The decision was pretty easy for three-star defensive end Nick Bags. Turning down an offer from Rutgers, his hometown team, just was too difficult.

Recently, the three-star defensive tackle gave his verbal pledge to the Scarlet Knights. His 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame gives the program some added depth and size up front, even if he’s still a year away from making his way to campus.

After committing to Rutgers, Bags talked about his decision to stay at home, saying there were several factors involved. But perhaps the biggest reason to go to Rutgers was because of his belief in the program turning around sometime soon.

“Rutgers is hard to turn down,” Bags said in an interview with Beasts of the East. “It’s my hometown team, which will allow me to be very close to my mother. I’ll be playing in the Big Ten, competing against the best week in and week out, while getting an awesome education. On top of all that, it fits the kind of campus I was looking for. And I do believe and trust that very soon Rutgers will have a new culture of winning. I’m just glad I can help make history there.”

The Scarlet Knights have struggled to get rolling under head coach Chris Ash. In three seasons, Rutgers is 7-29 with just a 3-24 record in B1G play. Last fall, the team ended 1-11 without a win in the conference.

Bags is convinced that Rutgers is going to start heading in the right direction.

“I would love to win bowl games and put Rutgers on the map as a top team in the country,” Bags said.

Rutgers hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2014 when it finished the season 8-5. It was also the last time the program has enjoyed a winning season.