I did, their UI is dogshit but other than that it's ok. Pretty much the same as the old SN but with Dohn chiming in a lot which is better than Friedman.
I think John might have made a mistake. The rivals free board hasn’t moved as he thought and the board just doesn’t inspire me to post often because the interface is horrific. I’ll never leave rivals due to their MB but idk if I’ll keep a 247 sub. They have good content but I like the broad sports coverage of TKR, even if SN has better scoops.
Funny that Pszonak popped up on rivals once John & co peaced out. I’m liking the b-ball coverage at SN by Aggs and Cheikh
There was barely any reason the freeboarders to move along with SN - quite the miscalculation by floppy pussy.
I hate the 247 interface also but I’ve been there a while so I’m used to it in a way IMO, Brian is the best there is at telling it like it is so I appreaciate his input I’ll stay a member at both but I think when Rich and the new crew stop feeling like they need to try so much 247 has so many insider mods the content will be much better then rivals
Dohn is a massive douche but I respect his opinions. The new rivals crew just feels like a bunch of us idiots were given a site to run and try to fake our way through it. Maybe I'm wrong though.
What do you guys think of inviting Ohio State staff onto your campus for a camp? That is uhhh.... a different approach with a divisional opponent http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...sting_another_camp_with_ohio_state_but_t.html
I mean I get why they're doing it since we're not exactly competing against OSU for recruits but it does scream small time in the sense that you don't see yourself on their level. We're not on their level at all but we don't have to act like it.
A total of two threads have been bumped on rivals in the last hour 247 has had about 8. Once 247 fixes their interface it’s going to be a blood bath
If we’re gettig theological, that’s why Temperance is my favorite of the Cardinal virtues. Titties in moderation aren’t a sin. (Although my people usually just use it to justifying our drinking instead.)
247 should have given free memberships to a few key posters to bring them along, you know the guys who post all the info on hoops, lax, wrestling, etc...
Lol does this retard who just committed to us literally not understand what that word means? He texted Ash (weird) that he’s in and an hour later tells the blogs he is open to other offers and official visits.
State of the Program: Rutgers football Part of a continuing series examining the Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2018 college football season. The greatest sign of progress at Rutgers’ spring game did not come, as most Scarlet Knights fans might have thought, from the electrifying 75-yard touchdown pass from true freshman Artur Sitkowski to sophomore receiver Bo Melton. Instead, it came a couple of hours later, and not from Sitkowski’s arm but rather his mouth. When asked about that beautiful throw and the handful of others he completed to add to his highlight reel, Sitkowski barely gave himself five seconds to bask in the glory of a job well done. “It was all right,” he said. “I’ve got a long way to go, man. I’ve got a lot of things to get better at. I’ve got to get better at my play-actions, making rookie mistakes I shouldn’t make. I’ve got a lot to improve on.” Sure, he did throw two interceptions. And he has to be quicker at identifying coverages and making the right reads. But all of that paled in comparison to the glimpses of good, the moments that get this fan base thinking, We’ve got our QB of the future … and maybe, just maybe, the future is now. Sitkowski hasn’t been named the starter, but he personifies the optimism that surrounds this program heading into the third season of coach Chris Ash’s tenure. There’s more talent at key skill positions than there’s been in years past and more depth on some of the most important defensive units. Rutgers finished last season with a 4-8 record that included three Big Ten wins (at Illinois, vs. Purdue and vs. Maryland), which tied the most it has had in a season since joining the league. Ash thinks he has the pieces of the puzzle in place to reach a bowl for the first time since 2014. “That’s really the next step,” Ash told The Athletic. “We had a three-year plan, and we’re going into Year 3 now. So far, the program is right on track, hopefully to that three-year plan. Now we’ve got to go do it. The first year was just about identifying some problems and getting them fixed. Year 2 was about building a solid foundation, becoming more competitive and winning some games, which we did. We went from no Big Ten wins to three. In Year 3, we want to be able to put ourselves in position to go to postseason play.” Biggest on-field question Can the offense score enough to win six games? The defense should be talented and tough enough to keep the Scarlet Knights close in most games, with a deep linebacker corps and an improved secondary. But the offense