State of Rutgers extends to Florida

Highly touted DT Antwan Lowery, who is from Miami, chose Rutgers, partly because of the large number of Floridians on the roster. Chris Livingston/Icon SMI Recruiting Breakdown   Andy Staples: The State of Recruiting Andy Staples: Tapping Florida's talent pool State-by-state BCS recruiting chart (2004-08)   Where do they come from? Click on the Google Maps below to see where BCS schools get their players. Rivals.com's 2009 Top 100 BCS Recruits By Position Rivals.com's Top 100 Recruits Athletes 2004-05 Athletes 2006-07 Athletes 2008 Defensive Backs 2004 Defensive Backs 2005 Defensive Backs 2006 Defensive Backs 2007 Defensive Backs 2008 Defensive Line 2004 Defensive Line 2005 Defensive Line 2006 Defensive Line 2007 Defensive Line 2008 Kickers Linebackers 2004 Linebackers 2005 Linebackers 2006 Linebackers 2007 Linebackers 2008 Long Snappers Offensive Line 2004 Offensive Line 2005 Offensive Line 2006 Offensive Line 2007 Offensive Line 2008 Quarterbacks 2004-05 Quarterbacks 2006-07 Quarterbacks 2008 Running Backs 2004 Running Backs 2005 Running Backs 2006 Running Backs 2007 Running Backs 2008 Tight Ends 2004-05 Tight Ends 2006-07 Tight Ends 2008 Wide Receivers 2004 Wide Receivers 2005 Wide Receivers 2006 Wide Receivers 2007 Wide Receivers 2008  BCS Recruits By State  Alabama (2004-06) Alabama (2007-07) Alaska Arizona Arkansas California (2004) California (2005) California (2006) California (2007) California (2008) Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida (2004) Florida (2005) Florida (2006) Florida (2007) Florida (2008) Georgia 2004-05 Georgia 2006-07 Georgia 2008 Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachussetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey (2004-05) New Jersey (2006-08) New Mexico New York North Carolina (2004-05) North Carolina (2006-08) North Dakota Ohio 2004-05 Ohio 2006-07 Ohio 2008 Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania 2004-05 Pennsylvania 2006-08 Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas 2004 Texas 2005 Texas 2006 Texas 2007 Texas 2008 Utah Vermont Virginia 2004-05 Virginia 2006-08 Washington West Virginia Wisconsin International and Territories  BCS Recruits By Conference  ACC Atlantic 2004 ACC Atlantic 2005 ACC Atlantic 2006 ACC Atlantic 2007 ACC Atlantic 2008 ACC Coastal 2004 ACC Coastal 2005 ACC Coastal 2006 ACC Coastal 2007 ACC Coastal 2008 Big 12 North 2004 Big 12 North 2005 Big 12 North 2006 Big 12 North 2007 Big 12 North 2008 Big 12 South 2004 Big 12 South 2005 Big 12 South 2006 Big 12 South 2007 Big 12 South 2008 Big East 2004 Big East 2005 Big East 2006 Big East 2007 Big East 2008 Big Ten 2004 Big Ten 2005 Big Ten 2006 Big Ten 2007 Big Ten 2008 Pac-10 2004 Pac-10 2005 Pac-10 2006 Pac-10 2007 Pac-10 2008 SEC East 2004 SEC East 2005 SEC East 2006 SEC East 2007 SEC East 2008 SEC West 2004 SEC West 2005 SEC West 2006 SEC West 2007 SEC West 2008  BCS Recruits By Schools  North Carolina (ACC) Clemson (ACC) N.C. State (ACC) Virginia (ACC) Florida State (ACC) Wake Forest (ACC) Miami (ACC) Maryland (ACC) Duke (ACC) Georgia Tech (ACC) Boston College (ACC) Virginia Tech (ACC) Kansas State (Big 12) Texas (Big 12) Texas A&M (Big 12) Texas Tech (Big 12) Oklahoma (Big 12) Baylor (Big 12) Oklahoma State (Big 12) Kansas (Big 12) Colorado (Big 12) Nebraska (Big 12) Iowa State (Big 12) Missouri (Big 12) Arizona State (Pac-10) Arizona (Pac-10) Cal (Pac-10) Stanford (Pac-10) USC (Pac-10) Washington State (Pac-10) Washington (Pac-10) Oregon State (Pac-10) Oregon (Pac-10) UCLA (Pac-10) Georgia (SEC) Kentucky (SEC) Vanderbilt (SEC) Tennessee (SEC) South Carolina (SEC) Mississippi State (SEC) Ole Miss (SEC) LSU (SEC) Florida (SEC) Auburn (SEC) Alabama (SEC) Arkansas (SEC) Louisville (Big East) Connecticut (Big East) Rutgers (Big East) West Virginia (Big East) South Florida (Big East) Cincinnati (Big East) Pittsburgh (Big East) Syracuse (Big East) Indiana (Big 10) Iowa (Big 10) Michigan (Big 10) Northwestern (Big 10) Ohio State (Big 10) Wisconsin (Big 10) Purdue (Big 10) Illinois (Big 10) Michigan State (Big 10) Penn State (Big 10) Minnesota (Big 10) Notre Dame (Ind.)

