By Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Take a look at the depth chart for Rutgers' game against Illinois this Saturday, thumb through the 18 first- or second-year players among the 51-player two-deep, and it begs the question:

Why does Rutgers lack Big Ten-level talent — and experience — at so many key positions?

The answer is simple: retention.

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Bruce Thorson | USA TODAY Sports

While Rutgers' recruiting has been subpar since joining the Big Ten — ranking 10th (2014), 10th (2015), 14th (2016) and 9th (2017), according to Rivals.com's annual conference rankings — retaining players has been a major issue as well.

Just five of the 21 players from 2013 recruiting class are contributing to this year's team. Eight of the 16 players who either transferred or were dismissed would be fifth-year seniors today.

Rutgers landed 26 players on Signing Day in 2014, only to see two players fail to qualify academically and another 10 transfer or get dismissed.

Rutgers signed a 25-player class in 2015, but 12 of those players are no longer part of the program.

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Not including players who used up their eligibility or were forced to medically retire, 43.2 percent of the players (32 of 74) from three recruiting classes (2013-15) are no longer part of the Rutgers program.

Included in that total are 25 players who either transferred or were dismissed. Think about that number for a second ... that's the equivalent of a full recruiting class.

Say what you will about the reasons for their departures — or their ability to play in the Big Ten to begin with — but that’s more than two dozen players who would be upperclassmen today had they been properly developed in the program.

With injuries at wide receiver, cornerback, safety and linebacker, Rutgers has been forced to play a mix of true freshmen, walk-ons and lightly rated recruits at those positions.

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It's among the big reasons why the Scarlet Knights stand at 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play heading into their Big Ten matchup against Illinois this Saturday (12 p.m., BTN).

Here's a look at how Rutgers' depth has been shredded by player defections and dismissals:

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

2013 recruiting class

Players contributing: WR Janarion Grant, DL Sebastian Joseph, LG Dorian Miller, TE/DL Myles Nash, DL Kemoko Turay.

Out for season due to injury: LB T.J. Taylor.

Used up eligibility: TE Nick Arcidiacono, DB Anthony Cioffi, RB Justin Goodwin, WR Andre Patton.

Transferred/left program: FB Dontea Ayres, DB Bryant Gross-Armiento, DL Nick Internicola, DL Josh Klecko, TE Taylor Marini.

Graduated early: RB/LB Devan Carter, QB Chris Laviano, WR John Tsimis.

Dismissed: CB Nadir Barnwell, LB L.J. Liston, DB Delon Stephenson.

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This recruiting class was rated 45th nationally by Rivals.com, and 10 of the 22 players became solid contributors.

Barnwell and Stephenson were starters in the defensive backfield, but were dismissed in September 2015 after their arrests.

Liston was kicked off the team in March 2015 for an unspecified reason, and is reportedly facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with what Michigan prosecutors called a revenge killing.

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Gross-Armiento ended up transferring to Wake Forest, but didn’t contribute much for the ACC school.

Internicola, now a fifth-year senior at Florida Atlantic, contributes at defensive end for the Conference USA school.

Ayres transferred to Towson and finished up at Division III Stevenson University.

Marini transferred to a junior college, then started six of 13 games during the 2015 season at Southern Miss.

Klecko, whose father, Joe, was a former Jets great and whose brother, Dan, starred at Temple, left after his freshman year for Fordham, where he appeared in just four games over three seasons.

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

2014 recruiting class

Players contributing: OG Marcus Applefield,LT Tariq Cole, DB Saquan Hampton, OL Zack Heeman, RB Josh Hicks, DE Jimmy Hogan, LS Alan Lucy, LB Eric Margolis, RB Robert Martin, QB Giovanni Rescigno, LB Brandon Russell, CB Isaiah Wharton, DL Kevin Wilkins.

Transferred/left program: DL Donald Bedell, DL Sam Blue, FB Jacob Kraut, TE Logan Lister, DB Kam Lott, OL Jacquis Webb, DL Eric Wiafe.

Didn't enroll: LB Sidney Gopre, LB Justin Nelson.

Medically retired: TE George Behr.

Dismissed: CB Andre Boggs, CB Darian Dailey, QB Philip Nelson.

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The recruiting class was ranked 10th in the Big Ten, according to Rivals.com, and 10 players are on the current two-deep.

Boggs, Dailey and Nelson were dismissed after getting they faced legal charges.

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Lister announced his transfer from Rutgers in July of 2015, later enrolled at Navy and isn’t listed on the Midshipmen roster.

Blue left Rutgers in June of 2015, then transferred to Division 1-AA North Carolina A&T.

Kraut transferred from Rutgers in February of 2015, and is currently the starting fullback at Florida International, a Conference USA program in Miami.

Lott transferred from Rutgers in January of 2015 for Georgia Military College, and is currently a redshirt junior cornerback at Mercer, an FCS program.

Webb transferred in June 2016 after not seeing action in his first two seasons, and is currently on the Buffalo roster.

Bedell transferred in July 2015 to Montana, where in played in the 2015 and ’16 seasons.

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

2015 recruiting class

Players contributing: DT Jon Bateky, DB Rashad Blunt, DB Jawuan Harris, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart, OL Jonah Jackson, LB Trevor Morris, DL Willington Previlon, LB Deonte Roberts, OL Kamaal Seymour, RB Charles Snorweah, OL Manny Taylor, OL Zach Venesky.

Out for season due to injury: CB Blessuan Austin.

Transferred/left program: DL Ron'Dell Carter, DB Najee Clayton, QB Michael Dare, TE Anthony Folkerts, OL Jack Shutack.

Used up eligibility: LB Isaiah Johnson, LB Kaiwan Lewis.

Didn't enroll: LB Sidney Gopre.

Medically retired: DB Jarius Adams, DB Ronnie James.

Dismissed: DL Marques Ford, WR Dontae Owens.

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Ford left Rutgers in December of 2015 for a Mississippi junior college, and in November 2016 was named in a lawsuit alleging he was involved in a sexually assault during his lone season at RU.

Owens had the distinction of becoming the first player dismissed by Chris Ash in September 2016, and is currently playing at Division II Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

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Carter announced a transfer in May 2017 to James Madison, an FCS program.

Clayton left Rutgers in September 2016, and in January transferred to Western Michigan. The 6-2, 225-pound strongside linebacker would likely be a valuable contributor had he stayed at Rutgers.

Dare didn't play in his two seasons at Rutgers, and transferred to Lackawanna College, where he has completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,163 yards and thrown for eight touchdowns for the Pennsylvania junior college.

Shutack left Rutgers after redshirting in the 2015 season, played one year at a suburban Chicago junior college and joined the Colorado football program as a walk-on in June. The 6-6, 290-pound offensive lineman from Western Springs, Ill, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining starting in 2018.

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.