as a whole is the question mark. Rutgers ranked 128th out of 130 teams last season in total offense, averaging 262.7 yards per game. Its run game was serviceable, but its passing game was inconsistent and often ineffective, ranking 127th in passer rating. The only teams that averaged fewer passing yards per game ran triple-option offenses. Rutgers pulled a page out of its past, calling on former offensive coordinator John McNulty to fix things. McNulty oversaw the offense at its best — when it became the first program in the FBS to have a 3,000-yard passer (Mike Teel), 2,000-yard rusher (Ray Rice) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood) in the same season (2007) — and knows the current offense can be better than it’s been the past few years, too. “I did follow them last year and thought they made a lot of progress,” McNulty told The Athletic. “They just needed something offensively, a spark or better play by some guys or whatever it was. It was 129th in the country, and they won four games, so you think you could get over the hump.” Since his arrival, McNulty, who spent the past nine years in the NFL, has worked on installing elements of the pro-style system he wants to run while working to improve players’ fundamentals and identifying which players play best under pressure. He describes his offensive philosophy as flexible and something that will adjust to become whatever the personnel suggests. If he has a quarterback with a good arm and a strong group of pass catchers — and Rutgers very well might have both this fall — it will be a pass-happy offense. If he has an All-America type of running back, the offense would look different. “Who’s getting the ball? And then we figure out how to get them the ball,” McNulty says. “It’s really the old Ron Erhardt system, Tom Coughlin, it’s all that Bill Parcells family of coaches. Bill Belichick … that family of offense. It’s flexible enough that you can line guys up wherever you want to line them up, wherever you think the ball is going. That’s more or less what we did when I was last here, as far as it was Ray (Rice) and Brian (Leonard) for a while. We tried to get them the ball 50 times if we could. That was a little high, but we tried. Then, when they were gone, the receivers were the better guys.” McNulty is still figuring out exactly who’s going to get the ball this fall, and how. But if he can figure out the right answers to those questions, he could help deliver what everyone at Rutgers would consider a successful season. Depth chart analysis Quarterbacks: Ash has insisted repeatedly that he doesn’t plan on naming a starter until a few weeks into fall camp. But that won’t stop the hype from growing around true freshman Artur Sitkowski, and for good reason. The early enrollee had as good a spring as anyone around the program could have hoped for, and he capped it with a handful of explosive plays in the spring game. Coaches like his size, velocity, accuracy, footwork and composure, but it remains to be seen how much they’ll put on him and how early into his college career they’ll do it. (He’s clearly the guy, but will he be ready to handle a trip to Ohio State in Week 2?) The other two quarterbacks who have been sharing reps with Sitkowski throughout spring ball on a rotational basis are redshirt senior Giovanni Rescigno, who started seven games last season and only completed 47 percent of his passes, and sophomore Johnathan Lewis, who’s raw and talented but struggles with his footwork and accuracy. There’s more depth at this position than there’s been in recent years. Running backs: Knowing how inexperienced it would be at this position, Rutgers was active in the graduate transfer market, landing Jonathan Hilliman from Boston College. Hilliman, who ran 167 times for 638 yards and five touchdowns last season, is important not only in the running backs room with so much youth around him, but also on the field. Rutgers will have a nice 1-2 punch of power and downhill running in Hilliman and a quicker, more explosive back in sophomore Raheem Blackshear, who might be the offense’s most talented player. Other running backs who will be mixed into the rotation include redshirt sophomore Trey Sneed and Isaih Pacheco, a true freshman early enrollee. Wide receivers/tight ends: The Scarlet Knights should have big-play capabilities in the passing game, as sophomore receiver Bo Melton is more comfortable with the college game. As evidenced by his 75-yard touchdown catch in the spring game, Melton’s athleticism and knack for getting behind defenders gives the offense a new dimension. He’s the home-run hitter of the receiving corps, which also includes redshirt freshman Shameen Jones, redshirt sophomore Mo Jabbie and true freshman slot receiver Eddie Lewis. At tight end, expect to see senior Jerome Washington and sophomore Travis Vokolek. Washington had shoulder surgery in the offseason and was limited in the spring, but he’ll be fully healthy by the start of summer workouts. In his absence, Vokolek became