The news that Greg Schiano is leaving Rutgers to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' job could not have come at a worse time for the Scarlet Knights.
Darius Hamilton, Don Bosco Prep
Photo by Vin Carchietta
Rutgers was in the midst of a very solid recruiting class, its second straight impressive crop of players. In fact, just a few days ago, Rutgers flipped offensive lineman
J.J. Denman, who had previously been committed to Wisconsin.
Darius Hamilton and
Devin Fuller were both within Rutgers' crosshairs as well. In an attempt to secure Hamilton, the nation's No. 29 recruit, Schiano was supposed to visit
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) this morning, sources told MaxPreps.
He never showed.
Now, Florida could be the favorite to snag Hamilton, while Nebraska receives a boost in its efforts to land Fuller, who starred at
Northern Valley (Old Tappan, N.J.)Reports
from the Bergen Record indicate
Saddle Brook (N.J.) linebacker
Steven Longa is already hearing from UConn and Maryland.
One of Rutgers' top current commits,
Timber Creek Regional (Erial, N.J.) standout
Quanzell Lambert, is sticking with Rutgers, at least for the time being.
"So far," Timber Creek head coach Rob Hinson said via text, when asked if Lambert was still committed to the Scarlet Knights. Hinson also said that he has hearing from multiple schools interested in flipping Lambert.
Ryan Brodie, an offensive lineman from
Long Branch (N.J.) who committed to Rutgers just last night, was unavailable for comment.
When asked about where his son stood with Rutgers, Bryan Brodie said, "We don't know."
With such little time remaining before National Signing Day, it would not be surprising to see Rutgers promote assistant Frank Cignetti Jr. to head coach. With Cignetti and fellow assistant Jeff Hafley, Rutgers could keep its two top recruiters in place and potentially salvage a respectable class.
