Rutgers football: Nunzio Campanile settling in after move from Bergen Catholic

PISCATAWAY -- How much has Nunzio Campanile's life changed over the last two months?

After a successful eight-year stint as head coach of North Jersey parochial power Bergen Catholic, Campanile is now the running backs coach at Rutgers, where he is also expected to play a big part in recruiting.

One could formulate an argument that Campanile going from high school to college isn't a big deal. After all, it always felt like he was running Bergen Catholic like a college program anyway.

"I will say this, everyone kept telling me the time would be crazy," Campanile said earlier this week. "The time is no different, that's for sure. Now, I really get to focus on pretty much two things, doing the best job I can with our running backs, and getting my feet under me as far as recruiting goes.

"From that standpoint, I get to really focus on the things that are important to my job, which is really neat."

A New Jersey lifer whose resume includes a highly-successful stint as a Don Bosco Prep assistant coach under Greg Toal, one expectation for Campanile is simple, if not obvious. Walk in to those North Jersey heavyweights, the Bergen Catholics, the Don Boscos, the St. Peter's Preps, and secure recruits from those talent-rich power programs in Rutgers' backyard.

"It's been interesting, I think I have a lot of good relationships," Campanile said. "The majority of the guys that I'm going to be recruiting are up in North Jersey, so I know a lot of the kids. I know a lot of their families, so that part has been pretty good.

"I'm really excited to develop relationships outside the area and enhance some of the relationships I've had in the past."

The possibilities in recruiting are what got the attention when news of Campanile's hiring broke on Feb. 5. However, there is the small matter of him also being in charge of a position group.

Campanile is overseeing an interesting running backs room. Jon Hilliman is a Boston College graduate transfer and onetime star at, ironically, St. Peter's Prep. Big things are possible for sophomore Raheem Blackshear, and Isaih Pacheco is an early enrollee from Vineland.

"I'm glad he's here, he's a phenomenal guy, and he's won at every level he's been at," Hilliman said. "I'm excited to play for him and learn from him. The program he had at Bergen Catholic speaks for itself."

"I think we have a very versatile group," Campanile said. "We've got a bunch of guys that have the ability to play and help us. There are three or four guys that are ready to compete, then a couple more that have a chance to develop by the time the season gets here.

"I've been really happy with the way they work."

Staff writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com; @Joshua_Newman