How does the early arrival of 4-star QB Gavin Wimsatt affect Rutgers recruitment? | hunt

Come and play at the largest university in New Jersey in the largest league of college football alongside the largest city in the world. That’s essentially what Greg Schiano said to Rutgers’ recruits in helping four-star quarterback Gavin Wimsatt enroll four months before his original migration from Owensboro, Kentucky to Piscataway.

Wimsatt always had a head start in mind. He was originally supposed to sign in December and enroll in spring 2022 instead of the traditional summer route. But now that he’s already enrolled and training, how will his even bigger lead, if anything, affect Rutgers recruiting?

Would you like more Rutgers coverage? Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observation, and the ability to write directly with Beat writers

Helps solidify the class in 2022 and beyond

Rutgers may have one of the best recruiting classes in the country, but outside of Wimsatt, who recently signed, all pledges are oral and non-binding. The arrival of Wimsatt should help solidify the commitments and guide staff to the early day of the signing in December, as Wimsatt was the second highest recruit in the class and is already incarcerated.

The team still has to win the games it is supposed to win, but having the quarterback of the future in uniform rather than just making a verbal commitment is the biggest chip out there. This also helps the staff recruit high school juniors, particularly linemen and skill players, who will benefit most from the expansion through Wimsatt.

Signals that Schiano is future-oriented

College gamblers’ ability to earn NIL deals has put sports marketing at the forefront of college football, which seems to be evolving on a daily basis. As Schiano said at a recent press conference, employees have to keep up with trends or risk being left behind. Wimsatt’s early arrival and potential NIL deals could make him one of the greatest athletes in the tri-state area. Despite the integration challenges these deals might pose for coaches trying to foster a team environment, no player is better than the team philosophy. It removes all limits to playing at a school like Rutgers, considering the school’s proximity to New York and its media market.

Shows the possibility of starting early

Coming up as a true freshman is one thing, but attending a college football game as a high school graduate is another. As long as Wimsatt is given the opportunity to compete, it will prove that a player, no matter how young and inexperienced the player is, can earn game time at Rutgers. As long as it is humanly possible and he can positively influence the team. And even if he can’t, a young player important enough could get minutes to practice against smaller enemies or blowouts.

Helps (or hurts) Rutgers recruit other QBs

Because of the transfer portal of college football, not even the best factory schools in the country can store quarterbacks like they used to, as players can simply move on to more ideal situations at will. Wimsatt’s early enrollment leaves another year between him and the 2023 quarterbacks that Rutgers is currently recruiting, allowing him to shoot bigger fish who want to make sure they’ll eventually be the man.

Conversely, if Wimsatt develops into what it should be on paper, it might as well deter future quarterbacks from picking the Scarlet Knights for the next several years. But these are the problems good programs have, and Rutgers is about to become just that.

Helps Rutgers weed out less serious recruits

Wimsatt’s swift move into the Shi Stadium also sends the message that Greg Schiano isn’t recruiting players just to make them sit around, using up resources and looking torn. He recruits players he and the staff believe can help the team win.

Not next year, not tomorrow, but today.

Thank you for relying on our journalism that you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Todderick Hunt can be reached at [email protected].