Rutgers men's basketball continues red-hot recruiting, picks up 4-star forward Chris Nwuli
Last week, the Rutgers men's basketball team secured its third commitment in three weeks with three-star guard Kaden Powers. Now, the tally is four commitments in the last four weeks, with four-star forward Chris Nwuli choosing the Scarlet Knights Sunday evening.
Nwuli is the highest-ranked recruit of Rutgers' class so far, checking in just outside the top 100 players in the 2025 class via 247Sports' composite rankings. While most recruiting outlets have Nwuli in that range, ESPN has him ranked much higher, sitting at 41st in the class. His commitment slots the Knights into the 6th spot nationally and the top spot in the Big Ten in the team recruiting rankings for 2025.
Rutgers came out of nowhere to land Nwuli, as he had listed Louisville, TCU, USC, UCLA, San Diego State and Utah as his final six schools approximately two months ago. Nwuli then received an offer from the Knights and officially visited campus in late September.
Assistant coach Marlon Williamson led the way in the late push for Nwuli. Williamson has been the lead recruiter in each of Rutgers' 2025 commits as he continues to prove himself as a red-hot recruiter for head coach Steve Pikiell.
"I feel like I had already made my decision and (Williamson) was wondering if my recruitment was still open," Nwuli said. "I wanted to hear him out because I always wanted to come to the East Coast."
Nwuli is a 6-foot-7 power forward attending Sierra Canyon High School in California. Nwuli played at Wasatch Academy in Utah before transferring to Sierra Canyon for his senior season.
Nwuli is the second commit hailing from California in the Knights' class, joining his AAU teammate Lino Mark, and is the third from the West Coast. None of the four commits are from New Jersey, or even the Northeast for that matter, displaying the national recognition that Rutgers has been garnering in recent years.
Nwuli is an explosive athlete, and while his game is not totally polished, his upside is through the roof. His extensive reach and lateral quickness allow him to defend anywhere and anyone on the court. Nwuli will need to develop his shooting and his overall offensive game in the coming years, but in the meantime will serve tremendously as a versatile defender and slasher.
While it will be some time before we actually see Nwuli don scarlet on the Banks, fans should be excited with the way Pikiell's 2025 class is shaping up — even if it will not live up to 2024's historic haul.
"I chose Rutgers because I love the way the coaching staff made me feel welcome, and the East Coast is where I want to be," Nwuli said. "I love the energy of the staff. Coach Pikiell breathes basketball, and he cares about his players. He is hard on his guys in practice and encourages them to be better players and people."
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