How Rutgers Offensive Line Recruiting Has Changed Under Jim Turner

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Rutgers offensive line recruiting has changed significantly in just a few months under new offensive line coach Jim Turner. Turner himself is more active in recruiting than his predecessor was, going out himself and recruiting several names from around the country, something that wasn’t done as much in years prior. The type of high school lineman he recruits is different as well, prioritizing Big Ten-level size.

Turner is a much more active recruiter than his predecessor, Pat Flaherty, was. While Flaherty would occasionally make the trip to see a local prospect, Turner has already flown out several times to meet prospects from across the country in person. This is not to knock on Flaherty; he played a major role in bringing the Rutgers offensive line up to Big Ten speed. However, there is still a notable difference between the coaches’ recruiting strategies so far.

Turner also has a bit of a different recruiting strategy than his predecessor. While Flaherty was able to make a solid offensive line with the size he had on staff, Rutgers linemen were still on the smaller side for Big Ten standards. Even offensive line standouts such as Kobe Asamoah and Bryan Felter were considered a little undersized for their positions in the Big Ten, despite their ability to compete at the same level.

Turner’s strategy seems to be different. He seems to eye up linemen who are already close to the size that he wants so that he can shape them into the type of player he needs them to be. Rutgers has already landed three commitments from offensive linemen this recruitment cycle who are 300 pounds or more: Charles Butler, Aaron Southard, and Jackson Albright, and all of the prospects they have coming on official visits are in the 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-7 range. Now it is up to Turner to shape them into the offensive linemen he wants them to be.

He has a reliable track record of doing just that. At Texas AM, Turner had 7 of his former linemen drafted, 3 of which became first-round picks. He is also responsible for the college development of longtime Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo during his time as offensive line coach for Boston College.

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