By Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Rutgers is making a late push in the early signing period.

Especially at home.

Rutgers added two class of 2018 commitments from in-state recruits -- three-star defensive end Kaymar Mimes of Long Branch and four-star athlete Daevon Robinson of Shawnee -- Monday night, just two days before signing national letters of intent in December is allowed for the first time.

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RVision

Rutgers pushed its total to 22 verbal commits -- 20 of whom are expected to sign Wednesday -- and moved up in the national rankings to No. 35 by 247Sports and No. 38 by Rivals.com. That puts Rutgers on pace for its highest-rated recruiting class since 2012, the last that had former coach Greg Schiano's fingerprints on it.

Why?

For starters, Rutgers did a better job than normal overcoming two familiar obstacles: Uncertainty at offensive coordinator and resistance from within the state, especially at the top of the rankings.

Only one (Robinson) of the Top 15 prospects in New Jersey as rated by Rivals.com is Rutgers-bound, though several remain undecided.

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Rutgers still will have six weeks -- some of it a recruiting "dead period" under NCAA rules -- to finish out the class by the traditional February signing day. In a strange way, an ability to focus solely on recruiting this month might have been a consolation prize for not reaching a bowl.

NJ Advance Media discussed the challenges Rutgers faced plus the national take on an early signing period, Rutgers' class at-large, specific potential impact players and much more with Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman and 247Sports national analyst Brian Dohn.

Here are their answers in a question-and-answer format.

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Mark Brown | For NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Q: This is the first early signing period. Is it a good thing for teams? For recruits?

AF: "The idea of an early signing period is a good thing, The timing that they have it this year, in my opinion, is horrible because of all of the coaching changes and all of the pressure that colleges are able to put on players during this time period. It's not a really good thing for anybody at this point.

"If it was in August, before the season started, I'd be able to get on board with it a little bit more if the players had an out if the coach of the school they committed to changed or moved or was fired or that kind of thing. I'd be in favor of something like that. The timing they've got right now is terrible."

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BD: "I think it's a disaster. While 80 percent of the kids probably know what they want to do and they want to sign, it is impacting probably 95 percent of the kids.

"Let's use a kid whose team went deep into the playoffs. His team plays Saturday games. By the time he is done playing, he has two official visit weekends. People can say, 'He can go visit in January,' except the teams that want him are saying, 'You either come in December or we'll fill the spot.'

"If you played in one of the conference championship games, you can't recruit that weekend because you are out of town. Oregon played last weekend (in a bowl). That means that while everybody else is hosting official visitors, they are in Las Vegas playing a football game. It creates an unfair balance across the board on a number of different levels. That's why I don't like it."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Q: Rutgers is going to sign 17-20 members of its class this week. Is that the new normal or on the high end?

BD: "I think you have to sign the bulk of your class. If you don't, then other schools are going to come looking at some of your better prospects and you are going to be vulnerable. You have to sign them early. I think every school, if you had the luxury, would leave a couple (spots open), be it for transfer or somebody that falls through the cracks and you find out about in January.

"You always want to have that flexibility. I don't think Rutgers has that flexibility this year. That makes it tough for them. Any school out there, if you are signing all but one or two of your kids, then you are questioning how committed they are because here is your chance to sign and you are not signing. I think you are going to find out with some schools there are going to be a couple kids listed as commits that don't sign and miss out on their opportunity."

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AF: "That's kind of the average that you are finding right now. What we're finding is nearly every player in a given recruiting class is signing in this early period. There are a few holdouts for one reason or another. Rutgers is not out of the norm when you talk about how many players are signing."

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Q: What is your overall opinion of Rutgers' class as a whole?

AF: "I see a good foundation here and trying to improve areas of weakness for them over the past few years. You see some good quarterbacks, some playmaking wide receivers, some explosiveness out of the backfield, improvement in the defensive secondary, and some athletes that could project to a number of positions."

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BD: "The general consensus is they are still trying to replenish talent and upgrade across the board. They got a quarterback for the future. If you don't think Johnathan Lewis is, maybe Jalen Chatman is. Maybe Artur Sitkowski is. But you have some young competition in that room now, and that's important. You think you've got a couple wide receivers. I think you got better across the board."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Q: How did Rutgers address uncertainty at offensive coordinator (Jerry Kill's possible retirement) with recruits? Was it different than in the past?

BD: "When they lost Saeed Blacknall (to Penn State in 2014), the problem was Saeed Blacknall was told (by the then-coaching staff), 'When you get to campus for your official visit, I'll have an offensive coordinator in place.' They didn't have an offensive coordinator in place. Right away, he's like, 'You tell me A, then you do B.'

"In this case, they've been honest with the recruits and commits on the situation involving the offensive coordinator. I don't know how much it differs publicly and privately, but the recruits are saying they are being told exactly what is going on and they trust Ash in the process. That's why it hasn't turned into a big deal."

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Matt Smith | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Q: QB Artur Sitkowski is the centerpiece of the class. What's your scouting report? How big a deal of is it that he picked Rutgers?

BD: "Good arm strength. A workaholic. A kid that will live in the film room. It was unfortunate for him the way his high school career unfolded in the sense that he is a kid that is at his best throwing from the pocket. At Old Bridge, they were running some triple-option stuff. Then he goes down to IMG and they were doing read option.

"He can do read option. It's just not his strength. I think he's got some development to do. Mechanically, he's good, but he's got to clean up his footwork a bit. I've seen him go through progressions. He can do that. And I think he has good leadership skills."

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AF: "It's a very big deal because the quarterback room -- once he gets on campus and then the following year when (2019 commit) Zamar Wise gets in there -- at Rutgers is going to be as talented as it ever has been.

