Just a handful of hours into his official tenure as Rutgers’ head coach, Kyle Flood has already earned his first significant win.
At a television appearance Tuesday night, five-star defensive end Darius Hamilton announced that he was staying home and gave his verbal commitment to the Scarlet Knights. Hamilton, who attended national high school power Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, had long been considered a strong lean toward RU, but that stance shifted after Greg Schiano left the school for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Upon Schiano’s departure for the NFL last week, Florida State and Miami pounced on the opening and emerged as what many observers viewed as the front-runners for Hamilton’s services. In the end, though, the 6-4, 250-pounder opted for the in-state Big East school over the ACC programs.
“I just feel like in my heart that’s where I want to be,” Hamilton said by way of the Newark Star-Ledger.
While some RU fans have questioned handing the reins of the program over to Flood -- along with the school’s inability to land FIU’s Mario Cristobal -- any short-term anguish should be assuaged by the fact that the new coach was able to keep the top player in the state in the fold.
In addition to being the top player in the state of New Jersey, Rivals.com had Hamilton rated as the No. 2 strongside DE and the No. 11 player at any position in the country.
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