Rutgers Passing Camp: Recruiting notes
PISCATAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Over 100 teams made the trip to Rutgers
for the Scarlet Knights' annual 7-on-7 Passing Camp. Players learned a lot about
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technique and competition. The Next Level Greats team based out of southern New
Jersey claimed the championship but there were a ton of prospects in every game.
Here is the biggest recruiting news from the day.
Michigan in the Garden State
Ahmir Mitchell
Rivals100 wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell has been busy lately. Over the
last week he visited Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan, his top three. The
Egg Harbor City (N.J.) Cedar Creek star's next visits will be to Ole Miss,
Naseir Upshur and possibly Brad Hawkins Jr.. Mitchell is excited
to finally see Ole Miss, a school that made his top six. He is expecting to
visit Ohio State and Michigan with his mother. Those two schools are Mitchell's
leaders, and he describes his recruitment as a "two-horse race." He could
announce a commitment after those two visits but expect him to take some
official visits.
Camden, N.J. 2017 offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz visited Michigan earlier
this weekend and gave the trip rave reviews. The Wolverines are a major player
in his recruitment along with schools like North Carolina, Alabama, Auburn and
others. Ruiz expects to visit Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama with a large
contingent of players from New Jersey and Pennsylvania in mid-July. He did
mention that an offer from Florida could shake up his recruitment.
Upcoming commitments
Four-star wide receiver Brad Hawkins Jr. will announce his commitment on Friday. The
Camden, N.J. star is choosing from Michigan, South Carolina,
Hawkins has visited all of these schools multiple times and had good things to
say about each of them. His teammate, Rivals250 defensive end Ron Johnson, committed to Michigan a few days ago while on a visit to Ann
Arbor. Many think Michigan will be the school Hawkins picks but he seems to be
giving each school a fair shake.
Meanwhile,
K.J. Gray is down to Boston College and Rutgers and will announce a
decision on Sunday. He feels very close to the coaches at Rutgers and feels
confident in their ability to coach. Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep has a
lot of alumni at Boston College and Gray feels very comfortable around them.
Many schools find Gray's versatility very attractive. He could help out at wide
receiver or defensive back.
A long way from home
Abbotsford, B.C. wide receiver Chase Claypool wasn't the only Canadian
prospect at the camp on Saturday but he may have been the most impressive
looking prospect out there. His recruitment has moved along steadily, taking
visits to Rutgers and Notre Dame recently. Claypool seemed surprised by how much
he liked his visit to Rutgers. The tradition at Notre Dame really caught his
eye. Claypool also visited Michigan a few weeks ago and called it, along with
also big parts of his recruitment. Tennessee is a newer school for Claypool and
he likes how the Volunteers have done well with wide receivers. Look for
Claypool to take some official visits early in the season and announce an
official short list around the same time.
Due diligence
Jordan Fuller
Four-star athlete Jordan Fuller has been on the recruiting scene for a
long time. His brother is a major contributor on the field at UCLA and the
Bruins are a big part of Fuller's recruitment. The Old Tappan, N.J. star
recently visited Stanford and liked spending time with the coaches. Fuller
said he has been in contact with Rutgers, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre
Dame the most. He is unsure if he will take more visits before the season
starts. Expect Fuller to take official visits and commit some time in January.
Gamecocks in New Jersey?
South Carolina hasn't landed a commitment from a New Jersey prospect since
2012 (Kaiwan Lewis) but the Gamecocks appear to be in good shape with
Rivals250 wide receiver Kelvin Harmon. N.C. State and Rutgers round
out his current top three with West Virginia, Temple and North Carolina in the
mix as well. The Palmyra, N.J. star wants to visit all six schools again and is
expecting to take all five official visits before announcing a commitment. The
only school that will definitely get an official visit, he said, is South
Carolina.
Fogg on the road
Linebacker Tyshon Fogg has been blowing up this offseason and he is
making sure to visit as many schools as he can. This past week he visited
Syracuse and Connecticut. The Towson (Md.) Calvert Hall junior recently
added offers from Stanford and Michigan State. Fogg, a New Jersey native, said
Rutgers and Florida have caught his eye even though they haven't offered him
yet. Fogg would like to visit Michigan State and Stanford before the season
starts.
Young signal callers
Johnathan Lewis
Rutgers and Maryland have already offered Artur Sitkowski. The 2018
quarterback from Old Bridge, N.J. doesn't pass much in high school and earned
both offers after camping at each school. Sitkowski is planning on visiting Penn
State on July 19 and West Virignia on July 25. He grew up a fane of Penn State,
Rutgers and Michigan.
Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep quarterback Johnathan Lewis picked
up early offers from Rutgers and Boston College. The coaches at Rutgers have
made a good early impression on Lewis and the 2017 prospect knows a lot of the
players at Boston College. Kentucky and Michigan are showing early interest in
Lewis.
New Rutgers offers
In the hours after the camp was over, Rutgers offered linebacker Jamar Watson and 2017 running back Tayon Fleet-Davis. Earlier in the day,
offensive lineman Yasir Durant added an offer from the Scarlet Knights.
Look for Tyshon Fogg to get an offer from Rutgers in the near future.
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