The Monday Morning Kickoff
It was a busy weekend in the Rutgers sports world and The Monday Morning Kickoff returns to get you caught up on all the latest news.
A view from the Gridiron (Rutgers Football)
Rutgers made it three for Sunday with a trio of weekend visitors committing to the class of 2017. The first came when grad transfer punter Ryan Anderson of Olivet College announced that he had accepted a scholarship offer to play for the Scarlet Knights.
“As far as I was concerned, I was probably ready to commit within an hour and a half of being on campus,” Anderson said. “They talked to me yesterday and kind of let me know it was happening. Then, this morning, I met with Coach Ash and made everything official."
The next commitment came when Wayne Hills wide receiver Hunter Hayek joined his brother Tyler in RU's class of 2017. The offer was relatively knew and Hayek wasted no time joining Rutgers.
“Last Sunday my family and I had a home visit with me and my brother. Coach [Bill] Busch and Coach [Jerry] Kill came over,” Hayek said. “They were talking to me and they informed me that they had some good news for me. They said we have a scholarship that opened up and they wanted to offer me.
“They went on to persuade me a little bit, but they didn’t really need to as I was already interested in Rutgers. I committed on the spot, but they told me I needed to get accepted first. Today, I got the news from one of the academic advisors that I was accepted and I tweeted it out.”
The third commitment of the day came when Alabama safety Syhiem Simmons, originally from Jersey City, also committed to the Scarlet Knights.
"The school I chose was Rutgers for the simple fact that home is where the heart is," Simmons told Scarlet Nation. "The football team at Rutgers made me feel as if I was a part of a family. As a player, I want that connection with my team because, over time, the connection of how we are as one will be the progression we need."
Earlier in the week, Memphis defensive end Tijaun Mason, Wayne Hills (N.J.) H-back Brendan DeVera and Missouri tight end Travis Vokolek also committed to Rutgers.
Sunday also marked Junior Day at Rutgers as prospects from the class of 2018 filled the campus.
"Today was a great day at Rutgers. They showed love to all the juniors,” said junior Isaih Pacheco of Vineland, who already holds a Rutgers offer. “They are changing the program to be successful and not only that, they let the guys try on the jerseys and it felt good to be in a No.1 jersey. It was a good vibe I had in Janarion Grant jersey who most likely going to be in the league one day. The coaches let us talk to a couple seniors, we got to ask questions about the school."
For complete Junior Day Reaction from more than 30 attendees, go inside Scarlet Nation’s The Round Table.
The take from center court (Rutgers Basketball)
The Scarlet Knights fell just shy of taking down No.15 Wisconsin on Saturday inside Madison Square Garden. It took an overtime period for the Badgers to come away with a 61-54 win over the Scarlet Knights.
“You have to make some free throws,” head coach Steve Pikiell said post game. “That’s important. We missed a couple of free-throw block outs late that were critical in the game…Just some missed opportunities that we have to capitalize on. We have to know how to win against really good teams. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
The loss dropped Rutgers to 12-9 on the season and next up is a Tuesday night contest against Iowa set to tip-off at 7 p.m. inside The RAC.
On the mat (Rutgers Wrestling)
Rutgers entered last week ranked No.11 and split a pair of road duals over the weekend. The weekend started off with a Friday night 19-13 loss to No.15 Michigan. Rutgers then bounced back to down Michigan State 24-12 on Sunday.
“It was a long road trip, but we battled hard and guys did what they had to do,” head coach Scott Goodale said yesterday. “It’s good to finish up with a win on the road otherwise it makes for a long trip back. Good for us, now let’s get ready for Indiana.”
That Indiana matchup will take place this Sunday inside The RAC with a noon start time. Rutgers now holds a 10-3 record on the year with three duals left to go.