Jamil Pollard Transfers From Penn State to Rutgers

Defensive Tackle Jamil Pollard is transferring from Penn State to Rutgers, according to his high school coach, due to the NCAA sanctions handed down to Penn State. Pollard, who is from West Depford, NJ, was part of the Nittany Lions' 2012 recruiting class, and he will be able to transfer with out any restrictions as part of the NCAA penalties. Pollard was considered a 4 star recruit by all of the recruiting services, but he was a qualifier risk and that scared some schools, including Rutgers, away from recruiting him. He was able to pick up his grades as a senior in high school and did in fact qualify.

Pollard is a really big kid with great strength. He plays with tremendous leverage and is able to hold double teams and move the line of scrimmage backwards. He moves pretty well for his size and is able to change directions very quickly. He bends his knees and is a good tackler, but there are some technique things (like using his hands better) that he will need to work on. He will likely end up on the defensive side of the ball and he fits the classic profile of a nose tackle, but the could play offense as well.

Pollard was a big time talent, so this is a fantastic pick up. He had offers from factory schools like Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, etc, before the academic issues came to light. Rutgers has had some small defensive tackles in the past, but they have brought in some really big guys the last 3 recruiting classes. Rutgers is loaded with freshman and sophomore DTs, so this will give them more talent and depth at a position with a fairly high attrition rate.He should be able to join the Knights for the start of training camp next week.

I think Rutgers may try to take a couple more players from Penn State, but according to my unofficial count, Pollard brings Rutgers to 84 players on scholarship, leaving them only 1 available.

Here's some video of Pollard:

Taylor Marini Commits to Rutgers

Tight End Taylor Marini of Lake Mary High School (Lake Mary, Florida) became the tenth member of Rutgers' 2013 recruiting class, earlier this week. Marini made an unofficial visit to Rutgers last week, and he offered his commitment to the Knights on Wednesday, after completing a tour of eight colleges. He had 2 receptions for 44 yards and a TD for the Rams last season.

Measurables: 6'4'' 230 lbs 4.82 40 yd dash

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 star Tight End	2 stars, #55 TE	3 stars,  #32 TE, #177 in FL	3 stars

Offer Sheet: FIU, Louisville, UMass, Memphis, Minnesota, South Florida, Temple, and UCF all offered him a scholarship.

Scouting Report: Marini has very good size and enough athleticism for the tight end position. As a blocker he has good technique, firing out low and keeping leverage with a nice, wide base, solid hand placement and knee bend. He is not overly dominant at the point of attack, but he does deliver crushing down blocks, and block the second level effectively. He keeps his feet driving through the whistle, and this allows him to rack up a decent amount of pancakes. He has good feet and moves well, but he needs to improve the angles he takes on his blocks. He is not very experienced as a receiver, recording only 2 receptions in his career, but he seems to have good hands, and he catches the ball away from his body. He is a big target who runs well and has long strides, so he should be able to stretch the seam and be a threat after the catch.

Video:

My Take: Marini gives Rutgers another commit at a position they sorely need to address in this recruiting class. He is a good blocker and an interesting athlete who I believe can develop into a legitimate receiving threat. This is Kyle Flood's first commitment from the Sunshine State, so it's nice to see RU maintain their presence in the area in the post Schiano era. Marini also has the ability to long snap, which is under rated, since other schools have been offering long snap only prospects scholarships lately.

Myles Nash Commits to Rutgers

Athlete Myles Nash of Timber Creek High School (Sicklerville, NJ) became the eleventh class of 2013 prospect to commit to Rutgers, yesterday. Nash played wide receiver and defensive end for the Chargers last season, and he recorded 84 tackles, 13 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and an interception as a junior. He is expected to be the starting quarterback for TC this year, and apparently Rutgers was recruiting him as an outside linebacker. He is from the same High School as 2012 signee Quanzell Lambert.

Measurables: 6'5'' 205 lbs 4.68 40 yd dash

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 stars, #32 Athlete, #14 in NJ	3 stars, #62 OLB	4 stars, #49 Athlete, #16 in NJ	3 stars, #68 Athlete, #33 in NJ

Offer Sheet: Arizona, Boston College, Clemson, Kentucky, Purdue, Temple, Virginia, and West Virginia were the other schools to offer Nash a scholarship.

