OK, here is the list. Given each player’s incoming expectation level, what did Rutgers do for his development?
So if a highly ranked guy underwhelmed at Rutgers and elsewhere, that is not evidence that Rutgers failed to develop him. That’s usually just a recruiting bust / fit issue. On the other hand, if a modestly regarded player became a real Big Ten contributor at Rutgers, that is development. If a lump of coal stayed a lump of coal, that's neutral.
Using that standard, here’s how I’d look at this group:
Positive Rutgers development cases
In addition to Harper Jr., McConnell, Baker, M. Johnson, E Omoruyi, who were discussed in the OP, we have:
- Dylan Grant — He was around a 0.9160 composite / No. 190 overall / No. 42 PF. That's expected to be a solid high-major contributor, but not star and not underclassman phenom level ranking. His production has gone from about 5.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg to 9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg. That is normal, good development for his profile and current level as a Sophomore.
- Aundre Hyatt — came in as a former four-star / Top-100-type LSU recruit who was considered a minor bust. Rutgers clearly got more out of him than LSU did and turned him into a solid if unspectacular Big Ten wing. That's either neutral or more likely a development win.
- Mawot Mag — 3 star #42 power forward recruit according to 247. Rutgers clearly developed him into a winning high-major wing contributor. He left for BYU are arguably did a little worse, but certainly not better.
- Cam Spencer — Reasonably high expectations as an incoming transfer. He lived up to expectations at RU and made a big jump in one year from mid major to high major, and then made real but marginal improvements at UConn a year later. But that came in one of the best offensive ecosystems in the country - and it wasn't a major jump. So that's seems as much about system and complimentary players than it is about player development.
- Shaq Doorson — Incoming 2 star/low expectations on 247, but flagged by a few as a sleeper. Narrow but real development. Rutgers turned him into a usable defensive big at the Big Ten level. Exceeded low expectations.
- Candido Sá — modest incoming expectations as JUCO, modest but value as a reserve player by the time he left.
- Jalen Miller — Low expectations. Was a minor contributor at a high major while here, and then dropped to Oral Roberts and is a solid contributor there as a senior after two more seasons of development.
- Emmanuel Ogbole — Came in as a lightly recruited low-skill JC player, worth taking a chance based on only his frame. At Rutgers he's had clear development: 2023-24: 2.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 8.1 mpg; 2024-25: 3.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 13.2 mpg; 2025-26: 4.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 18.5 mpg
Guys with some expetations/hopes but performed roughly as you'd expect, busted and went elswhere later and did the same, indicating that player development was not a factor.
- Gavin Griffiths — He came in as a 247 top-20 national recruit and underwhelmed at Rutgers. But then he also had an even smaller role at Nebraska. Now he’s doing okay at Temple, after dropping a level. So for this discussion he is not strong evidence for or against Rutgers player development. He looks more like a recruiting overrating / fit issue than a Rutgers-specific development failure.
- Jordan Derkack — He came in as a 0.9100 transfer / NEC Player of the Year, but expectations were moderate because NEC to Big Ten is a huge jump. Rutgers got a playable rotation player out of him. Dropped down to Dayton and did about the same - going from 5.7 ppg to 8.8 ppg, but in 9 more MPG at Dayton.
- Jamichael Davis — Rutgers lists him as No. 243 overall / No. 38 PG / No. 17 in Georgia. Those are moderate expectations projecting to rotation player lower-end starter as an upperclassman. That's where he is. He has improved some and become usable, but not broken out yet beyond that. So I’d call that neutral to mildly positive for now.
- Bryce Dortch — too early. He came in around No. 162 overall / No. 35 SF. Regarded as a skinny project that needed time to develop. On track.
- Derek Simpson — 247: 86, No. 40 PG / No. 8 in NJ. At Rutgers he averaged 7.1 ppg as a freshman and 8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg as a sophomore. At Saint Joseph’s he jumped to 8.7 ppg and then 13.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.3 apg. That's a modest jump but after two years to season at a lower level. Neutral.
- Jaden Jones — He came in as a 0.9290 composite four-star type and was mostly a bust. He left and is still a bust never getting another college high major offer.
- Issa Thiam — 85 score, No. 71 PF by 247. There was real intrigue in the profile, but he was consider a flyer/project type recruit. Showed flashes as a sophomore that raised expectations, but Rutgers never turned that into meaningful high-major production - but that was not expected based on incoming ranking. Possibly a mild negative but more likely neutral.
- Peter Kiss — not useful as an anti-Rutgers development case. He did not become a high-major answer at Rutgers, but his later explosion came at a much lower level, so that says more about fit/usage/level than Rutgers failing to develop a high-major player.
- Mamadou Doucoure — 91.31 industry-rating recruit, around No. 127 nationally and No. 15 center. At RU a depth piece that underperformed expectations. Went to Lasalle and did not improve, so no evidence of poor player development here.
These had lower expectations and mostly stayed where their profile suggested - so more neutral
- Oskar Palmquist — 88-rated / No. 77 SF type. Low expectations modest rotational value. After RU went back to Sweden.
- Antwone Woolfolk —247 had him as an 85-rated recruit and the No. 61 power forward in the 2022 class. At Rutgers he was a limited but real rotation body: 4.1 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 2023-24 after a smaller freshman role. After transferring to MAC Miami (OH), he became a full-time starter and much more productive, averaging 8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg in 2024-25 and then 10.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg in 2025-26 with more minutes. Basically doing what he's expected to do.
- Dean Reiber — 88-rated recruit and the No. 64 power forward in the class, No. 15 in North Carolina. At Rutgers he was a classic project/stretch big. Never became a reliable high-major frontcourt player but wasn't projected to. Went to Charlotte and did about the same.
- Matt Bullock — 84 rated. #68 shooting guard. Low expectations. I couldn't find anything on him post Rutgers. Not much to see.
- Souf Mensah — Met low expectations.
Mild Negative Case
- Shaq Carter — RU won the recruiting battle for this JC transfer against Xavier, Washington State, and Middle Tennessee State. Mostly depth piece at Rutgers. Mostly met expectations, possible mildly underperformed.
- Antonio Chol — 247had him as an 85-rated three-star, No. 63 power forward. He barely played at Rutgers; only 11 games and 56 total minutes across two seasons. Left for Howard, and then New Mexico, where he broke through in 2025-26 with 13.1 ppg and 4.2 rpg in a starting role. That is a real post-Rutgers improvement, though it came after additional time and at a lower level. I think this is mostly neutral, but could be seen as a negative case.
Bottom line:
This list certainly shows a lot of weak recruiting of project type players. But on player development alone, on the whole, players are more likely to exceed recruiting expectations at RU than underperform, and generally do as well or better here than if they leave once factoring in the level of competition for players that drop a level.
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