Rutgers running backs coach Andrew Aurich gestures while the Scarlet Knights run sprints at spring practice on Thursday, April 14, 2022 in Piscataway, N.J.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Rutgers has added a change of pace to its deep running back room, and is making dent in the Sunshine State.
Jashon Benjamin, a 5-9, 190-pound junior running back from Pahokee, who visited Rutgers in June, committed to Greg Schiano on Wednesday night — just two days after the team added IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) five-star long snapper Jake Eldridge to the fold.
“I love everything about Rutgers,” Benjamin, the three-star running back, said. “They are all about family. The coaches made me feel like I was home when I visited. They treated me like I was a part of the team already.”
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Benjamin isn’t the tallest back, but he is explosive and has a thickly built lower half. He runs a 10.7 100-meters, and brings balance and power to the field. He is a threat in space who can also return punts and kicks, and turn short gains into home runs, and he’s tough to tackle.
Benjamin ran before Rutgers coaches during a satellite camp at Florida Atlantic this summer, checking those boxes for the staff.
Now, he’ll spend his next four-to-five years in Piscataway like many Florida players before him have done.
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Benjamin picked Rutgers over 12 other schools including Purdue, Tulane, Memphis, and a slew of Group of Five schools.
Benjamin is the 19th player, and seventh from Florida, to join Rutgers’ 2023 class, ranked by 48th 247Sports, and 50th by Rivals.com.
MORE FROM TODDERICK HUNT
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–Presenting the NJ.com Top 50, Jan. 2022, a list of New Jersey’s top high school football recruits (regardless of grade)
–WATCH: Hanging around Washington Township with OL John Stone, Rutgers’ newest Scarlet Knight and face of its 2023 class
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Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com.
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