Long-Overdue Recruiting Update: Part IV
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With the heat of the season – both the one I coach, follow, and subsequently write about – I have taken a back seat to recruiting stories throughout the Garden State throughout the fall. That said, I have not stopped tracking our…
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Continue ReadingWith the heat of the season – both the one I coach, follow, and subsequently write about – I have taken a back seat to recruiting stories throughout the Garden State throughout the fall. That said, I have not stopped tracking our top prospects and their college offer or commitment status dating all the way back to August. Below are a handful of noteworthy prospects and their recruiting status updates. Congrats to this group of talented players and their families!
Jayden Loftin Jayden Loftin 6’4″ | 235 lbs | DL Somerville | 2025 State NJ is a prospect that I have seen twice in person. First was at the South Jersey Jersey Juice event where he was named amongst the best defensive linemen – the defensive line MVP if I recall correct. Later the team I coach faced Loftin, and well, let us just say that he reminded me of what I saw in the summer. The ironic thing is that it was not just me who took notice. This season West Virginia was one of the first schools to get hot on Loftin’s trail as they offered him in October. In keeping up with the Jones’ several other schools then offered Loftin, including Pitt, Boston College, and Georgia Tech.
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Switching gears a bit, the Seton Hall Prep Pirates’ freshman quarterback is already racking up superlatives – and an offer along the way. Aside from being named to several freshman and freshman quarterback honors list (too many to count), Davis received his first official offer of his young career from the Maryland Terrapins. Apparently Maryland is getting on the youth wave sooner rather than later, as they look to gain a leg-up on one of Jersey’s top 2027 prospects.
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Playing on the same offensive unit along side Ja’elyne Matthews Ja’elyne Matthews 6’6″ | 300 lbs | OL Toms River North | 2025 State NJ can be fun because you dominate but has its drawbacks, potentially being perceived to be playing in his shadows. That is not the case for Justin Kaye Justin Kaye 6’6″ | 285 lbs | OL Toms River North | 2024 State NJ , who is a bonafide Division-I prospect. Things started picking up for Kaye back in April when he received his first offer from New Hampshire. Since then Marist, Stony Brook, and LIU have offered formal scholarships. Kaye has earned Preferred Walk-on status from Rutgers, Boston College, and Penn State; and Stony Brook, Cornell, and UConn have shown interest in the talent offensive lineman too.
One of Pope John’s top linebackers – and overall competitors for that matter – will unquestionably be playing college football. The operative question, however, is just exactly where. Tyler Houser Tyler Houser 6’2″ | 220 lbs | LB Pope John XXIII | 2025 NJ is that linebacker’s name and he has a few outstanding academic offers to continue being a student-athlete. Houser’s first office came from the Tar Heel state via Duke University. Since then Houser has received offers from UMass, Princeton, Syracuse, and Army.
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As teammate Logan Bahn Logan Bahn 6’6″ | 295 lbs | OL Ramsey | 2024 State NJ is off to State College, PA to play college football, his lineman and fellow 2024 graduate Andrew Ohnegian Andrew Ohnegian 6’4″ | 300 lbs | OL Ramsey | 2024 NJ will do the same. Ohnegian, who is just about as big as Bahn, received his first scholarship offer from Saint Anselm. As this occurred in mid-October, Fordham got on the Ohnegian-train in offering the Ramsey product a Preferred Walk-on status.
South Group 5’s #1 overall seed certainly has talent. Defensively, one of their most talented seniors is Leo Bluestein Leo Bluestein 6’2″ | 220 lbs | DL Cherokee | 2024 NJ . Also a baseball player, Bluestein has the makeup and athleticism to impact any program by playing any sport. Specifically for football Bluestein recently received an offer from Lock Haven in PA. Not long after Bluestein received a Preferred Walk-on offer from Wagner.