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Traveling northbound on Interstate 95 past mile marker 20, a driver can turn his head to the right and see high rises towering over sun-soaked beaches. If he turns his head to the left, he'll see a billboard advertising the football program at New Jersey's flagship state university. It's no accident. Hollywood, a suburb sandwiched between Fort Lauderdale and Miami, sits near the southern tip of the State of Rutgers.

The State of Rutgers is a topographer's nightmare and a football coach's dream. According to Scarlet Knights recruiting coordinator Joe Susan, it comprises anywhere within about three hours' driving distance (without traffic) of the school's New Brunswick, N.J., campus (New Jersey, the city of New York, Long Island, eastern New York, Massachusetts, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the Washington D.C. metro area) and Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida.

Unlike other staffs, who will scour the nation for talent if they can't draw enough players close to home, Rutgers coaches rarely stray from that geographic footprint. Recruiting those areas almost exclusively, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and his staff have secured the players who turned a program that didn't break .500 in any season between 1993 and 2004 into one that has gone 34-17 the past four seasons and won three-consecutive bowl games.

Susan, who arrived with Schiano prior to the 2001 season, said the staff's first goal was to lock down talent-rich New Jersey. For years, schools such as Boston College, Notre Dame and Syracuse had raided the Garden State. Coaches from even farther flung schools also came in and found a fertile recruiting ground west of the Hudson River.

"For the longest time in Jersey, it was easy pickings for everybody that came in," Susan said. "We changed the atmosphere. But until we get them all, we haven't changed it enough."

That may take a while. A look at Rivals.com's top 30 for the state in the class of 2009 shows plenty of players committed to Notre Dame and Penn State. Still, Schiano built the program to this point using mostly local players. The staff found quarterback Mike Teel in 2004 at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey. They found receiver Tiquan Underwood at Notre Dame in Lawrenceville. They found cornerback Joe Porter in 2003 at Frankin High in Somerset. Schiano and company also crossed nearby state lines, plucking fullback Brian Leonard from Governeur, N.Y., in 2002 and tailback Ray Rice from New Rochelle, N.Y., in 2005.

Then, to supplement those players, Rutgers coaches returned to Schiano's old stomping grounds in the nation's most talent-rich state. SI's study of recruiting data from 2004-08 showed that Florida produced not only the most BCS-conference signees (981), but also the most per capita. Few parts of Florida produce more players than Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Schiano patrolled that area as Miami's defensive coordinator from 1999-2000, and the term "State of Rutgers" is a nod to the State of Miami, the phrase former Hurricanes coach Howard Schnellenberger coined to describe the three south Florida counties that provided the 'Canes with most of the players who built a dynasty that lasted almost 20 years.

To tap the area, Rutgers bought billboards. The school also bought time on statewide television channel Sun Sports for Schiano's coach's show. The staff hosted camps in south Florida until the NCAA banned the practice. Two years ago, Schiano asked for time to address reporters at the Florida Sportswriters' Association Media Days, an event featuring the head coach of every Florida-based college football program. That request was denied, but the saturation has helped the Scarlet Knights in the Sunshine State.

Current Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Eric Foster came to Rutgers as a lightly recruited linebacker from Homestead, Fla., in 2003 and grew into an All-America. Though Foster was more than 1,200 miles from home, he didn't have to look far for someone with a similar background. His recruiting class included five other players from Dade County. Susan said the early south Floridians who succeeded at Rutgers have helped keep the pipeline moving. "They have a positive experience," Susan said, "and they become your best recruiters."

One such ace recruiter is sophomore linebacker Antonio Lowery from Christopher Columbus High in Miami. Lowery helped recruit 335-pound younger brother Antwan, who committed to Rutgers in spite of interest from plenty of what Susan calls "nationally sexy" programs. The younger Lowery said he felt comfortable at Rutgers, in part because of the presence of so many fellow Floridians.

The class Rutgers expects to sign next month features players from every corner of the State of Rutgers. There's Lowery from Miami, defensive back Logan Ryan from Voorhees, N.J., tailback De'Antwan Williams from Woodbridge, Va., and quarterback Tom Savage from Springfield, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb. Neither Rand nor McNally would be thrilled, but Schiano will be.

Rivals.com's 2009 Top 100 Recruits Click on map below to get a complete breakdown