The Five Biggest Recruiting Busts in Rutgers Football History,

Rutgers recent football mediocrity has actually been a step up for the program. Thus, it may surprise some to know that over the last 25 years, Rutgers has raked in some of the highest rated recruits in the nation. But many went bust.

Here are some of the biggest recruits to come to Piscataway and leave with no real impact:

Nate Robinson: This 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive tackle had originally committed to Miami. Robinson was the top-ranked defensive lineman in the United States. To the struggling Rutgers defense, this monstrous presence in the trenches was seen as a godsend. However, Robinson showed up out of shape to his first training camp and barely saw any time on the field. Eventually, he was dismissed form the team after getting into trouble with the law.

Berkeley Hutchinson: This remarkable physical specimen of a player had potential that was nothing short of astonishing. When he arrived at Rutgers in 2002, the 6-3, 235-pound outside linebacker was the finest recruit coach Greg Schiano had ever signed . But Hutchinson struggled. Under the enormous expectations, some observers said he put too much pressure on himself. Injuries also took their toll. Joe Susan, the Rutgers assistant coach who recruited him, told the Star Ledger that “Hutchinson was a kid in a man’s body who didn’t know how to handle the adversity.” He left the team in November 2004.”

Rikki Cook: Rutgers fans were excited when this running back helped trailblaze Schiano’s first recruiting class in 2001. At Montclair High, Cook would run around, away from, and over defenders. He was the No. 2 recruit in New Jersey. But Cook never realized his potential. In his only season “On the Banks of the Old Raritan,” Cook’s final stats show him rushing for only 46 yards on 19 carries. He transferred to another school and never looked back to to the central New Jersey program.

Dwayne Jones: In high school, this running back put up 953 yards and 13 touchdowns in just five games. And he did it while having to play for one of the state’s worst teams. Jones was considered at the level of Hutchinson and Robinson: one of the highest rated Rutgers recruits of all-time. But he received a suspension that ended his high school football season. Schiano took a gamble and decided not to rescind a scholarship offer for the 2004 class, but Jones failed to pass the NCAA’s Academic Clearinghouse. Today, he is serving a 12 years armed robbery and won’t be eligible for parole until 2015.

Brian Forte: This signal caller barely missed getting the starting job for the Miami Hurricanes, over Gino Torretta. Miami was on top of the polls and Toretta was so talented that he eventually lead the Hurricanes to a national championship. So when Forte transferred to Rutgers, he was expected to light up the scoreboard and usher in an era of prosperity. Instead, in 1992 he ended up in a quarterback controversy, competing with Ray Lucas for playing time. This prompted the Sun Sentinel to ask Is Ex-cane`s Forte Backup Quarterback?

Fan connection: I attended dozens of Rutgers football games from the 1980s through the year 2000. I continue to follow the team.