Rutgers continued a commitment flurry with a pledge from offensive lineman Joshua Blackston of Dunbar High in Baltimore, Md. The commitment came on an official visit weekend as Blackston was the third prospect and second offensive lineman to give his verbal pledge to Rutgers after an official visit weekend.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder is the No.28-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 247Sports class of 2025. He has a player rating of 28 and is the No.13-ranked junior in the state of Maryland. He joins Florida offensive lineman Gerrick Gordon as the first two commitments of the weekend. Blackston was scheduled to take one more official visit to Ohio State but with his Rutgers commitment, that trip to Columbus will not take place.
This was not Blackston’s first visit to the Rutgers campus, as he made his first trip to Piscataway in late January. That set the stage for an eventual commitment and there were a pair of Rutgers coaches who had a lot to do with him joining the class of 2025.
“I think coach [Flaherty] had the biggest impact on me and my family – also the head coach [Greg Schiano],” Blackston previously told Scarlet Nation. “I liked Flaherty’s experience in the NFL, winning two Super Bowl rings while coaching the offensive line. He also stood out to my mother and even my little sister. He was welcoming.”
Blackston played right tackle last season, helping Dunbar to a perfect 11-0 campaign and Maryland Class 2A/1A championship. He will line up in the interior at the college level as his skillset translates to the offensive guard position. He saw a busy recruitment that earned him 15 offers including four from the Big Ten (Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan State, Maryland).
Rutgers now has five offensive lineman commitments in the class of 2025, four of which came over the past two weekends. That is far more than any other position in the class as it has become the priority position for this contingent of Rutgers commits.
This is also the second consecutive week Rutgers received a commitment from a Baltimore prospect. Last weekend wide receiver Vernon Allen of Baltimore City College committed while on his official visit. Since the return of Greg Schiano, Rutgers has prioritized recruiting in Maryland.
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