2027 Point Boro recruit Jake Clayton commits to Rutgers Wrestling
Rutgers Wrestling has added a new commitment in the 2027 class, as Point Boro High School's Jake Clayton announces his decision.
Wrestling 2027 Point Boro recruit Jake Clayton commits to Rutgers Wrestling
- Thread starter Richie O
- Start date
HUGE get2027 Point Boro recruit Jake Clayton commits to Rutgers Wrestling
Rutgers Wrestling has added a new commitment in the 2027 class, as Point Boro High School's Jake Clayton announces his decision.www.on3.com
The kid is a tank and great athlete. He’s got a really high ceiling. Probably an oversight but the article didn’t list DeGeorge as a 2027 commit.
Impressive that he's placed three times and is a three sport athlete. He probably has a lot of potential as he solely focuses on wrestling.
Last edited by a moderator:
Fully expect him to redshirt and learn more in his first year.
He’s got all the tools. Assuming he can handle the mental grind, I’d expect him to surprise a lot of people.
I'm not the expert but I took this to be a depth piece not a huge get. Would love to hear your perspective on why you think this is huge.
I know Jake pretty well. I would not say huge but certainly good with a lot of upside. Has not put all his energy into wrestling and probably won’t until after HS. He is an elite athlete who I think with a RS year and full concentration on Wrestling, can have an impact. Think Ryan Fordish but better athlete.
Assuming this is sarcasm bc I don’t see him ranked in any polls.. prolly walk on, has diamond in the rough potential, why not.
I think the excitement comes from the fact he’s a 3 sport athlete and doesn’t wrestle all year round and still in the mix to win a state title next season so the jumps he can make in college going from a 4 month a year wrestler to a full time wrestler is a lot bigger then the jumps the kid who wrestles 100 matches every off season his whole life can make. The kid is a star athlete and focuses on wrestling the least right now. I personally think it’s a really good get and he can really be a big time guy for us
“Huge” is definitely an overstatement (or perhaps sarcasm) if you are comparing him to the likes of a Jayden James. However, The kid can wrestle and is built for the sport. Physically he’s there. If he can embrace the wrestling grind he’s a kid with potential to do great things. But no doubt he could end up a total bust especially if he doesn’t love wrestling.
Unranked and finished 5th in the state. I don't understand all the optimism. Does Rutgers have a record of developing mediocre kids? Not until they can take a talented kid and make him better. Come back to this in a couple of years and smear it in my face if I'm wrong.
Mediocre? The kid is a 3x placer in NJ and will be #2 or #3 to start the year and in the mix for a title. All that while wrestling 3-4 months out of the year and focusing on 2 other sports.
this take is mediocre
When compared to the level of wrestlers we need in the D1 Big Ten. It's all relative.
I think the point is you're taking a super athletic three sport athlete who has placed in the state every year and betting on his athletic upside that he can drastically improve once he drops the other two sports and solely focuses on wrestling. I don't mind the dart throw at all.
Most big ten starters are multiple time hs state champs. Not to mention summer accolades. And you are right he may have a lot of untapped potential but he may also never make up the gap that kids who specialized and wrestled year round have naturally created over time. And that’s assuming Rutgers can develop they have lousy track record of development.
Years ago it didn’t matter, as much, today kids specialize so early that it’s like the 10,000 hour rule on steroids … the access they have to clubs , training, is elite at a very young age and the top kids aren’t trying to win state championships they are trying to be the best in the world. And by trying , I mean that’s the competition they are wrestling against regularly. It’s one of the reasons Rutgers has a hard time recruiting the top kids the whole mindset is off for what top talent is looking … including high level RTC, high level coaches that have a track record of producing some of the best wrestlers in the world or having done it themselves. With all that said it’s awesome he chose Rutgers and all but it’s not a needle mover and even if he started wrestling every day 10 hrs a day , he’d be hard pressed to make up the time gap cause of well math.
Last edited:
Of all the kids RU has brought in without the national accolades Clayton is the one that could be an AA before he graduates. Low mileage and committed to the gym. Put him in a D1 wrestling room and can jump levels real fast. IMO only concern is he has yet to live the grind as a 3-sport athlete = mental game will be his biggest challenge.
I hear that. And for Rutgers to get where it wants to go a target of being an AA by the time you graduate won’t be enough. Being AA is an extremely hard thing to do but that’s not where the top guys or the teams Rutgers want to best aim … they seek to get better every day, assume they will be a NCAA champ, and aim to be one of the best in the world. That’s all I’m saying it’s great for him if he AAs by the time he graduates it’s not nearly the mentality or the level of recruiting to be a top team or move to that next level. Don’t get me wrong it’s a positive pick up, but … is it going to get you points at NCAAs or is it going to help Rutgers get into top 10? But that in itself is when you say your goal is to be a top 10 already conceded you aren’t trying to be the best team which pretty much sums up why Rutgers has the results it’s gotten, along with the loss of staff.
