The Monday Morning Kickoff
Another new week begins in the Scarlet Nation and The Monday Morning Kickoff returns with a rundown of the latest news regarding Rutgers football.
Last week marked the arrival of two quarterbacks. The first arrival was not actually a physical one, although Rutgers nabbed a quarterback commit in the class of 2018 when Los Angeles native Jalen Chatman of Narbonne High School announced his plans to become a Scarlet Knight following a two-day visit.
“Visiting the campus and talking to all the coaches, it really seemed like the best decision for me,” Chatman told Scarlet Nation. “The one-on-one conversations with the offensive coaches really stood out and what they want to do with me when I get there.”
The second arrival occurred on Friday when Louisville grad transfer quarterback Kyle Bolin made his way onto the Rutgers campus.
The Kentucky native spoke with Scarlet Nation while he was in route to Rutgers on Friday.
“All the players have been very welcoming. It is pretty neat that I was only up there a few nights and I feel like I know these guys a lot longer than I do,” Bolin said. “They have all been very welcoming. I am just excited to start building a real relationship with them.”
Meanwhile, the RU coaching staff continues to stay hard at work on the recruiting circuit and that has turned out well in the recruitment of Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) class of 2018 athlete Kessawn Abraham.
“They are the frontrunner in my recruitment for sure,” Abraham said of Rutgers last week. “I think I'm the perfect fit for their defense and they think so as well. Also, Rutgers shows the most interest for sure.”
The RU staff has also targeted a prospect in the state of Alabama as an offer went out last week to lass of 2018 defensive end Ethan Edmondson of Scottsboro High School.
“I will be up there to visit during the summer sometime,” Edmondson said of Rutgers. “I hope to see lots of love from the coaches to see how bad they want me and I am also ready to see the campus and just how there football program works.”
There was even some scheduling news last week as Rutgers announced that it will start the 2019 season against UMass inside High Point Solutions Stadium on Saturday, August 31.
The last time the two schools played was in 1978 when Rutgers earned a road victory by the final score of 21-11. The series history remains locked at two games apiece.