Nobody knows more about football recruiting in New Jersey and the Northeast than Chris Melvin of EliteRecruits.com. Check out the second of a three-part interview with Chris in which he breaks down the 23-man recruiting class Rutgers inked last Wednesday on National Signing Day.
***See Part 1 of the Melvin interview here.
***To learn more about the New Jersey vs. the Northeast All-Star Classic at Rutgers Stadium that will feature Phil Simms and Joe Theismann as head coaches, read this story.
RUTGERS HIRES MARIANI AS DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING
I was once sitting in the office of Wayne Hills football coach Chris Olsen, as good a high school football coach as there is anywhere, and in walked then-Iona head coach Fred Mariani.
Chris and Fred had known each other for years and the meeting was friendly and cordial. Mariani was there on a recruiting trip and he knew to ask Olsen which of his players would best fit Iona.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Iona then ended up with a couple of Wayne Hills players.
Mariani’s connections should benefit Rutgers since he was announced Tuesday as the new Director of Football Recruiting Operations.
“We are excited to have Fred joining our family,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. “Fred brings a wealth of experience to this position and will surely help us achieve our championship goals.”
Mariani is a Saddle River, N.J. native who won 46 games at Iona.
“To me, this is a dream come true,” he said. “This is such an exciting opportunity since I am a New Jersey guy and Rutgers is our state university. I have great respect for the coaching staff here at Rutgers and I consider Greg Schiano to be one of the top coaches in the nation.”
