NJ stars come out for Rutgers Junior Day

Saturday was a day the local stars came out and visited Piscataway for Rutgers’ first Junior Day under head coach Chris Ash. With approximately 200 visitors on campus, the best of New Jersey’s best caught a glimpse of the new Rutgers football program.

“It was great. I loved the new atmosphere [Rutgers] has now and how the coaches are for their players and trying to get the best out of them,” said St. John Vianney offensive lineman Micah Clark. “I love the new coaching staff.”

Clark, who is Rivals.com’s 168th-ranked junior prospect in the nation, also told Scarlet Nation that Rutgers is on his top list of schools after yesterday’s visit.

It seems as though the coaching staff’s impact was a recurring theme as Rivals100 defensive tackle Fred Hansard of The Hun School shared a similar sentiment.

"The coaching staff was what really stood out to me. They are really on to something,” Hansard said. “I talked to my position Coach [Shane Burnham] and Coach Ash a lot. They made it extremely clear that they wanted me, and I would be a huge addition to the program."

Meanwhile, athlete Bo Melton of Cedar Creek, arguably the state's top junior prospect, led what was a strong South Jersey contingent.

“Rutgers was great, I love Coach Ash,” Melton said. “He honestly shows me how I can make an impact in New Jersey as well as [teammate] Owen Bowles and other New Jersey players. They like me as an all-around athlete.”

Defensive end Mike Tverdov of Union High School is likely to see his recruitment explode this spring and while has been to RU many times in the past, he noticed some differences while on campus.

“The plan they have set out, it is just a first-class experience,” Tverdov said of Rutgers. “It is just off the charts. I was very impressed with it. And the weight room was one of my favorite things. They said they are going to redo it, so I can only imagine what it will look like when it’s done.”

The state’s No.9 junior prospect, Mater Dei wide receiver Eddie Lewis, received a Rutgers offer while on campus and came away with a very high opinion of his state university.

“We could be that class to make history and turn this program around," Lewis said. "I started think to myself ‘wow, I am one of the top prospects and if I make this move, I could get other people to make this move and we could really do something.’”