Darius Hamilton commits to Rutgers

Despite Greg Schiano abruptly leaving Rutgers for the NFL, Darius Hamilton never wavered from his desire to play for New Jersey's state university.

On MSG Varsity's "a Quick:60" show Tuesday night, the Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) defensive end and No. 29-ranked recruit pulled on a black Scarlet Knights' cap and instantly became the biggest recruit in the Class of 2012. He will join high school teammate Leonte Carroo, Bosco's star wide receiver and the No. 91 recruit nationally.

"That's where I want to be," Hamilton said. "It's a great place to be."

During a chat with MaxPreps two weeks ago, Hamilton seemed to heavily lean toward Rutgers, though he was still considering Florida and Miami – the latter of which he visited this past weekend.

And while St. Peter's Prep tight end Michael Giacone backed off his verbal commitment earlier today, as originally reported by MaxPreps, Hamilton became the cornerstone of the current class being held together by new head coach Kyle Flood.

Hamilton's first scholarship offer came from current Rutgers secondary coach Jeff Hafley while he was at the University of Pittsburgh. When Hafley and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti were fired after the 2010 campaign, both ended up on Schiano's staff at Rutgers.

Although Schiano's abrupt departure to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers caught many off guard, Hamilton shrugged it off, simply saying, "I wish him the best."

Instead, Hamilton smiled and showed a look of sheer relief after a lengthy and exhausting recruiting process, smiling when he talked about how happy Flood, Hafley and the other Scarlet Knights coaches were when receiving word of his commitment.

"All of those guys were ecstatic," he said. "They're all happy to have me and I'm happy to be there, man."

For more signing day info, check out the MaxPreps 2012 signing day page.