Nunzio Campanile

Bergen Catholic coach Nunzio Campanile will be a guest speaker at the Rutgers coaches clinic this weekend. (Andrew Miller | For NJ Advance Media)

Legendary former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez is the keynote speak at the Rutgers coaches clinic hosted by Chris Ash this weekend. But Bergen Catholic coach Nunzio Campanile may be the most notable guest speaker at the clinic, which takes place on Friday and Saturday.

There has been speculation that the relationship between Campanile and Ash is strained, but the Bergen Catholic coach said the opposite is true.

"My relationship with him has been great since he's been here," Campanile said. "I've talked to him a bunch of times and we got together. He seems like a great guy. He seems like he's working really hard. He's got a pretty good plan. So when he asked me to (speak at the clinic), it was a no-brainer. It's an honor, to be honest, to be asked to do that."

It was understandable for questions to arise about the relationship when Ash, who was hired in December, offered lightly recruited Bergen Catholic tight end Korab Idrizi a scholarship on Jan. 24. Idrizi accepted the Rutgers scholarship on the spot, but then flipped to Boston College less than a week later.

"I don't think there was anything more to it at all," Campanile said. "I think that it was very simple. The kid got offered a scholarship to a Big Ten university and got really excited. But he had always had a desire to go to Boston College. They lost a guy so they had a spot open up at his position. They came in and they offered him."

Campanile said he called Ash immediately to inform the Rutgers coach about the interest between Idrizi and Boston College.

"I think (Ash) was a real pro about it," Campanile said. "He said, 'Hey, it's part of the business. Obviously we're going to try to keep him here, but at the same time, that's the way it is.' Obviously it's an uncomfortable position for me to be in. I'm just getting to know the guy and it's pretty important for us to have a relationship with the state university. But at the same time, as a coach my job is to do what's best for my players. And if (Boston College is) his dream, if that's what his family wants for him, I think I have to make sure that I'm upfront with everybody and do everything we can to give kids the opportunities that they're looking for."

Complicating the situation, Campanile's brother, Anthony, joined the staff at Boston College as the defensive backs coach two weeks before Idrizi's situation unfolded. Anthony Campanile had been on the Rutgers staff for the previous four years, but he wasn't retained as an on-field assistant by Ash.

Ash was making the rounds of North Jersey high schools shortly after Anthony took the job at Boston College. When Ash stopped at Bergen Catholic, Nunzio said there was no bad blood on either side.

"I think the situation is going to work out great for everybody," Nunzio said. "BC is getting a great coach and Anthony got a great experience and Coach Ash did what he had to do for his staff at that time. That's part of being adults."

Some fans didn't share that view, especially after Nunzio's player flipped from Rutgers to his brother's new school.

"Probably the hardest thing was to see people criticize my brother," Nunzio said. "My brother is a graduate of Rutgers. He loves Rutgers. He didn't leave there willingly. He left there because the situation is what it is. Honestly, the biggest thing that bothered me about that whole situation is sometimes the way those guys -- the fans on the websites and all that -- go after people's character. It's way out of line. They're judging people that are really good people that are trying to do the right thing, including kids. This is a huge decision in their life and it's the same thing with the guys in this profession. They have families to take care of so they're going to do what's best for them."

Nunzio said Ash and his assistants have made inroads with local coaches despite initial skepticism over a lack of New Jersey ties on the staff. The entire Rutgers staff met with a handful of coaches from the powerhouse North Jersey non-public schools in January.

Nunzio, who attended Rutgers' practice last Thursday, said Ash's open-door policy for local coaches has helped increase the comfort level. And Ash's handling of Idrizi's situation built trust with Nunzio.

"I think Coach Ash was an absolute professional about it," Nunzio said. "He was awesome about it. Personally, it went a long way for me as far as trying to get to know somebody and seeing that he was as first-class as you can be about that situation. I know I appreciated it and I know Korab and his family appreciated it."

Two of Nunzio's former players -- senior wide receiver John Tsimis and sophomore safety Talib Abdur-Ra'oof -- are currently at Rutgers. Nunzio hopes more Bergen Catholic players follow in their footsteps.

"We're going to have some good players coming down the road and I hope that some of them are the right fit for Rutgers," Nunzio said. "I really want to see nothing but success for them. It's great for all of New Jersey when they're doing well. That's really what we're all looking for."

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.