Why 4-star Artur Sitkowski is returning to New Jersey
For the first time since the class of 2012, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have landed one of the top recruits in the country. Late Wednesday night, Rutgers landed a commitment from the No.6 overall pro-style quarterback in Artur Sitkowski.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect originally hails from Old Bridge, NJ. He transferred down to IMG Academy for his senior year and announced via Twitter yesterday that he will be making the move back up north for college from Miami to Rutgers.
Sitkowski, Rivals.com's No.89 ranked senior prospect in the nation, mentioned why he decided to flip to Rutgers and come back to his home state.
"You know it was in my heart,” Sitkowski told Scarlet Nation. "I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Jersey is my home state and I believe what coach [Chris] Ash and [Jerry] Kill are doing over there. As far as changing the program, keeping all those guys in state, and changing the culture. They never stopped recruiting and I had the opportunity to come back home and it meant a lot to me.”
Sitkowski originally was enrolled at Old Bridge High School, where he played his first couple of years of football until transferring to IMG.
Sitkowski broke down why he transferred in the first place.
“I went to IMG because this place really develops you for the college life and atmosphere,” said Sitkowski. "I wanted to become a better quarterback while also being ready for college. I’m getting up at 6am every single morning, going to class, going to practice, going to meetings, going to treatment, going to lifts, and just doing it over and over again. It was the first chance being away from my family and basically being by myself for the first time in my life and growing up."
Sitkowski went on to discuss the major differences between a public high school like Old Bridge and IMG Academy
“There is a lot of differences between Old Bridge and IMG,” Sitkowski said. "At Old Bridge, it’s a normal high school just like you see in the movies. You got your friends and just normal high schools. Going to class everyday with your boys and it’s more laid back and chill. At IMG, it’s nothing like high school - it's like college. Football is intense, and it’s intense at Old Bridge too, but it’s a different level as far as competitive and all these great athletes. Going to class at IMG, classes are an hour and half long, they are tough classes. School is hard here, and you have study hall. It’s not like a normal high school; you aren’t like a big man on campus, down here it is legit.”
Sitkowski is focusing on finishing his high school career before thinking about any official visit. However, he did inform us he will only be taking one official visit and that would be to Rutgers.