The Monday Morning Kickoff
There is a lot to get caught up on in the world of Rutgers athletics and The Monday Morning Kickoff has the very latest rundown of news in the scarlet nation.
A view from the gridiron (Rutgers football)
It was a busy weekend in Piscataway as it marked the final official visit weekend before signing day which falls on Wednesday of this week. The weekend started off strong with a Saturday commitment from Michigan graduate transfer Ross Taylor-Douglas, who still has two years of eligibility remaining.
Taylor-Douglas was not the only graduate transfer visiting this weekend as Boston College defensive end Malachi Moore was also on campus.
“What I took away from that is Coach Ash is a very conscious man in terms of what he wants to do with the team,” Moore told Scarlet Nation. "He realizes the program has to change and he has placed very good coaches and very good behind-the-scenes people around him. What I got from him is that he saw that I can help him turn the program around with the help of some of the older guys."
Rutgers received two local offensive lineman commits on Sunday as Pope John’s Sam Howson and Immaculata’s Mike Lonsdorf both offered up their verbal pledges.
"At the end of the day, that is home. It's where I grew up. And it allows me to still be around a lot of family and friends,” the 6-foot-7 Lonsdorf said of his decision.
Sunday also marked the affirmation of Wise cornerback Damon Hayes’ commitment following his weekend visit to Rutgers.
“Everyone I talked to loved what the new coaches were doing, loved it; everything from moving into the new dorms, changing the weight room, changing the defense, we are going to press more," Hayes said. "Everybody I talked to said the same thing. They loved the workouts too. Strength coach Kenny Parker gets them tired after every workout."
A new offer also went out last night to another local O-lineman as Montclair junior Owen Drexel picked up his first offer.
“I met Chris Ash last Wednesday, he stopped by the school and we talked a little bit,” Drexel told Scarlet Nation after receiving the offer. “Apparently, the coaching staff had a lot of interest me. They called my coach and told me they offered.”
Rutgers notched a total of six commits last week that also included St. Peter's Prep athlete K.J. Gray, Spring Hill (Tenn.) quarterback Tylin Oden and Timber Creek linebacker Tyreek Williams.
Stay logged onto Scarlet Nation's The Round Table for all the latest recruiting news as it unfolds.
On the Mat (Rutgers wrestling)
The No.12-ranked RU grapplers moved to 13-3 on the season yesterday with a decisive 28-6 win over Princeton on the road.
“They’ve got some really, really talented kids. Let me tell you, this one kept me up at night, no doubt about it,” head coach Scott Goodale said after the win. “I thought they matched up really well with us and we needed to beat some nationally ranked guys to get this done at 28-6.”
Among the highlights was a pin by Anthony Giraldo and 10-2 major decision by Anthony Ashnault, who moved to 20-2 on the year.
Next up for Rutgers is a Big Ten showdown against Wisconsin on Friday night followed by a dual against No.8 Michigan on Sunday inside The RAC with a start time of 1 p.m.
The take from center court (Rutgers basketball)
An undermanned Rutgers hoops squad took the court out at Michigan State yesterday and fell by a final count of 96-62 to fall to 6-16 for the season.
“Our kids battled. I saw a lot of boxouts from our guys,” head coach Eddie Jordan said afterward. “You know, 6-foot-9 guys who are 30-40 pounds heavier than our guys, they are going to rebound over our boxout. I am proud of our guys’ efforts. I thought we could have stayed organized a little bit more offensively.”
Next up for Rutgers is a Wednesday night home contest against Illinois with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m.