When Rutgers kicks off spring practice a couple of months down the road, the Big Ten program’s quarterback room will be a little more sparse than when the 2018 regular season ended.
Jalen Chatman announced on his personal Twitter account late Tuesday night that he has “decided to leave Rutgers to pursue new opportunities.” The freshman gave no specific reason for his departure.
“I hope for nothing but the best for my brothers and the Rutgers football program,” Chatman said as he ended his social media missive.
Thank You, @RFootball pic.twitter.com/nkiaBZNVAc
— Jalen Chatman🤘🏽 (@Jchatman17) December 12, 2018
Chatman came to Piscataway as a three-star member of the Scarlet Knights’ 2018 recruiting class, rated as the No. 32 dual-threat quarterback in the country. The California native didn’t see the field his true freshman season.
In leaving RU, Chatman will take four seasons of eligibility with him. He’ll have to sit out the 2019 season if he opts for another FBS school.
With Chatman’s departure, just two scholarship quarterbacks remain on head coach Chris Ash‘s roster -- 2018 starter and true freshman Artur Sitkowski as well as sophomore Johnathan Lewis, who played in only four games (three at tight end) and is eligible to take advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule that will preserve a season of eligibility. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights are expected to add a pair of quarterbacks in their 2019 recruiting class.
This past season, the 1-11 Scarlet Knights were dead last out of 129 FBS teams in passing efficiency at 78.8; the next-closest school was Central Michigan (85.2). They threw just five touchdown passes (tied with Navy for fewest in the FBS) while tossing 22 interceptions (most in the FBS; UTEP was next with 19). Finally, their 4.5 yards per attempt -- compared to Oklahoma’s nation-leading 11.6 -- was tied with CMU for last in the nation in that category.