Signed and Knighted: Raiqwon O'Neal
Rutgers continues to receive letters intent from members of the class of 2018 and here's a look at one of the latest prospects who has made his future official.
OL Raiqwon O’Neal (Conway, S.C.)
In his words: “It feels great to be officially signed with Rutgers. It is not every day that you can say that you have a full scholarship to a school and sign. It is truly a blessing that I have the opportunity to get to do that. I would like to thank all the other schools that have offered me, gotten to know me and for seeing my talents.”
Coach's Take: Conway High School OL coach Will Bratcher - “Rutgers is getting a class act, he’s a great kid and a great young man both on and off the field. This offseason he took a mission trip to Haiti with a local church down here. He’s just a great overall kid, actually a great young man now. One of his main strengths is his coachability, he’s very coachable. His athletic talent is probably the best that I’ve ever coached. It’s not many times you get a kid that size on the offensive line that just has the athletic strength that he does. He started off on tight end, then went to defense. After trying those both, we thought it was best for his college career to put him at offensive line and he’s excelled there. He’s just a freak of nature type of athlete.
“One of the things he needs to work on a little bit, is his technique. His flexibility allows him to beat a lot of people and even at the Shrine Bowl I didn’t see anyone from the North Carolina side do anything as far as outplay him or beat him. I mean he hasn’t given up a sack his whole high school career. The thing is with him, he’s only played offensive line for a season and a half. That’s one thing that he could possibly work on and I know Coach Blazek will do a fantastic job with him. When he can just devote all his time to solely offensive line, he’s going to excel through the roof. There is no doubt about it. Just needs a little technique, he’s just a little raw."
Team Take: Rutgers is in need of some true offensive tackles for the future and O’Neal looks like he could be a multi-year starter. At least one offensive tackle spot looks to be set for next season while there will be ample competition at the other. O’Neal will not have to come in and be an immediate savior at the position. However, he has all the tools to be one of Rutgers’ best lineman in recent years.
The Commitment Take: O’Neal collected 32 offers and may wind up being the most sought-after recruit in the class. He committed to Rutgers over during a local news show in August. O’Neal added some drama as he took other official visits to Maryland and Indiana, but his official visit to Rutgers helped to seal the deal.
