Three B1G Things: Greg Schiano is building a fence around New Jersey, Justin Fields over Trevor Lawrence & Drew Brees the (possible) broadcaster
Three B1G Things is a daily weekday update on some of the most unique and interesting stories from across the B1G. It ranges from recruiting to coach press conferences, funny anecdotes to serious situations. We provide our commentary, analysis and opinions on a few topics every day.
Rutgers is recruiting New Jersey really well
Just because Greg Schiano isn’t around his team doesn’t mean he and his staff can’t be working hard on the recruiting trail. Though they’re dealing with some serious restrictions right now, the Scarlet Knights continue to fence off the state of New Jersey.
So far, Rutgers has already received nine verbal commitments and seven of those are from New Jersey products. That includes four-star outside linebacker Khayri Banton, who’s ranked as one of the top 300 players in the 2021 recruiting cycle, per 247Sports Composite rankings. That hard work on the recruiting front has translated to the nation’s 12th-ranked class currently, and No. 5 in the B1G.
Those numbers may not stick around when the Early Signing Period arrives, but Rutgers doesn’t necessarily need to be ranked that high. The fact that Schiano and his staff have generated this much interest in a program that has sat at the bottom of the B1G for some many years, so fast, is evidence already that the program is in good hands moving forward.
PFF says Justin Fields is the top returning QB in college football
Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence are the two headline players returning to the college field in 2020 — and both are considered the top favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. It’s not hard to see why, either. Lawrence’s national championship appearance total (2) is higher than his loss total (1) as a starting quarterback. And Fields stepped into big shoes at Ohio State, replacing Dwayne Haskins, and still made the trip to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Is Fields really the better quarterback of the two? Pro Football Focus thinks so, and here’s why:
Justin Fields should be ahead of Trevor Lawrence. He’s graded better, he’s graded better in pro-like situations. He’s six-foot-three, it’s not like he’s some shrimpy guy that no one’s ever heard of. Justin Fields ahead of Trevor Lawrence.
They both project to be better than Tua [Tagovailoa] and a little bit less than [Joe] Burrow, but of course Burrow had the senior year that none of them have had yet. So for right now, it’s Fields then Lawrence and then, if Tua were in next year’s draft, he’d be third.
Both Fields and Lawrence are so talented, it’s hard to pick one over the other. Right now, I might be convinced to take Lawrence over Fields right now, simply from the experience standpoint. However, Fields now has one full year under his belt, and it should be incredibly fun to see what he can do in his second season.
We can all admit that, regardless of who you select, it’s almost impossible to go wrong.
When his NFL career is over, is Drew Brees headed to the broadcast booth?
Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage reported recently that ESPN has targeted Drew Brees as a potential analyst for its Monday Night Football broadcast team, upon the quarterback’s retirement. According to Travis, the network extended an eight-figure offer to the New Orleans and Purdue legend.
Yes, please.
ESPN has already missed on chances to get Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, but I actually think Brees would bring plenty of knowledge and charisma to the broadcast booth. He wouldn’t be nearly as animated as Jon Gruden used to be under the mic, but he’d be able to provide in-depth breakdowns on every play, much like Romo does. Plus, Brees tends to be a pretty well-liked guy throughout the NFL, so it’d really be a home-run hire for ESPN.
I’m all for Drew Brees playing in the NFL for as long as he’d like, but when he calls it a career, I hope his next immediate move is to the broadcast booth.