Scouting Report: Nash is a very fluid athlete who posses great length and a frame that can easily carry more weight. He is a physical freak capable of playing a multitude of positions at the high school level, including quarterback, but his future is on the defensive side of the ball. He fires out off the snap very quickly, does a decent job staying low, and uses his hands well to disengage from blockers. He is quick to diagnose plays and he absolutely blows up the play when he is left unblocked as the read key on options. He has great closing speed and change of direction ability, which allows him to make a number of plays in the backfield. He needs to improve as a tackler, as he basically just bear hugs the ball carrier and drags him to the ground. He needs to get lower and drive through the man with the ball. He should have the explosiveness to be an effective tackler.

Video:

My Take: Nash is an instinctive player and he has tremendous athleticism. Although he is a bit raw and needs to add a lot of weight and strength, he has tremendous upside. I would prefer a player who possesses Nash's rare length to play defensive end, but he might not be able to gain the necessary weight for the position. Linebacker is more realistic. He also has three heavily recruited teammates receiving interest from Rutgers, and he said he will help try to convince them to commit or flip to Rutgers. That's always a plus.

Sebastian Joseph Commits to Rutgers

Stroudsburg High School (Stroudsburg, PA) defensive lineman Sebastian Joesph committed to Rutgers earlier today while making an unofficial visit with his family. He attended the Big Man Acadmy at Rutgers a few weeks, and he is the 9th class of 2013 prospect to commit to Rutgers.

Measurables: 6'4'' 270

Stars: Scout is the only website that has him listed, and they have him as a 2 star defensive end.

Offer Sheet: Akron, Connecticut, Maryland and Temple also offered him a scholarship. Penn State was also interested in him, and he attended their camp, but they have not offered him a scholarship.

Scouting Report: Joseph has great size and a massive wing span. He plays both offensive and defensive line at the high school level, and Brian Dohn of Scout.com says he wants to play defense. Dohn also points out that he is explosive, quick and moves well.

My Take: Joseph's size and wing span are, at the very least (I have no idea how is as a player right now) a great starting point. He is supposedly a hard worker and, with the right coaching, could become very intriguing.

Nick Arcidiacono Commits to Rutgers

Offensive/Defensive Lineman/Tight End Nick Arcidiacono of Archbishop Wood Catholic HS in Warminster, PA became the eighth class of 2013 prospect to commit to Rutgers, on Thursday. He attended the Big Man Academy at Rutgers a couple weeks ago and is from the same high school as 2012 signees Desmon Peoples and Brandon Arcidiacono, who is also his brother.

Measurables: 6'4'' 230

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
2 star strong side DE	3 stars, #14 Center	3 stars, #26 Tight End, #29 in PA	3 stars, #43 Weak side DE, #32 in PA

Offer sheet: Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, and Temple were the other FBS schools to offer him a scholarship. West Virginia, Nebraska, Miami, Penn State, Maryland, Pitt, and UConn also showed some interest in him.

Scouting Report: Arcidiacono is a 2 way lineman at the HS level, but he will have to make the move to tight end because he is much too small to be a college lineman. He is a solid run blocker, as he fires out of his stance low, and gets good leg drive through the whistle, but he has a narrow base and doesn't rack up a ton of pancakes. He is very good at blocking the second level, displaying good balance and quickness, but he is at his best when he is pulling, thanks to his athleticism, even though he tips when he is going. He is a natural knee bender and slides well in pass protection with a good base and fit on the defender, but he does not deliver a particularly strong initial punch. He does not have a lot of experience playing in space and he will also have to totally develop his receiving skills from scratch.

Video:

My Take: Rutgers is very thin at tight end and the few players at the position on the roster are upper class men, so it was imperative for them to add a tight end in this recruiting class. In fact, they'll probably need to add at least one more. In the offense Rutgers runs, the tight end is heavily involved as a blocker in the running game, so a former lineman like Arc should be a good fit.

Chris Laviano Committs to Rutgers

Quarterback Chris Laviano of Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, NY became the seventh class of 2013 prospect to commit to Rutgers on Friday. The Scarlet Knights offered him a scholarship over a year ago and he has since garnered a lot more attention nationally after an impressive performance at the Elite 11 QB Camp in Dallas in March. During his junior season, Laviano completed 60% of his passes for 1713 yards (7.4 ypa) and threw 14 TDs against 9 interceptions for the Titans.

