Rutgers misses out on two top football recruits

Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood said Wednesday he was happy with his 22-member recruiting class.

However, the Scarlet Knights lost out on two recruits who chose to go elsewhere and could have vaulted the class even higher.

Cedar Creek quarterback Damon Mitchell, an Inquirer all-South Jersey choice at defensive back, chose Arkansas over Rutgers. And Skai Moore, a linebacker from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who had made an oral commitment to Rutgers, is headed to South Carolina.

Flood chose to address the recruits who stayed with the program.

"I feel very good we filled all the needs that I set out before we got into this class," Flood said. "What I am most excited about is that we have a bigger, faster team going forward because of this recruiting class."

Rutgers recruited 11 players from New Jersey; four from Florida; two from Pennsylvania; two from New York; and one each from Maryland, Delaware, and Michigan.

Two players are from the seven-county South Jersey area, linebacker Myles Nash of Timber Creek and defensive end Eric Wiafe of Egg Harbor Township.

Also joining the Knights is Nick Arcidiacono, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end from Archbishop Wood. His brother Brandon is an offensive lineman at Rutgers.

One recruit from a football family is defensive tackle Josh Klecko (6-2, 260) from Red Bank Regional in New Jersey. He is the son of former NFL four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Joe Klecko, who starred at Temple.

A class is often judged by the quality of quarterback recruits, and Flood is high on Chris Laviano (6-3, 200) from Holy Trinity in Glen Head, N.Y. Laviano threw for 3,189 yards and 25 touchdowns over the last two years.

"In every class it is critical to get a quarterback who can compete and lead your program," Flood said.