The State of Rutgers

For the last five years, the Rutgers football program has grown by leaps and bounds, but one thing is still missing from the program. During the last couple Rutgers has not done the best of jobs keeping the best instate players in the Garden State.

Since 2005, the Scarlet Knights have 11 total players out of the Rivals.com New Jersey top 10 recruits, approximately 40 percent of the those players came in the 2007 class.

The 2005 class did not feature a top 10 kid in the state signing with the Knights. The only kid in the Top 30 in the state to sign with Rutgers was Jabu Lovelace. Lovelance was the 26 ranked prospects in the state that year.

The break down on the classes is as follows:

• In the 2010 class: Chris Fonti, OL, Wayne Hills
• In the 2009 class: Isaac Holmes, DT, Hoboken; Logan Ryan, DB, Voorhees.
• In the 2008 class: Art Frost, OT, Manasquan; Rashad White, RB, Teaneck
• In the 2007 class: Anthony Davis, OT, Piscataway; Manny Abreu, LB, Union City; Mason Robinson, ATH, Somerville; Keith Newell, DE, Trenton Central.
• In the 2006 class: Kenny Britt, WR, Bayonne; Kordell Young, RB, West Deptford

During the same time period programs such as Notre Dame, Florida, Boston College, and Penn State have continued to take some of the best players in the state to far away locations. I know I'm being picky but the one thing that I would love to see Rutgers and Schiano do more is get more of the top kids to stay in state and play. The program has improved its talent base by a 1,000 percent since Schiano took over but in order to be that national power that everyone wants to see keeping five out of the top 10 players in state at home is a most.