Rutgers recruiting: Saeed Blacknall pushes the Scarlet Knights to the top of AAC recruiting rankings

The AAC may be in its first season, but that hasn’t stopped Rutgers from making a charge up the conference recruiting rankings -- so far, the 247Sports Composite ranks its class 22nd in the country, and top among AAC teams.

That lead is extremely precarious, though -- a mere five points separates Rutgers from Louisville, and it is likely that another commitment or two could cause these teams to swap places. Still, AAC recruiting supremacy looks to belong to either the Scarlet Knights or the Cardinals, as no other school is remotely close to matching its quality of class.

In the last month, Rutgers added a trio of new commitments. Jonathan Hilliman from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peters, a 3-star running back according to the 247Sports Composite, and cornerback Deion Hallmon from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cypress Bay both opted to come take their talents to New Brunswick in August.

Both those players were solid additions, but the biggest news last month came from wide receiver Saeed Blacknall, who chose to stay in-state over offers from Alabama and Clemson. The 4-star Blacknall is rated a top 20 receiver for 2014. He won’t be the only one bolstering the Scarlet Knights’ receiving corps, either -- joining the 6’3, 210-pound Blacknall will be fellow New Jersey native and 4-star wideout Adonis Jennings, who committed back in June. Throwing to them will be another recruit that Rutgers brought in this year -- 3-star pro style quarterback Tyler Wiegers from Franklin (Mich.) Detroit County.

Still, the highlights of this class are clearly Blacknall and Jennings, although one more player should be considered among them. The Scarlet Knights also have a commitment from 4-star safety Kiy Hester, a top 20 player at his position by the 247Composite.

Together, those three players also give Rutgers a clear advantage over all other AAC rivals. Only Louisville and South Florida have even one 4-star commitment.

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