the breakout star of spring ball. He’s 6 feet 6, 235 pounds and played defensive back in high school, so he’s still developing as a tight end. Offensive line: Depth is a major concern here, as the coaching staff is still trying to figure out its starting unit and a potential rotation. Three starters are back, with redshirt senior left tackle Tariq Cole anchoring the group. Redshirt junior Kamaal Seymour, who missed the spring game with a groin injury, will play right tackle. Inside, it’s a bit more up in the air. Redshirt junior Jonah Jackson and redshirt sophomore Michael Maietti have experience at center and could end up playing there. Redshirt sophomore Nick Krimin has perhaps the most physical upside of the group competing for guard spots. Redshirt sophomore Mike Lonsdorf, freshman Raiqwon O’Neal and sophomores Sam Vretman and Micah Clark also are in the mix. Defensive line: With five players (and three former starters, most notably Kemoko Turay) gone, the rotation might be thin. But, barring injuries, the group (at least the first team) should be able to handle the physicality of the Big Ten just fine. Inside, the staff likely will rely on many of the same players it did last year, like senior Jon Bateky, redshirt sophomore Julius Turner and redshirt junior Wil Previlon. Redshirt sophomore Elorm Lumor is listed as the Jack, a hybrid between defensive end and outside linebacker that changes depending on whether Rutgers plays a three- or four-man front. Sophomore CJ Onyechi also plays the Jack role and is expected to get playing time, too. Expect to see a lot of redshirt senior defensive end Kevin Wilkins and younger players such as redshirt freshman end Mike Tverdov getting their toes wet. This group will have to replace more production than just about any other unit on this team, and it will have to do so with a new coach, Corey Brown. Linebackers: This should be the deepest of all position groups. Seniors Deonte Roberts and Trevor Morris have been starting at middle and weak-side linebacker, respectively, for the past two years. Morris, the Big Ten’s returning leader in tackles, dealt with an elbow injury this spring but should be back by the start of summer workouts. Sophomores Brendan Devera and Tyshon Fogg continue to grow into their positions, with Fogg even getting the start with Rutgers’ first-team defense in the spring game in Morris’ absence. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams is back after missing last season with an ACL injury, and junior Malik Dixon, a junior college transfer, has had a strong offseason. To address some of the concerns up front, two players listed as inside linebackers — redshirt sophomore Rashawn Battle and sophomore Olakunle Fatukasi — might end up helping the pass rush by playing defensive end in certain packages. Defensive backs: Injuries decimated the secondary last season, to the point where a wide receiver had to be converted to defensive back against Ohio State. Things got ugly at rock bottom, but the secondary is not at rock bottom anymore. There’s a lot of excitement about senior cornerback Blessuan Austin returning (he tore his ACL in the fourth game last season) and pairing him back up with redshirt senior cornerback Isaiah Wharton. Tre Avery, a redshirt sophomore, saw a lot of action this offseason in Austin’s absence and will play in some capacity this fall. Junior Damon Hayes has moved from corner to safety, which means he will give the staff more flexibility in the secondary. Redshirt senior safety Saquan Hampton and junior safety K.J. Gray made multiple starts last year and are expected to build on their experience. Though this unit isn’t as deep as the linebackers, it could be the most effective and productive of the defensive position groups. Special teams: Sophomore Justin Davidovicz handled kickoffs last year, and he likely will handle all place-kicking duties this fall as well. Rutgers also will be joining the growing trend of the Australian punter with sophomore Adam Korsak, whose first football practice was here this winter. The punt-team protection and coverage plans have been retooled to fit Korsak’s skill set. How the Scarlet Knights have recruited from 2015-18 According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, here is how Rutgers’ recruiting classes have fared nationally and within the Big Ten over the last four years: Part of the reason new running backs coach Nunzio Campanile was hired in the offseason from Bergen Catholic High School was to continue to make more inroads in New Jersey, a fertile recruiting area that almost always sends its top players out of state to schools such as Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida State, Alabama and Michigan. When Ash was hired in December 2015, he said he and his staff would recruit New Jersey prospects aggressively. “If a kid is going to leave the state, it’s going to be with (Ash) wrapped around the kid’s leg,” Rutgers director of high school relations Rick Mantz said two years ago. “We’re going