Rutgers Football lands offensive lineman, loses DL to Big Ten rival
Rutgers Football lands offensive lineman, loses DL to Big Ten rival
It has been a busy week for Rutgers already.
On Tuesday, offensive lineman Shedrick Rhodes Jr. announced his commitment to the Scarlet Knights. On Wednesday morning, Rutgers learned that one of its targets made a decision and gave Rhodes Jr. another threat to block within the Big Ten.
Kent State defensive tackle CJ West is on his way to Indiana under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. West had plenty of interest within the Big Ten. He chose the Hoosiers over Rutgers and Wisconsin, along with LSU and Florida State. West was on campus visiting Rutgers earlier this week but decided to head to Bloomington.
West was one of the top interior defensive lineman in the portal. Greg Schiano wasted no time offering the 6-foot-2, 315-pound tackle in mid-April once he hit the portal. West finished with 40 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in 2023. He has a relationship with defensive line coach Colin Ferrell and this gave Rutgers hope in the sweepstakes.
Good news came on Tuesday night when Rhodes Jr. decided to come to Piscataway.
Rhodes Jr., a 6-foot-6 transfer from Ohio, gives Rutgers more depth along the offensive line. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Rhodes Jr. comes to Rutgers with plenty of experience on the right side of the offensive line. He started 12 games at right tackle last season for Ohio. He played 708 snaps in that spot but also played 81 snaps across three games at right guard. In 399 pass-blocking snaps, PFF credited Rhodes Jr. with allowing just one sack and two quarterback hits.
This addition gives Rutgers much-needed depth on the right side of the offensive line. Rhodes Jr. will battle for the right tackle job, along with Tyler Needham and Reggie Sutton. Needham suffered a season-ending injury after starting the first two games in 2023. Sutton made his return to the field and started seven games for Rutgers after a major knee injury at the start of 2021.
Rutgers now has improved depth on the right side of the offensive line, which will go a long way in the Big Ten.