Measurables 6'2'' 200 lbs 5.24
According to Laviano himself, some SEC schools (he visited Florida and Tennessee) shied away from him because of his height. 6'2'' is probably a shade below average for a pro style QB, but it's not really that big of a deal. You would think the success of quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Drew Brees would make coaches look beyond height, but apparently that's not the case.

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 stars, #28 Pro Style QB, #2 in NY	2 stars, #70 QB	4 stars, #176 overall, #10 pocket passer, #2 in NY	3 stars, 85 overall rating, #35 pro style QB, #7 in NY

There is a very wide variety of opinion on him. It's worth noting that the ESPN gurus got a first hand look at him during the Elite 11 Camp.

Offer Sheet: Boston College was the only other school to offer Laviano, while Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Purdue, Syracuse and Tennessee all expressed interest in him. I find it very odd that he only received two offers.

Scouting Report: Laviano is very mobile and he throws well on the run, as his offense requires him to make a lot of throws off bootlegs and sprint outs. He has very smooth footwork on his drop backs, a lightning quick release and he delivers a good, catchable ball. On short to intermediate throws he displays good timing, anticipation and accuracy. When attacking the defense vertically, he shows good arm strength and tremendous touch. However, he sometimes does not get enough zip on his passes over the middle because of a tendency to throw off his front foot. While in the pocket, he is able to "stare down the barrel" when a defender comes free, but when things collapse around him, he scrambles out instead of hanging in there and sliding. Overall his mechanics are solid, but he needs to fix the front foot thing and he throws the ball out of a lower arm slot than you would like. Laviano is a smart player and he reads defenses well. His stats will underwhelm you, but he doesn't have a great team around him and he certainly has talent himself.

Video:

My Take: I really like Laviano. He has a lot of talent, smarts and polish. He is very well coached, the tape I saw of him was from his sophomore season and he looked very experienced and poised. Laviano gives Rutgers even more depth at the quarterback position, and he certainly has all the tools to be a future starting QB at the BCS level.

Eric Wiafe Commits to Rutgers

Defensive End Eric Wiafe of Egg Harbor Township High School (Egg Harbor, NJ) became the sixth class of 2013 prospect to verbally commit to Rutgers, last Tuesday. Wiafe attended the Big Man Academy (a  football camp just for high school lineman) at Rutgers a couple weeks ago, and received an offer three days later. He is from the same high school as redshirt freshman cornerback Tejay Johnson.

Measurables: 6'5'' 258 lbs 4.94 40 yard dash

Offer Sheet: Buffalo and Massachusetts were his only other FBS offers. Boston College, Pitt, Temple, Penn State, East Carolina, Florida, Iowa, Miami, NC State, Clemson, Maryland, and Syracuse were also recruiting him, but they have yet to offer him a scholarship. He may pick up some more offers this summer, as he is still going to attend some of their camps, but he seems like a back up option for most schools. If  Tashawn Bower of Immaculata did not commit to Auburn last Tuesday, Rutgers may not have offered him.

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 star SDE, #26 in NJ	3 Stars, #34 DE	N/A	2 stars,  #64 SDE, 73 overall rating, #40 in NJ

Scouting Report: Wiafe is a great athlete and has very long arms, but he is extremely raw as a football player. He fires out of his stance way too high and often times he is just standing straight up. He is pretty strong, delivers a good punch, and is able to bat down or other wise alter a number of passes, but he needs to extend his arms more while engaged with the opposition in order to use his wing span to his advantage. Wiafe does a solid job wrapping up as a tackler, but he needs to get lower and coil his hips in order to deliver a more solid blow.

Video: here

My Take: Wiafe is an interesting prospect because he is a great athlete, but extremely raw. He is a player who will need a lot of coaching and development before getting a chance to see the field. Jim Panagos is one of the best defensive line coaches in the nation, and he will have his work cut out for him in trying to turn Wiafe into a useful player. But, with other targeted defensive line recruits headed elsewhere and an excess of available scholarships, it's ok to take a risk on a player like this.

T.J. Taylor Commits to Rutgers

T.J. Taylor, a safety and wide receiver from South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, NJ, became the 5th class of 2013 prospect to commit to the Scarlet Knights, today. Taylor hails from the same high school as Mohamed Sanu and 2012 signee Jevon Tyree and he had 54 tackles, 17 receptions for 525 yards and 7 touch downs for the Vikings last season.