"Sitkowski brings a big strong arm. You can say all you want to about how he didn't perform well this year at IMG -- we all saw it -- but there is so much potential there for him to be a very good quarterback that it's huge for Rutgers to get him on campus and be able to work with him to improve his game from an accuracy standpoint and to really get him schooled in a college offense.

"Had a little bit of trouble taking to the more complicated offense at IMG compared to his original high school at Old Bridge. But seeing what he is able to do once he has a couple of years of a new system under his belt at Rutgers, I feel like that's going to be huge for his development."

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Q: QB Jalen Chatman is flying under the radar relative to Sitkowski. What does he bring to Rutgers?

AF: "I've watched a little bit on him. He's a pretty good athlete. Bottom line is you need to have two solid quarterbacks, sometimes three. Just look at Maryland. For the second time in however many years, they are on their fourth-string quarterback. You need to have some solid backups and Chatman brings good depth to the position.

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BD: "Athletic kid. Good arm strength. Really smart, intelligent kid. Tremendous leader. Everybody wondered about him: Is he going to sign? When he committed, I asked our guys out there who know him really well. They said, 'He's going to Rutgers. If that kid gives his word, you're set. That's the kind of kid he is.'

"He was able to stay in contact with a lot of the commits despite being in Los Angeles, which tells you a lot about his character. He's a high-character kid who just needs to develop a little and got stronger. His body has to mature a little more."

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9 decommits Rutgers might have kept with a past early signing day

2014, 2016 recruiting classes were hit by decommits in January

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Tim Hawk | For NJ.com

Q: Give me some names of players other than QBs who fans aren't drooling over yet but could have a good career at Rutgers.

BD: "I think you start with (wide receiver) Jalen Jordan because of his size. Because of the depth at IMG Academy, he didn't play as much as some other kids so he didn't get the looks. But he is a 6-foot-6 kid. I like that aspect of him. I think Kaymar Mimes, it's going to take a little time to develop him because he is raw, but his size and his burst are really good.

"Zihir Lacewell is as athletic as they come. He'll probably start at receiver, but he can grow into a safety or a linebacker. They just don't have very many kids that move like he does at his size. People don't talk about Avery Young very much, but I saw him play and he was phenomenal. His length, the looseness in his hips, and his ability to turn and run, and his willingness to be physical, I loved him."

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AF: "ZIhir Lacewell and Isaih Pacheco. Both of those guys are outstanding athletes. Lacewell projects on the defensive side of the ball, probably an outside linebacker. Really flies around well. Aggressive kid. He needs to learn play within a system and is abiding by the rules that outside linebackers have to take on. And use good technique at that position. He'll have a steep learning curve when he gets on campus and they put him at outside linebacker.

"Pacheco can make an impact early. A very explosive player. A good athlete out of the backfield. He can affect the game in all three phases if he really needed to. A good pass-catcher out of the backfield, as well. Can make people miss in the open field and is a tough runner."

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Joe Warner | For NJ.com

Q: Rutgers signed 16 recruits with N.J. ties in 2017. It could be just 7-8 in 2017. Is that cause for concern again or is it a product of this year's class?

BD: "It's a cyclical thing in one regard, but you have to look at the fact that they recruited New York City very well, which is closer than a lot of New Jersey schools.

"The other part is in order to recruit your home state -- and this happens in Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Colorado and wherever -- you have to have the core support of your high school coaches. There is a large contingent of high school coaches in New Jersey -- not all -- who are the first ones to call Rutgers and complain that their kid hasn't been offered, but then when their kid gets an offer from a traditional power are the first ones to say, 'You should go there because you are better than Rutgers.'

"The staff works hard. Some of it is on them because they need to recruit better in state, but some of it is on the high school coaches for pushing their kids out of the state."

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AF: "I think it has a little more to do with the depth within New Jersey this year than it does this new staff recruiting hard in the state of New Jersey. At the top, there are very talented players like Justin Short or Tyler Friday.

"When you get three, four, five, six down from those guys, there is a bit of a talent drop-off. I think Rutgers sees that. They want to be able to get the top guys in the state regardless, but I don't think it hurts them this year as much as it did in years past."

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Q: WR Jalen Jordan had a quality offer list and picked Rutgers. What does he bring to a position of need?

AF: "You can't teach 6-foot-5, 200 pounds. That's something Rutgers hasn't had in quite a while: A big downfield threat. It helps that he has a relationship with Sitkowski coming into his college career. I believe the two of them will gel and the coaches will be able to design some plays around them."

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Q: How does a player like OL Raiqwon O'Neal out of South Carolina get out of ACC/SEC country if he is so highly regarded?

AF: "This kid has the look of a player that Rutgers hasn't had for quite a while on the offensive line. (To list him at) 6-foot-5, 260 pounds is light. I just saw him at the Shrine Bowl in South Carolina. He's a very good athlete. He needs to learn the technique. He has a frame and an attitude on the field that you don't see much at Rutgers. Fans should be real excited about him.

"They were on him early. There are other guys in the southeast that are more developed physically and from a technique standpoint. O'Neal is a blank canvas, really. But you've got a frame, athleticism, a want-to and a little bit of awareness where he thinks he could really thrive at a place like Rutgers. Rutgers should be happy to have him."

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BD: "Raiqwon O'Neal has a chance to be an absolute stud. He is a guy that can be a left tackle for a number of years."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Q: Ash always talks about being a developmental program. Is that what you see with O'Neal?

AF: "That's how you build a program. You don't start out by getting four-star and five-star kids. You start out by getting players that have a lot of potential and you can develop into big-time players. He fits that description perfectly.

"I like the explosive guys from Erasmus Hall, Kessawn Abraham and Christian Izien. Not big guys. Their future is probably on special teams and in the secondary also. They are pretty much carbon copies of each other."

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NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

LISTEN: Rutgers podcast Ep. 14