Rutgers unveils a recruiting class of speed merchants

Rutgers was a few steps behind several of its opponents during a disappointing 2010 season, so coach Greg Schiano's recruiting efforts emphasized speed on both sides of the football.

His plan to upgrade the Scarlet Knights' speed involves five prospects the Scarlet Knights recruited out of the Philadelphia area.

Schiano announced the 25 incoming players at a media conference Wednesday, the first day recruits can sign binding letters of intent. He praised the pass-rushing ability of defensive ends Kyle George of Willingboro High and Myles Jackson of West Chester Henderson.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound George is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 12 overall prospect in New Jersey. George attended Rutgers' camp while at Willingboro, where he also played tight end.

"Kyle is a tremendous pass rusher who will continue to get bigger," Schiano said.

Jackson is ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep Magazine.

"With the kind of body he has, he can do a lot of things," Schiano said. "He has that rare ability to come off the edge with his speed."

Rutgers also signed two burners from South Jersey to play at wide receiver - Tejay Johnson and Ben Martin. Johnson, who is from Egg Harbor Township, was in Rutgers' recruiting class of 2010 but prepped at Fork Union Military Academy instead. As a junior, he earned the title as the fastest schoolboy in New Jersey by winning the Meet of Champions 100 meters in 10.67 seconds. Johnson is ranked by Rivals.com as the state's No. 8 overall prospect. He is also ranked as No. 1 at cornerback, but Schiano said he'll likely play receiver.

"He's extremely talented," Schiano said. "He's going to add to the level of speed we'll have."

Martin, ranked as the No. 27 overall prospect in New Jersey, has been clocked under 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Hobbled most of his senior year at Absegami with an ankle injury, Martin was limited to seven games. "A downhill runner with great explosion," Schiano said.

The Scarlet Knights believe they have a versatile tight end in Tyler Kroft from Downingtown East. The 6-6, 220-pound Kroft played wide receiver as a senior after two seasons at tight end. He had 40 catches for 669 yards and eight touchdowns. Schiano sees Kroft growing to about 255 pounds.

Overall, Rutgers' incoming class is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, Schiano has brought in during his 11 seasons as head coach because of the number of high-profile players from New Jersey.

Delaware's day. While Rutgers tries to reclaim its former status as a serious challenger in the Big East, Delaware signed 14 players it hopes will help the Blue Hens get back to the Football Championship Subdivision title game.

None of the players is from the Philadelphia area, but not by design, coach K.C. Keeler said Wednesday. Keeler believes the loss of recruiter Aaron Harris and the long season may have cost him some local recruits.

"We had some local players lined up for visits but we couldn't have them [visit] the two weekends in December or the weekend in January because we were playing," Keeler said. "They started to feel squeezed. Also, we lost Aaron, who recruited the Philly/South Jersey area for us. He took a high school job in Florida and any time you have a transition, it affects you.

"Still, we recognize we have to do a better job in that area."

Unlike Division I-A, the FCS, formerly Division I-AA, has a playoff system to determine its champion. The Blue Hens' season extended to Jan. 7, when they dropped a heartbreaking 20-19 decision to Eastern Washington in the championship game.

Keeler's biggest chore will be finding a replacement for star quarterback Pat Devlin. Keeler said the former Downingtown East standout is in Los Angeles training for the NFL Scouting Combine.

Delaware has four quarterbacks who will compete for the starting job. One of them is Trevor Sasek of Spring-Ford High. The 6-6, 214-pound Sasek played in seven games and started one when Devlin was injured. He's the most experienced among the four candidates for quarterback.

"Trevor did some nice things for us," Keeler said.