Rutgers Football has added another defensive tackle recruit today, as 2026 defensive tackle Tavian Branch from Taylor, Pennsylvania has made the decision to join the CHOP26 class today.
Branch plays for Riverside High School and becomes the 23rd commitment of the Scarlet Knights' 2026 class, as they continue to be ranked within the Top 10 recruiting classes in the country per Rivals.
"After that official visit is really when I started to feel it was Rutgers,” Branch told On3. “I wanted to visit Oklahoma to make sure, and I loved it there, but Rutgers was a little different. The biggest thing about Rutgers is their consistency. They stayed consistent with me from the beginning. Rutgers made me feel wanted.”
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At 6-foot-4 and 285-pounds, Branch was being recruited by schools as both interior offensive lineman and a defensive tackle, but projects to be on the defensive side of the ball for the Scarlet Knights.
The Scarlet Knights hosted Branch as a part of their first Official Visit weekend back on May 30th and that's what really sealed the deal.
"The visit went well," Branch told TKR. "We went out to dinner, chill with coach (Greg) Schiano, hung out with the players and went to the beach. My favorite part was spending time with coach Schiano, he just kept telling me how much of a priority I am for them. Zaire (Angoy) was my player host and he was just telling me about the culture and how Rutgers develops players. He also went on to tell me about the staff's plan on how they would use me."
This past junior season, Branch finished with 65 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 40 quarterback pressures, 10.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
In the end, Branch held 24 total offers from schools all across the country, but had a final five list of schools featuring Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Rutgers.
With this addition, Branch becomes the first defensive tackle commit for the Scarlet Knights, joining Jermaine Polk from Ohio. He is also is the sixth from the state of Pennsylvania this cycle, joining quarterback Xavier Stearn, wide receiver Elias Coke, offensive tackle Tyler Duell, interior offensive lineman Logan Anthony and edge rusher Wydeek Collier.
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