Mickens and Chris Ash

A familiar face will be joining Rutgers as a member of its 2019 recruiting class. Former St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) safety Zamir Mickens, who originally committed to the Scarlet Knights in the class of 2018 but ultimately did not sign, told Scarlet Nation he is enrolling at New Milford Academy in the fall semester before heading to Piscataway in the spring.

“Right now, (the plan is) I’m going to be at Milford Academy for four months (during the fall semester) and then I’ll be transferring over to Rutgers in January as a member of the class of 2019,” he said.

It was actually Rutgers that suggested to the Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter’s Prep product to take the prep school route and enroll at Milford Academy, which is located in New Berlin, N.Y.

“Rutgers recommended that I go to Milford Academy for the semester so I could get my test scores up and stuff like that,” Mickens said. “That way I can be prepared to come here in January.”

Mickens has opted to look at his situation in a positive light, as a chance for him to develop his mind and his body ahead of starting his college career without losing a year of eligibility. For an example of a Scarlet Knight finding success in Piscataway after taking the New Milford Academy route, look no further than Rutgers senior cornerback Blessuan Austin, a potential All-Big Ten level player.

“It’s actually a great opportunity because I don’t lose eligibility, I get a little bit of college experience before I get here (to get) physically and mentally ready,” Mickens said. “Everything’s for a reason. I don’t have any problems doing it. Physically, I”m going to be getting ready at New Milford Academy. Not everybody’s road is straight so it’s just a little detour before I get to where I actually need to be.”

Mickens remains in contact with Rutgers coaching staff as he is set to begin the next step on his journey. He’s still developing his relationship with new safeties coach Noah Joseph, but his relationship with head coach Chris Ash is strong, he said.

“The new safety coach (Joseph) that just came in, I stay in contact with him and coach Ash,” Mickens said. “We try to keep everything on track so when I get here, it’ll be a moving train.”

Originally from St. Peter's Prep, Mickens joins a line of former Marauders that have found opportunities at Rutgers. Starting the trend with offensive lineman Keith Lumpkin and running back Savon Huggins, many St. Peter's Prep products followed suit from quarterback Johnathan Lewis to grad transfer running back Jonathan Hilliman to safety KJ Gray. All are in competitions to start this season.