The Monday Morning Kickoff
A view from the Gridiron (Rutgers football)
This Wednesday recruiting will be back in full swing with the end of the recent dead period. That means coaches will be able to meet with recruits face to face once again. The RU coaching staff has several visits lined up as recruiting is picking up during the Chris Ash era at Rutgers. One of those visits will be to Hannibal, Missouri to check out offensive guard Dylan Powell.
“I know [Rutgers] will be up [to visit] the first day the dead period ends,” Powell told Scarlet Nation. “I talk to Coach [A.J.] Blazek daily and Coach Ash has reached out to me also.”
Quarterback commit Anthony Russo is also expected to receive an in-home visit as the staff has made keeping him a priority in this current class. For all the latest recruiting news, stay logged onto The Round Table.
In team news, Ash continued to fill out his staff last week, bringing on Rick Mantz as director of high school relations, Nick Quartaro as director of player development and Adam Caltury as his new director of recruiting.
“I am pleased to welcome Adam to the Rutgers football staff,” Ash said of Caltury in a statement. “Adam and I were together at Ohio State for two seasons and he is a tireless worker, and someone who is very passionate about college football. He helped our staff build some of the top-rated recruiting classes in the country and his ability to relate to the players gives us a great boost in recruiting.”
Ash will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon and Scarlet Nation will meet with all the new assistant coaches afterward. Be on the lookout for full-length features on all the coaches throughout the week.
On the mat (Rutgers wrestling)
The Scarlet Knights improved to 11-2 on the season and still hold a No.8 national ranking following a 34-0 shutout win over Michigan State last Friday night inside The RAC.
"Another Big Ten win. It’s always important because it’s the next one,” head coach Scott Goodale said afterward. “It is kind of a long layoff after Midlands tournament, so we gave a bunch of guys some days off individually and maybe [we were] a little sluggish. But it’s a Big Ten win. I am not going to ever complain about one of those. They are important.”
Rutgers will head out to No.23 Minnesota this coming Saturday as it looks to improve upon its already stellar season. Later in the Big Ten season, the Scarlet Knights will also have to face a tough Wisconsin team and No.13 Michigan.
“I think we can wrestle with anybody in the conference,” Goodale said. “We feel good about the schedule that’s out in front of us, but we feel good about what we did out of conference too. We feel like we can win all of them from here on out, but at the same time we have to wrestle really, really good to do that.”
The take from center court (Rutgers basketball)
The long season continued for an undermanned Rutgers’ hoops team as the Scarlet Knights fell to Nebraska 90-56 at home on Saturday to fall to 6-11 on the year.
"It is not the numbers, it is the effort. After a while you don't play to the score or the time when you're down so much,” head coach Eddie Jordan told reporters after the loss. “You have to play with effort and discipline. There was one time when the kid drives all the way, and I told the team it was probably the worst play since I've been here as far as not giving effort or being alert, whatever the case may be. We'll snap out of it.”
Rutgers will be back at it this Wednesday with a road contest against Ohio State with tip off set for 6:30 p.m.