Neumann Goretti’s Anthony Johnson and Raleigh Collins III are solid for Rutgers and West Virginia

Football recruiting is built on fit, and for a pair of Neumann Goretti linebacker prospects, they’re headed where they’re supposed to be.

On Wednesday, Anthony Johnson and Raleigh Collins III are expected to sign their national letters of intent at the U.S. Army All-American Induction in Frisco, Texas, as a part of the nationally televised signing day event.

Johnson, a four-star recruit, will sign with Greg Schiano’s Rutgers program, which he chose despite having offers from the likes of Alabama and Auburn.

Collins, a three-star recruit, will sign with West Virginia, having chosen the Mountaineers over Penn State, Boston College, Cincinnati and others.

There were several reasons that Rutgers, a school that hasn’t had as much on-field success as some of the other schools that recruited Johnson, won him over. For one, attending Rutgers enables Johnson to stay close to home and be near his support system.

“Anybody I grew up with, my parents, my loved ones, can just come to a game or come support,” Johnson said. “Or I can come back to the city to check on them. That’s really important.”

Playing at Rutgers also gives Johnson a chance to make an instant impact on the field. At Alabama or Auburn, Johnson would be competing for playing time with not just other four- or five-star recruits, but also Southeastern Conference veterans. At Rutgers, Johnson can become a big part of Schiano’s rebuilding effort.

“This transformation of Rutgers football was something that excited him,” Neumann Goretti coach Al Crosby said. “He tried to embrace it and ran with it.”

There’s also the fact that Rutgers is in the Big Ten, which means he could be playing every year against fellow Big Ten East members such as Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.

Johnson has big dreams for his football career, and to him, Rutgers gives him every chance to turn those dreams into reality.

“Big Ten football is Big Ten football,” Johnson said. “You’re going to be playing against the best of the best. So, no matter what school you go to, as long as you play against the best and you perform, you’re going to the NFL. So, that’s how I looked at it.”

For Collins, the decision to commit to West Virginia also involved family. Collins’ parents are originally from West Virginia, so playing for the Mountaineers will be a homecoming of sorts.

“It’s definitely amazing,” he said. “Right when I committed, the fan base just started expanding. All my family, they branched out, they were just all happy that I’m coming back home to where they were from. I’m going to have a huge fan base when I get down there.”

Collins will play linebacker for West Virginia, a change from his roots as a defensive back. A cornerback for his first three years of high school football, Collins was being recruited as a linebacker, and he wanted to get experience playing a more physical, downhill position. After discussing the idea with Crosby, Collins found his stride in a different spot on defense, one that helped him prepare for the demands of the college linebacker position.

“I’ve basically been playing like a strong safety this whole year,” Collins said. “Just coming downhill [at] linebacker depth, so I think being able to be physical and being able to guard fast receivers in the slot definitely helps [prepare] me.”

The Big 12 is home to some of the most potent offensive attacks in college football. As a result, it is often thought of as an offense-first conference where defense doesn’t play nearly as important of a role in winning games. But Collins has bought into coach Neal Brown’s system, and he’s ready to prove that defense does indeed win Big 12 championships. To do that, he plans on diversifying his game and becoming a complete, well-rounded defender.

“I want to [be] a diverse player,” Collins said. “Being able to play safety, move to corner, being able to play in the box, I think it’s really changing the game right now. Just being versatile, I think that’s what I want to bring to the table.”

At times, the recruiting process can be full of uncertainty. The weeks leading up to the early signing period can be the toughest, with coaching changes taking place and programs being turned upside down. Fortunately for both Johnson and Collins, neither West Virginia nor Rutgers had any major coaching changes.

“We never really talked about that [the coaches] are going to stay and stuff like that, but it was kind of a given,” Collins said. “They had two house visits in the past two weeks, and they just show that they’re here to stay and they want to build this program.”

Said Johnson: “I just trusted [the coaches], like everybody that was there. I just trust their word. I trust what they say, what they do, and their actions. Coach Schiano, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere.”

Both recruits took their time in making their decisions, making it easy to stick with them as the weeks counted down to signing day.

“I think these young men definitely thought out their opportunities,” Crosby said. “It was a family-type deal where they all planned and sat down and figured out what was the best fit for them.”

When the two Neumann Goretti stars put pen to paper on Wednesday, they will officially secure their spots in their respective recruiting classes. Johnson and Collins will turn the page on an arduous recruiting process that forced them to juggle football, school, and official visits all while dealing with the pandemic.

“I’m so excited,” Collins said. “I can’t wait to get down to Texas and [sign] on TV. It’s going to be a huge relief. … Finally finding a home to where I can play football, I’m excited.”