Tijaun Mason commits to Rutgers, talks decision

Tennessee native Tijaun Mason of Trezevant High School in Memphis has decided to become a Scarlet Knight following an official visit weekend. The three-star defensive end just committed and told Scarlet Nation why Rutgers was his choice.

"I'm committing to Rutgers because they believe in me. I have a great understanding with the coaches, every coach in the office is excited to talk to me and I'm just amazed with the love they are showing me right now. It's really all unreal right now. I'm a knight."

Playing in the Big Ten also influenced Mason's decision.

"Rutgers is my first choice because I would love to compete for the Big Ten championship and possibly a national title," the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Mason said.

Mason chose RU over other finalist Toledo and was also a former Purdue commit before deciding to reopen his recruitment.

The RU coaching staff also made Mason's recruitment a group effort, which went a long way towards securing a commitment.

"The school seems like a ton of fun and they have a lot of amazing people there," Mason said. "My favorite coach is Shane Burnham. I have developed a nice relationship with Burnham and [Head Coach Chris] Ash. They keep it real with me. Coach Burnham's message is basically about competition with my future brothers."

While on campus this past weekend, Mason also did some recruiting of his own.

"I was also working on recruiting some others to join me. This one kid was committed to TCU [Geogre Ellis] and I told him I wasn't going to keep pressuring him but I just told him to think about it. I was also working on some of the other defensive lineman as well."

Here is a look at Mason's latest highlight reel.