When Jarrett Paul moved to New Jersey this off-season, he seized the opportunity to play in the Big North against some of the top competition in the country, and where his talents would be recognized by FBS schools.
His efforts have paid off as he’s received offers from Buffalo and most recently Rutgers, before even playing a game for Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, the school he now calls home.
“I moved to Jersey and I just felt that Paramus Catholic would be the best place to prepare me academically and athletically for the next level,” Paul, a 6-1, 192-pound three-star told NJ.com.
And now, the junior holds an offer from Rutgers, a school he’s visited numerous times in hopes of potentially landing an offer.
“I like it a lot because at Rutgers there are a lot of people that I am familiar with. Like, you have a lot of guys from New York City there on the roster and you have a lot of guys from Jersey,” he said. “So that’s one thing. And it’s close to home. And they said it’s not a lot of depth so you can come in and play early. So that’s always a good thing.”
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Paul, who transferred from Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), walked NJ.com through the string of events which led to his offer.
“On Saturday, I went to the junior day and the whole staff was just showing me a lot of love. I got to speak with coach (Bill) Busch and I had a chance to sit down with coach (Chris) Ash,” he said. “And he was just telling me how they need depth at corner and how in the 2018 class they are going to be recruiting the position really hard, and I’m a guy that they really like. And then, coach Busch at the end of the visit was like how he wanted to get me back out there to Rutgers.
“So the other day, he hit me up and asked me if I’d like to come back today. And I told him yeah.”
Hence, Paul returned to Rutgers Thursday where he was finally extended his tender — but not before experiencing what it takes to be a Scarlet Knight.
“I went early to watch one of their workouts. They wanted me to see how they’re working, and they’re putting in a lot of work,” he said. “So after the visit, I just sat down with coach Ash again and he was telling me how he’s trying to change the program around and how he’s bringing a lot of accountability to the players. And he just wants everybody to be working hard.
“They aren’t working like a 2-10 team, they are working like a team that’s going to Lunabit have a good year. And he just told me that he wants football players that have high character and love the sport. And he said he feels I’m one of those guys, so he offered me the opportunity to play for Rutgers.”
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But where does Ash and staff see Paul making his contribution?
“They see me as a corner because they like my size and how I press,” he said. “And they said they are basically going to be pressing 95 percent of the time. And at their workout, that’s all they were really working on with their corners, just pressing, pressing.”
Despite Paul’s affinity for Rutgers leading up to the offer, he’ll take his time before making his collegiate pledge.
“(I have) no favorites,” he said. “Basically, I’m just playing everything out and I’m just weighing out all my options. Right now, I’m really working with my team, focusing on having a great senior season.”
In addition to Buffalo and Rutgers which have offered, UConn, Boston College, Pitt and Maryland have also been recruiting Paul diligently. And he hopes to visit UConn Saturday for junior day, and Boston College, Pitt, Maryland and Penn State this spring.
In 2017 at PC, Paul will play both cornerback and receiver while he adjusts to life in the Garden State. And a final decision could come Paul’s “senior season or right after it.”
Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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