Measurables: 6'3'' 186 4.57 (Height, Weight, 40 time)

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
2 star athlete	2 stars, #101 Safety	N/A Athlete	N/A Athlete

Offer Sheet: Pitt, Syracuse, Temple, Old Dominion, and UMass were the other FBS teams to offer Taylor a scholarship, and Notre Dame, South Carolina, UCF, Boston College and Cincinnati expressed some interest in him. 

Scouting Report: Taylor has great length and his frame can easily hold more weight. Offensively, he is a deep threat, averaging 31 yards per reception, but his future is probably on the defensive side of the ball. Taylor usually lines up as a single high free safety and he is very physical, delivering big hits to wide receivers who venture across the middle. Unlike a lot of big hitters at the high school level, Taylor is solid wrap up tackler with a nose for the football. He is a rangy, explosive athlete. Since he lines up 15 yards off the ball, he usually doesn't have chance to make plays in coverage, but his ball skills on offense should translate to the other side of the ball. If he is able to add some weight, he could end up as a linebacker.

Video:

My Take: Taylor is a very physical player with good size, and some speed and athleticism. Depending on how he fills out, I could see him end up as a safety, linebacker, or tight end. The coaching staff will probably want to get a look at him on the field at Rutgers before they decide on their ultimate position. This is yet another solid, under the radar pick up, and that seems to be the theme in Rutgers' recruiting class so far this year.

John Tsimis Commits to Rutgers

After a fairly slow start, Rutgers has gotten a verbal commitment from their fourth class of 2013 prospect,  Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ) wide receiver John Tsimis, who committed on Friday. Last season, Tsimis had 55 catches, 754 yards and 11 touch downs for the Crusaders, including a game against 4 star Don Bosco (and future Colorado) corner Yuri Wright,  who he torched for 10 catches, 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tsimis tore his ACL at a show case event a few weeks ago, so he'll probably miss all of the 2012 season.

Measurables: 6'0'' 175 4.56 (height, weight, 40 time)

Stars:

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
N/A	3 stars, #52 WR	N/A	3 stars, 85 overall, #98 WR #24 in NJ

He plays at a big time program and destroyed one of the top prospects in the country last year. Don't know why there are two N/A's here.

Offer Sheet: Colorado, East Carolina, and Temple all offered him a scholarship, while Penn State, Duke and Boston College showed some interest in him. Princeton, Penn, and Harvard were recruiting him as well, so he must be pretty smart.

Scouting Report: The only video I could find of him was a short highlight clip he posted on a recruiting website. It only featured him running fade routes, but he was able to out run defenders and track the ball well into his hands. He seems to have very good hands and catching technique.

For what it's worth, Tsimis described himself to Rivals, saying: "I think I can be a slot for them over the middle but I think I can also be a deep threat," Tsimis said. "I can do whatever they want me to do."

Video

My Take: 2012's recruiting class featured three big receivers who project to play on the outside, so it's nice to add a slot guy to the mix to balance things out. Tsimis will almost definitely have to red shirt coming off his ACL injury, but at least that should keep other schools from going after him. Bergen Catholic is one of the premiere programs in the state, and Rutgers hasn't gotten a recruit from there in 10 years, so it's nice to see that pipeline open up.

Dontea Ayres Commits to Rutgers

Dontea Ayres, a running back from Wicomico HS in Salisbury, Maryland, became the third 2013 prospect to give a verbal commitment to Rutgers, yesterday. He is from the same high school as safety Wayne Warren, and he ran for 1471 yards last season. Unlike the previous two commits, Ayers is a fairly well known, highly recruited prospect, and not a potential diamond in the rough.

Measurables: 5'9'' 205 4.48 (height, weight, 40 time)

Stars: 

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
3 star RB	3 stars, #80 RB	3 stars, 77 overall rating, #39 RB, #10 in MD	3 stars, 84 overall rating, #65 RB, #25 in MD

Consensus 3 star prospect

Offer Sheet: Ayres had offers from Duke, Navy, North Carolina State, Northwestern, and West Virginia, in addition to Rutgers, who offered him in early April. Stanford, Maryland and Wisconsin have also shown interest in him.

