Rutgers men's basketball offseason mailbag: What is Pikiell cooking?
The Rutgers men's basketball team is more than a month removed from its final game of the season, and head coach Steve Pikiell is now solely focused on the future. Pikiell and his staff have been attacking the transfer portal to fill out next year's roster while also maintaining a keen eye on future high school prospects.
Here is the offseason scoop of the last month for the Scarlet Knights.
Transfer portal updates
When the transfer portal opened, Rutgers lost several key contributors, such as Clifford Omoruyi, Mawot Mag, Gavin Griffiths, Derek Simpson and Antwone Woolfolk. Omoruyi, Mag and Woolfolk remain uncommitted, while Griffiths has committed to play for Nebraska and Simpson is headed to St. Joseph's.
Omoruyi has received interest from practically the entire country as one of the top players in the portal. He listed the top 12 programs he's considering, many of them being some of the top teams in the nation, like North Carolina, Alabama and Baylor. There's no telling where Omoruyi is headed, but it will likely be a powerhouse of a program.
As for Mag and Woolfolk, not much has been rumored or confirmed about where they may be headed. Woolfolk recently visited St. Bonaventure, per an NIL collective that supports the Bonnies.
While the Knights have lost some talent, they have brought some in as well. Rutgers landed Eastern Michigan guard Tyson Acuff, Princeton forward Zach Martini and Merrimack guard Jordan Derkack.
With two more scholarships to fill, the Knights' focus turns primarily to finding a big man and likely a 3-and-D wing.
A potential target to fill the latter role is Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones, who Rutgers hosted on Wednesday for a visit. Jones is a 6-foot-5, 36.9 percent career three-point shooter.
Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr and Monmouth center Nikita Konstantynovskyi could be big men to keep an eye on moving forward.
Pikiell's Priorities: High school recruiting updates
Looking to build off their historical 2024 recruiting class, ranked third in the nation, the Knights are laying the groundwork for the 2025 class and beyond.
Rutgers has a few new targets since The Daily Targum last checked in on "Pikiell's Priorities."
Five-star 2025 guard Darius Acuff Jr. remains a big-time target and seems perhaps more realistic now after his cousin Tyson's commitment. Five-star 2025 guard Trey McKenney out of Michigan is right up there as well, with assistant coach Marlon Williamson being a major key in recruiting the Mitten State men. Williamson has already aided in bringing in Michigan targets such as Tyson Acuff through the portal and three-star 2024 forward Dylan Grant.
The Knights missed out on 2025 three-star Brandon Stores, who chose Georgia Tech over the former, while Rutgers remains in play for 2025 four-star guard Nigel James and four-star forward Jaylen Harrell.
Guards Dorian Jones, Omari Moore and Keshawn Fisher are three fresh faces in the class of 2025 that the Knights are showing interest in. Jones is a four-star, ranking top-40 nationally in his class per 247Sports' rankings and has placed Rutgers in his top-10 schools. Moore is a four-star hailing from New Jersey. As for Fisher, he is another player from Michigan and does not currently hold a rating from 247Sports, but Williamson clearly sees something in him and has extended the scholarship offer.
Williamson's recruiting sights go beyond 2025 as class of 2026 7-footer Gan-Erdene Solongo out of Saline, Michigan, announced his Knights scholarship offer a little more than a month ago.
With a few more months left before Rutgers takes the floor in front of its fans again, there is a lot to look forward to with these offseason moves.
For more updates on the Rutgers men’s basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Camden Markel's work, follow @CamdenMarkel on X.
