If an optimist had made a preseason list of all the reasons to feel like the future is bright for Rutgers football, the 2017 recruiting class would have been near the top.
Twelve games later, the results were a mixed bag.
Fourteen true freshmen played in 2017, and their impact was immediately felt on special teams.
Rutgers' recruiting class was ranked No. 42 nationally and No. 9 in the Big Ten by 247Sports.com, with a distinct New Jersey flavor.
Productivity was slower to come on offense and defense, but running back Raheem Blackshear ranked second on the team in touchdowns from scrimmage, quarterback Johnathan Lewis won a Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week and the wide receiver and linebacker corps rotated freshmen through deep rotations.