Ranking the Contenders: Geno VanDeMark
Not getting spring visits really hurt the recruitment of Geno VanDeMark. The offensive lineman out of Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s Regional has visited Rutgers, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Penn State in the past and was looking forward to expanding his horizons this offseason. VanDeMark had almost 10 visits planned to programs like Alabama, Ole Miss and Virginia but they have all been postponed.
While a commitment is pretty far off, we take a look at VanDeMark’s top contenders.
1. RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights are a no-brainer for the top spot here. VanDeMark has visited the nearby campus a number of times and he has plenty of strong relationships there. Probably the biggest thing head coach Greg Schiano has going for him here is that he hired VanDeMark’s former head coach, Augie Hoffmann as an assistant coach. If VanDeMark were to make a quick decision, which seems unlikely, Rutgers would probably be the beneficiary.
2. MICHIGAN STATE
VanDeMark’s interest in Michigan State goes beyond just playing in the Big Ten for a traditional power. He has a very good relationship with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. He is very familiar with VanDeMark’s school because he recruited offensive lineman Tommy Hatton from there while coaching at North Carolina. The Spartans were one program that VanDeMark had planned on visiting this spring, but they will get it rescheduled for the fall.
3. NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers have offered a lot of players on the East Coast, but their message and opportunity they present seems to have caught on with VanDeMark. One of his trips this spring was going to be to Nebraska but Scott Frost and his staff are working to reschedule that trip with him for later this year. Husker fans should hold out hope that VanDeMark doesn’t announce a commitment soon and prioritizes a fall visit to campus.
4. ARIZONA STATE
The Sun Devils don’t have a ton of success recruiting the Northeast, but they have VanDeMark’s attention. That coaching staff has done a great job staying in touch with him and creating a strong bond. The experience the Arizona State coaching staff has is very intriguing to VanDeMark. He was planning on visiting their campus this spring but the recruiting dead period forced him to try to reschedule that trip.
5. TENNESSEE
VanDeMark has been in touch with the Tennessee coaching staff for a long time. He is very familiar with the Vols coaches but a visit to campus this spring was going to help get more comfortable with all the people around the campus. Ole Miss and Virginia could have been listed in this position as well but there is a lot of room for movement among this group since VanDeMark should be taking a lot of visits once the dead period ends.