As Signing Day nears, Chris Ash traveled to Sweden to secure recruit's commitment
Rutgers is sure establishing a Swedish pipeline.
Scarlet Knights coach Chris Ash went to Sweden this week to visit the home of verbal commit dRobin Jutwreten. Seriously.
Jutwreten, a defensive lineman, is a native of Sweden. And with National Signing Day now just five days away, Ash wanted to make sure that Jutwreten was going to be a Scarlet Knight on the first Wednesday in February.
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“We had a great day,” Jutwreten told NJ.com. “We first meet up at my apartment and I got to show them where I live. After spending some time in my apartment, my mom and sister joined us as we headed out to visit my dad and the place I grew up. Dad lives in the countryside in what used to be a farm.”
“There we had some Swedish fika which basically is a cup of coffee and some cakes or pastries. We got to sit down and talk for a while which was really nice. After a tour of my hometown Marsta we ended the day at my mom’s place. My brother and his wife joined us for dinner and we had a great time enjoying some Swedish meatballs.”
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In case you’re wondering, Jutwreten visited Rutgers and New York City in January. So he’s not coming to the school sight unseen when he signs on Wednesday. He’s familiar with the program, per NJ.com, because he’s friends with Rutgers offensive lineman Sam Vretman.
Vretman’s also a native of Sweden. He’s from Upplands Vasby, but played his high school football in Connecticut.
Perhaps the Swedish connection is what will bring Rutgers’ program back into football relevance. The Scarlet Knights need all the help they can get, though they made strides in Ash’s second year in 2017. Rutgers was 4-8 and lost by fewer points to Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State than it did in 2016. Though given those outcomes two years ago, almost anything would be an improvement.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
