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Rutgers picks up 2026 commitment from elite OL out of Georgia
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Rutgers picked up a key recruiting win on Friday evening, this time plucking an impressive offensive line prospect out of the southeast to add to the 2026 recruiting class.
The player is Jared Smith, a 6-foot-4.5 and 325-pound recruit out of Woodland High School in Stockbridge, Georgia. Smith was also considering Georgia, Auburn and Georgia Tech, giving Greg Schiano and his staff a key pick up for 2026.
According to the 247 Sports Composite, Smith is a 4-star recruit and the 27th available interior offensive line recruit in the country. He checks in just outside the top 300 players nationally, regardless of position, for the cycle.
Smith joins a Rutgers recruiting class that is currently on track for a top 25 finish in the country. He becomes 1 of 4 hard commitments at this point with a 4-star composite rating for a group that ranks 23rd nationally as we approach June.
Rutgers has not finished with a top 25 recruiting class since Schiano returned to Piscataway, but the program has been building toward that goal. The Scarlet Knights were 33rd in recruiting for 2025, following up on 36th finish in 2024.
Now, that hard work is paying off with eyes on an even bigger finish this year.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.