K.J. Gray discusses Rutgers commitment

Rutgers has notched another commitment from the state of New Jersey as St. Peter’s Prep athlete K.J. Gray has opted to spend his future as a Scarlet Knight. Gray spoke with Scarlet Nation about his commitment before making it public tonight.

"It feels great. I'm just ready to take over, put New Jersey and Rutgers back on the map, and help [head] coach [Chris] Ash restore the program.”

Gray was a former Boston College commit, but opted to re-open his recruitment in December.

Coincidentally, that was right around the time that Ash was hired at Rutgers.

That truly made a difference to Gray and greatly influenced his decision to become a Scarlet Knight.

"Since the hire of Coach Ash, the staff has been consistent in contacting me and making me feel like a priority,” said Gray, who is being recruited to play defensive back. “Coach Ash displayed an optimistic demeanor and is determined to spark a change at Rutgers. The cornerback coach [Aaron] Henry connected with me instantly when I arrived for my official [visit]. Finally, I want my family to be able to come to my games and represent my home state. "

Gray is among the first commits to Rutgers during the Ash era and actually counts the most offers of any of the first few commits.

He is also teammates with a pair of standouts in the class of 2017 in Ben Petrula and Jonathan Lewis. However, he admitted he will not have to do too much recruiting of his own in an effort to sway them to Rutgers.

"I will let them feel the vibe of Ash for themselves. He's just that good of a coach.”