I get so tired of the "negatoids"
I worked with these people all my life, and they were always beating down anyone with potential. Made them feel better about themselves?
I tied to excel all my life and sometimes succeeded. All these people ever did was hinder my efforts.
I worked with these people all my life, and they were always beating down anyone with potential. Made them feel better about themselves?
I tied to excel all my life and sometimes succeeded. All these people ever did was hinder my efforts.
Last edited:
Someone here said it best a while ago. When do we stop being pessimists and start being hopeful pragmatists? Saying stuff along the lines of “Rutgers will always screw it up” isn’t hopeful or pragmatic.
Good life ain’t sunshine and rainbows tough … all these negative people. In the great words of Ocho Cinco you don’t want me to celebrate don’t let me score. Who cares what someone else thinks that sounds like your issue not theirs.
Excellence is the will to resist the gravitational pull of mediocrity.
Last edited:
Wow, it has become really quiet all of a sudden. I watched the few videos that YouTube has of Jake Clayton wrestling. I will admit that he looks very strong and appears aggressive. I hope his supporters here are right and he applies himself and develops. I hope he gets the attention he will need. We'll see. It would help if Rutgers had a better record of developing wrestlers, and I'm not talking about transfers who come in and do well.
On the subject of negativity, it can be as useless as misplaced positivity. However, nothing is ever improved if its deficiencies aren't identified and addressed. That is the case here. I joined this forum years ago after just watching for many years. Look back at my early posts, and you will see that the issues I raised then are now being recognized by more fans.
I will admit that I am more focused on the negative. I have been institutionalized, in a sense, by my 30-year career. Throughout those three decades, I had numerous positions where I was responsible for the performance of systems and processes. I would have gotten nowhere if I didn't identify the sources of problems, and less-than-perfect performance, and make continuous improvements. I was being paid to fix things. It was satisfying to recognize improvements and good performance, but critical to keep it. Consequently, I have always concentrated on opportunities for improvement. Excuses don't work. Half measures aren't enough. I can't change Rutgers, so I can only point to the problems or opportunities and hope someone, someday, might notice. Some good things have happened recently, but there is much more to do. So far, Kelly Zinn has said some good things and done some good things. One opportunity was missed. Some pending. Can't go halfway. Defending or making excuses for the status quo is useless.
On the subject of negativity, it can be as useless as misplaced positivity. However, nothing is ever improved if its deficiencies aren't identified and addressed. That is the case here. I joined this forum years ago after just watching for many years. Look back at my early posts, and you will see that the issues I raised then are now being recognized by more fans.
I will admit that I am more focused on the negative. I have been institutionalized, in a sense, by my 30-year career. Throughout those three decades, I had numerous positions where I was responsible for the performance of systems and processes. I would have gotten nowhere if I didn't identify the sources of problems, and less-than-perfect performance, and make continuous improvements. I was being paid to fix things. It was satisfying to recognize improvements and good performance, but critical to keep it. Consequently, I have always concentrated on opportunities for improvement. Excuses don't work. Half measures aren't enough. I can't change Rutgers, so I can only point to the problems or opportunities and hope someone, someday, might notice. Some good things have happened recently, but there is much more to do. So far, Kelly Zinn has said some good things and done some good things. One opportunity was missed. Some pending. Can't go halfway. Defending or making excuses for the status quo is useless.
I get people want to be full of hope and optimism but let’s wait and see if Clayton can crack the lineup before sayin he can be a dark horse to AA.. we’ve had plenty of recruits that were multiple times state champs, highly ranked, freak athletes, etc, that never even became the starter.. so yeah let’s just wait and see until there is more evidence..
All my life, I tried to avoid putting down others and emphasizing negativity. I am damn proud of it.
I never followed the tortured philosophy offered above. Excellence for me meant looking in the mirror each night and being happy I had done my best to help my fellow human beings use their values toward success as human beings.
I have a list of names as long as my arm of people who expressed their appreciation to me for how I had treated them and taught them the value of compassion and trying to help others.
So, I can't really relate to this ******** about excellence and mediocracy. I gave all I could in my life for the benefit of others, and that has made me a contented human being as I close it out.
Wishing some of you negatoids could do the same, but it is hard to break bad habits - especially when you don't have any clue they are bad.
I never followed the tortured philosophy offered above. Excellence for me meant looking in the mirror each night and being happy I had done my best to help my fellow human beings use their values toward success as human beings.
I have a list of names as long as my arm of people who expressed their appreciation to me for how I had treated them and taught them the value of compassion and trying to help others.
So, I can't really relate to this ******** about excellence and mediocracy. I gave all I could in my life for the benefit of others, and that has made me a contented human being as I close it out.
Wishing some of you negatoids could do the same, but it is hard to break bad habits - especially when you don't have any clue they are bad.
Flaws in human behavior on full display across all RU threads. With that said, RU has struggled in every major sport so it’s not surprising. I remember back to the Leonard/Rice days and the sense of positivity, pride and hope was sooooooo different.