Tuesday, Paul IV (Haddonfield, N.J.) senior quarterback Matteo Vitale visited Rutgers accompanied by his parents, and left campus committed to walking on at the school in the fall. But his Rutgers recruitment goes back to last year when new head coach Chris Ash was appointed captain of the ship.

"It started back in December, it was actually December 17th, I believe. It was a couple days after coach Ash got the job. So I emailed him and I emailed coach (Vince) Okruch my film and and told them I was interested in being a preferred walk-on -- because I already knew that they had a couple scholarships out at the quarterback position," said Vitale, a 5-11, 165-pounder. "And they told me that they liked my film and just to be patient. And after Ohio State's bowl game, they said that they'd get back to me and they did. And they told me I can go up for my visit a couple weeks after signing day happens, so that's what led to today."

Vitale, who transferred to Paul VI from Haddon Heights (N.J.) prior to his junior year, walked us through his long day at Rutgers, which spanned three hours.

"I met up with coach (Rick) Mantz because he handles all of the preferred walk-ons and stuff, and took a tour of the facilities," he said. "And then I got to meet coach (Chris) Ash in person, coach (Drew) Mehringer. And I was actually really looking forward to meeting coach Mehringer because I haven't really talked to him yet and he's gonna be my coach -- because most of the time the quarterbacks spend a lot of time with the offensive coordinator."

Vitale was happy to hear he'd get an opportunity to make a real contribution on the banks, which aided his decision to commit.

"He told me I'm gonna have a fair chance to compete," said Vitale. "That was the whole thing. Even though I'm not on scholarship, it's gonna seem like I'm on scholarship. I'll have a chance to compete and I'm gonna be like everybody else, basically."

Vitale had his fair share of collegiate interest following his high school career, but says being a Scarlet Knight trumped all his other options.

"I was getting looked at by Delaware, James Madison, Monmouth, Youngstown state and other schools but once I got the opportunity to play at Rutgers, there was no way I was passing that up."

Vitale has been told his intangibles give him a realistic shot to eventually earn playing time, and potentially a Rutgers scholarship.

"When I was talking to coach Mehringer, he was telling me what he looks for in a quarterback," Vitale said. "And he said first and foremost he wants a leader, somebody that can lead a team, lead a group of young men. He wants somebody that's a competitor that always wants to win.

"He's real big on the intangibles," Vitale continued. "He's not really big on the physical attributes or anything. He's real big on the intangibles, if you can win football games. And then the last thing he said is he wants someone who is intelligent, who knows where to go with the ball all the time, knows the situation they're in, protects the football and moves the chains. That's really what he wants and he said I fit that mold, so I was excited to hear that."

In 2015, Vitale accumulated 1,625 passing yards and 17 TDs (to only six INTs) on 113 completions. He also rushed for four additional scores.

Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.