Jonathan Taylor is a freshman running back who could make an immediate impact in the Big Ten. The Salem, N.J., native might even replace another New Jersey product in the starting lineup.
The problem for Rutgers, the state’s lone FBS program, is Taylor will be doing so for a conference rival. Taylor, the No. 8 player in New Jersey last year, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, chose to follow in Corey Clement’s footsteps at Wisconsin and has been a preseason star for the Badgers.
Expecting the Scarlet Knights to completely “Fence the Garden” and land all of the top in-state players would be folly, but missing out on too many Garden State prospects like Taylor in recent recruiting cycles has put the program at a serious disadvantage while trying to compete in its new Power 5 neighborhood.
Rutgers is entering its fourth year in the Big Ten. The move will undoubtedly provide the long-term financial stability the school and athletics program were desperately seeking.
Will it be a long-term benefit on the football field, or will it just help other Big Ten rivals recruit Garden State players?
“It makes those other places more attractive to players,” St. Peters Prep coach Rich Hansen said. “The families can watch them play. The Big Ten gets a lot of notoriety in New Jersey because we’re part of it now.”
Rival Big Ten coaches can offer “home” games at Rutgers, and the Big Ten Network has a much bigger presence in the area with the Scarlet Knights as members.
National programs have always converged on New Jersey, scouring for elite talent. When Greg Schiano propelled Rutgers to national prominence, the Scarlet Knights were better able to fend the nation’s blue bloods off from the state’s top players.
“Greg was the ‘Renaissance Man’ in New Jersey,” Hansen said.
From 2006-12, Rutgers signed 61 players who were ranked among New Jersey’s top 30 recruits by 247Sports. That’s nearly nine top-30 prospects per year, and included studs like Kenny Britt, Anthony Davis and Mohamed Sanu.
In the four recruiting cycles before Chris Ash became coach (2013-16), the Scarlet Knights signed 14 top-30 in-state players, or 3.5 per year.
The timing of Rutgers’ demise with Kyle Flood was terrible, and the recruiting collapse was pronounced. The Scarlet Knights have won four conference games in three Big Ten seasons.
It got ugly in Year One for Ash after electric playmaker Janarion Grant was injured in Week 4. Grant is back, and the strong recruiting class could offer more depth when the Scarlet Knights open the season Friday against No. 8 Washington at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Ash did have a strong first recruiting class, with eight top-30 New Jersey prospects, including two top-10 talents (OT Micah Clark and WR Bo Melton) who should provide immediate help.
“Those guys are working extremely hard. They’re out recruiting like crazy,” DePaul Catholic coach John McKenna said. “Once they start winning a few more games, they’ll get even more players, but it seems like they’re doing pretty well in recruiting.”
Hansen called it a “Catch-22.” Ash needs better players to create success, but Rutgers needs to win more to land better players.
The move to the Big Ten is similar. It helps Rutgers’ pitch to offer Big Ten football, but it also helps conference rivals make recruits and their families feel more comfortable about choosing an out-of-state school.
“Success is going to breed excitement, but success is only going to happen if players want to go there,” Hansen said. “Everyone has to buy in — community members, high school coaches, players.
“This is the bottom line. I’ve told every Rutgers coach I’ve dealt with this: I’ll get my guys there and make Rutgers a priority. It’s on the Rutgers people to sell the program, but in the end, it’s always going to come down to the success the team is having on the field. People want to be around a winner. They’ve got to win.”