The Monday Morning Kickoff
This weekend marked a turning point in the Chris Ash era as Rutgers earned one of its biggest commitments in recent years. Cedar Creek junior wide receiver Bo Melton offered up his verbal pledge to become a Scarlet Knight on Friday night.
“Going up to Rutgers and being there with the whole staff, they showed me a lot of love and I love them,” Melton said. “They showed me how I could be effective in their offense. The coaching staff showed me a lot of how they would run things at Rutgers with me there in the weight room and after football. Everything at Rutgers I loved. I love the campus and the environment.”
There already started to be a ripple effect as Rutgers suddenly became the leader for a host of in-state prospects, among them Melton’s teammate Owen Bowles.
“Bo is my boy and playing with him at the next level would be dream," said Bowles, who plays defensive tackle. "I already thought very highly of Rutgers, so that is an added bonus to it all.”
Meanwhile, Rutgers also still leads for St. Peter’s Prep quarterback Johnathan Lewis, who mentioned that he talked to Melton the day of his commitment.
"I spoke with him [Friday] and Rutgers is still top for me along with Iowa,” said Lewis.
This coming weekend will be another big recruiting day for Rutgers as Melton will be one of the many top prospects in attendance, along with high-profile recruits, such as St. John Vianney offensive lineman Micah Clark who declared that RU was his leader last week.
This this past weekend, more recruits were on hand to catch the team in action.
“It went great. I got to watch some film and the team practice,” said Union High junior defensive end Mike Tverdov, who is No.7-ranked prospect in the New Jersey class of 2017, according to NJVarsity.com. “I also had a small tour. I ate lunch and just went to a lot meetings. I really got a chance to see everyone coach and I also came on a great day with high energy and a great atmosphere. I had some good one-on-one time with a lot of the coaches and Darius Hamilton.”
On the field, junior quarterback Chris Laviano took all the first-team reps while Hayden Rettig and Gio Rescigno split second-team duties. Ash called the quarterback race even last Thursday, but Saturday’s practice indicated otherwise.
On Saturday, freshman running back Trey Sneed continued his impressive spring as he is making a real case for playing time this coming season.
“It’s been a great experience, being able to come in and get my body right and learn from the vets, the guys who have already been here,” Sneed told Scarlet Nation on Saturday. “I see what they do and try to emulate it to the best of my ability. It’s paid off. I came in and I was a little shaky at first. I had to adjust to the speed of the game but the more reps I get, the easier it seems to get.”
Rutgers will practice three times this week on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday before wrapping up spring practice with the annual Scarlet-White game on Saturday night.
As always, stay logged onto Scarlet Nation for more team news and recruiting updates as they unfold.