Scouting Report: Ayres is your proverbial "bowling ball" type runner, possessing a very thick build and low center of gravity. He is able to keep his legs driving through contact and he runs with a low pad level, so he has tremendous power and breaks a ton of tackles. He takes short, choppy steps, giving him outstanding balance. In the open field, he has deceptive speed and good lateral movement. He always secures the ball high and tight, and I couldn't get a good read on him in the passing game from what I saw. He can also put on quit a show in the weight room, which you can see in the video below.

Video:

Other: While visiting spring practice at Rutgers, Kyle Flood reportedly told him that he was the #1 RB on their recruiting board. 

My Take: Ayres is a very powerful runner and he gives Rutgers a dimension at running back they have been lacking the last few seasons. Maryland is a small, state, but has a lot of talent (similar to NJ), so it's good to see the coaching staff make early inroads there. This is also the first semi-high profile recruit landed by them and their first recruiting battle victory.

Justin Goodwin Verbally Commits to Rutgers

Rutgers received their second verbal commitment for the class of 2013 from Madison High School (NJ) Athlete Justin Goodwin, yesterday. Like Anthony Cioffi, Goodwin was an under the radar prospect, coming from a small (Group 2) school in North Jersey. He is a running back at the high school level and he rushed for over 1700 yards last season, but the scouting services think he might end up as a defensive back once he gets to college.

Measurables- 5'11 185 4.60 (height, weight, 40 time)

Stars-

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
N/A Athlete	N/A Running Back	Not even listed on the website	3 stars, 84 rating, #62 Running Back, #25 in NJ

Again, like Cioffi, the recruiting services probably haven't gotten around to evaluating him yet, since he's from a small school and a relatively unknown prospect.

Offer Sheet: Rutgers was the fifth FBS team to offer Goodwin, joining Connecticut, Temple, Massachusetts, and Old Dominion.* He was also receiving some interest from Wisconsin, but they have yet to offer him a scholarship.

*ODU is making the jump to the FBS level in 2013, when they will join C*USA

Scouting Report: Goodwin's high school coach describes him as an explosive runner and that seems to be the case, as he often just takes pitches and out runs defenders. Goodwin can juke defenders out in the open field and his speed and elusiveness should play to the next level. He also displays tremendous vision, patience, burst thorough the hole and the ability to make quick cuts, making him an ideal fit for a zone blocking scheme. Goodwin also possess great hands and ball skills, so he can be an every down back. He definitely fits the profile of a slasher, and at Rutgers he will be playing in the right system.

 

Video:

My Take: Goodwin has decent size and good speed, and is a well rounded back. He is capable of staying on the field for all three downs with his receiving skills and he fits Rutgers' zone running scheme well. This seems like another solid, under the radar pick up for Flood's staff.

Let the Flood Gates Open: Anthony Cioffi Commits to Rutgers

Kyle Flood and co. hosted some of the top junior prospects in the state last Sunday, on Junior Day, and they received their first verbal commitment for the class of 2013 in Anthony Cioffi. Coffi stars as a running quarter back and safety at Jonathan Dayton High, a group 1 school in Springfield, NJ.

Measurables- 6'0 175 4.4 (Height, weight 40 yard dash time)

Stars-

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
N/A Athlete	N/A Safety	N/A Athlete	2 stars, 78 rating, #19 All Purpose Back, #28 in NJ

I wouldn't be too concerned about his lack of stars, in all likelihood, the scouting services haven't even evaluated him yet, since he's from such a small school and an under the radar prospect. When they finally get around to ranking him, I will guess that he'll be a 3 star recruit.

Offer sheet: Rutgers was the first school to offer Cioffi, and according to the afore-linked Lucci article, he was receiving interest from Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, Penn State,  Ohio State and Temple as well. If he goes to their camps this summer he will probably pick up additional offers.

Scouting Report: Cioffi is a running quarterback in a multiple offense, that uses pistol, wishbone, and single wing concepts. He has break away speed and makes defenders look silly with his ability to stop on a dime and make cuts. He doesn't have much of an arm and will end up either as a running back, wide receiver, or defensive back. I wasn't able to find a whole lot of video of him playing defense, but based on his speed, size, and Rutgers' depth at other positions, I think he ends up as a corner back who will contribute on special teams and as a kick returner.

Video:

My Take: Cioffi is an interesting athlete, who is versatile and a possible contributor in all three phases of the game. He is probably a bit under the radar since he's from such a small school, but he is a solid early pick up.