to fight and claw for every great kid because he’s very proud of what he’s building here.” But fighting and clawing can only go so far when Rutgers is competing with teams that regularly compete for national championships. Still, some significant headway has been made on in-state recruiting in a way that should show up on the field this fall. For example, Melton was a four-star recruit and ranked the second-best prospect in the state when he committed to Ash as a member of the Class of 2017. After a strong spring, the sophomore is expected to be one of the Scarlet Knights’ top playmakers in 2018. On the other hand, Melton and fellow Class of 2017 signee Micah Clark are still the only four-star recruits from New Jersey that Ash and his staff have signed. They’ve signed eight top-20 recruits in the state during Ash’s three years, but they’re still struggling to break into the upper echelon. Impact of coaching changes Rutgers is on its ninth offensive coordinator in nine years, which means two things: Every player on the offensive side of the ball will learn yet another new system, and Rutgers needed to hire someone for the position who knows what it takes to win there. That is why Ash hired John McNulty — someone he didn’t know previously, but someone who had overseen arguably the most prolific offense in program history in 2007. McNulty coached with the Knights under Greg Schiano from 2004 to 2008; he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during his last two seasons before moving to the NFL. McNulty has taken over an offense that ranked 128th in yards per play and 127th in passer rating. He’s trying to combine the installation of the system he wants to run — pro-style, flexible enough to maneuver to highlight the top skill players whether they’re in the pass or run game — with technical development and relationship-building. McNulty replaced Jerry Kill, who retired at the end of last season for health reasons. Campanile was hired to coach running backs after running backs coach Lester Erb moved to wide receivers coach. Defensively, new staff members include defensive line coach Corey Brown (from Miami of Ohio), cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson (from Temple) and safeties coach Noah Joseph, who came from Indiana and was a graduate assistant when Ash coached defensive backs at Iowa State in 2002. Joseph will be a co-defensive coordinator, assisting defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jay Niemann, now in his second year. Ash promoted Toby Neinas, previously the director of player personnel, to become his 10th full-time assistant, coaching outside linebackers. Schedule analysis Six games await against opponents that finished 2017 at .500 or with losing records, meaning that if Rutgers plays well enough and consistently, it could reach a bowl game. It’s also a much more manageable nonconference schedule, with Kansas instead of Chris Petersen’s Washington team as the one Power 5 opponent. The biggest concern early is Week 2 at Ohio State. There is so much youth on this roster — particularly at quarterback and running back — that this type of matchup so early on the road is daunting and could become demoralizing. The coaching staff has tried to simulate high-pressure situations through spring to get young players ready for the challenge. The toughest part of the schedule is November, which features four consecutive tough games — at Wisconsin, vs. Michigan, vs. Penn State and at Michigan State — to end the regular season. Final assessment Rutgers must stay healthy, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines, to have a shot at the kind of season it hopes to have. There should be enough talent — even if a lot of it is young and raw — and a favorable enough schedule to put the Scarlet Knights within arm’s reach of bowl eligibility. To grab it, they’ll need a strong rookie season from Sitkowski.
she's pretty great. when she was at USA Today she was pretty dismissive of us joining the B1G, but i think she's come around to how much potential there is if we ever become a winner.
kemoko is a day 2 guy. sebastian joseph and some of the running backs have a shot at the end of day 3.
Really will be disappointed if we take a DT commit from that Wayne Hills kid. NJ is deep at DT and we are in great with 3 other kids plus Blissett from NY.
I don't want him either but Shawn Brown said he looked better at the Opening Regional than during the season. I agree though, I'd rather them go after other guys. Really would like Blissett, Henderson and maybe Burke.
Shit weekend. Swept by Purdue in baseball when we really need some wins to make the B1G tourney and lax loses to Ohio state virtually guranteeing we don't make the NCAA unless we win the B1G tourney.
I don’t mind kyk, we have a lot of good talks. His problem is he is so loud in his opinion and it’s wrong at times but the board just buys it because he repeats something incorrect over and over. Then when you point out he is wrong he doubles or triples down.