered 58 tackles and 16 for loss as a sophomore.