The Rutgers basketball incoming freshman class is now the largest it’s been since Steve Pikiell took over as head coach in 2016. This week’s commitment from four-star shooting guard Dorian Jones gave Rutgers basketball seven freshmen in the class of 2025. His addition bumps the recruiting class ranking up to No.34 in the nation. 

However, that was not the only reason Rutgers recently climbed through the ranks. A recent four-star ranking given to incoming freshman Denis Badalau also bolstered Rutgers’ standing. Badalau committed to Rutgers in mid-May as an under-the-radar recruit out of Romania. He is now a four-star with a player rating of 91. 

Jones has an equal player rating of 91 and is the No.88 prospect in the class of 2025. Badalau could crack that Top 100 when the Top 150 is readjusted.

While those two players are the highest-ranked in the class, they may not grab the most playing time of any first-year player. Point guard Lino Mark and forward Chris Nwuli have the inside track on grabbing the most minutes at this point. However, things could change as Rutgers has a new-look team with just four players returning from last season. Head coach Steve Pikiell landed three players in the transfer portal in center Baye Fall (Kansas State), forward Darren Buchanan (George Washington) and guard Tariq Francis (NJIT). 

The No.34 class ranking follows up a historic class of 2024 that finished No.4 in the final composite class rankings. That class featured the No.2 and No.3 prospects in the nation in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. However, Rutgers was unable to capitalize on having that duo as it finished with a disappointing record of 15-17. For Rutgers to equal that martk this season, the freshman class is going to have to receive positive contributions from more than one or even two players.

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