In case you haven't heard Greg Schiano has been hired by the Tampa Bay Bucs to be their next head coach, a move that perplexes me a little bit but that is neither here nor there. What matters most is that now there is a free for all in New Jersey, and for all the Rutgers recruits, which believe it or not are fairly numerous and high in quality. Two players in particular have grabbed our coaches attention. Let's look at them a little more closely.
Lambert was a player that UVA desperately wanted, but missed out on. He would make a great strongside lineback to play alongside Kwontie Moore. At 6-2 240 Lambert already fits the part, making it obvious why UVA would be so high on him. Lambert is an excellent tackler and excels in run support, which I think makes him and excellent cantidate to play on the strong side to help take some of the pressure off our smaller DE's, especially if Harold remains as slight as he is. Having a sure tackler in run support behind you makes it a little easier to rationalize having lighter DEnds in for a more aggressive pass rush. All that being said I don't think we will see Lambert jump ship. There are stories written about how Lambert is now recruiting other talent in New Jersey to come on board. That being said Virginia has the same advantages on the depth chart that Rutgers had, so it will be interesting to see if Coach London can work some magic here.
Chances we can get back in: 2/10
Chances we can land him: 1/10
Muller is a more likely prospect to come on board, but UVA will have to get in line here too. It'd hard to believe but scouting reports say that once this kid fills out he could be a mauler. Think a more athletic Austin Pasztor. Muller has the strength to bowl kids over and the speed to get out to the second level. UVA is in the fortunate position to not have Muller be a need to get kind of kid, but is he a want to get? Absolutely. In the 2 hours after Schiano took the Tampa Bay job Muller had 28 missed calls and 18 voicemails. Must be nice!
Chances we can get back in: 6/10
Chances we can land him: 4/10
There are some other prominent kids from New Jersey that were considering Rutgers including 2 big time stars that UVA had offered in Devin Fuller and Darius Hamilton, but both those players had eliminated the Hoos. Fuller seems now destined to Nebraska, his only other official visit, while Hamilton will most likely head to Florida, though Miami is still in the mix. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I personally think all these kids will wait to see who is hired before they sign. That being siad with it so close to signing day, this could be one of the more interesting stories we've had in a while. It all is going to hinge on a few guys, I think if Lambert jumps ship, there will be a big time exodus. If he can convince Hamilton and Fuller to commit, then nothing will change. Should be fun!
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