Rutgers Lands Three Four-Star Recruits for 2027 Despite Postseason Drought

Rutgers has landed four-star commitments from RJ Moore, Brandon Woodard and Korey Francis for the 2027 class despite three straight seasons without an NCAA tournament berth.

Rutgers basketball has surged in high school recruiting for the 2027 class, securing three four-star prospects as the first three commitments of the cycle. The commitments have arrived despite the program's struggles on the court in recent seasons.

The class is built around shooting guard RJ Moore, power forward Brandon Woodard and point guard Korey Francis. According to 247 Sports, each of the three ranks among the top 22 players at his position and inside the top 130 prospects nationally, giving the Scarlet Knights an early foundation that covers the backcourt and the frontcourt.

The backdrop makes the recruiting run notable. Rutgers has missed the NCAA tournament in three consecutive seasons, a drought that would ordinarily be expected to weigh heavily on efforts to recruit high school players. Instead, the recruiting results and the on-court results have moved in opposite directions, with the Scarlet Knights continuing to add top-level high school talent, an area where the coaching staff has demonstrated real ability.

Two factors appear to be driving the surge. The first is the way Rutgers closed last season. The team played some of its better basketball late in the campaign, winning enough games to stay out of the bottom of the Big Ten and showing development that reflected well on the coaching staff.

That development was visible at the individual level as well. Lino Mark and Kaden Powers grew noticeably as last season went on, improvement that is viewed as an important part of Rutgers' appeal to elite high school talent and proof that the program develops the players it brings in.

Last season also took Rutgers to Las Vegas, where the team met Creighton in a quarterfinal game of the 2026 College Basketball Crown on April 2 at Grand Garden Arena, part of the MGM Grand resort. Darren Buchanan Jr. featured for the Scarlet Knights in that contest.

The second factor, and possibly the largest, sits away from the sideline. Athletic director Keli Zinn and general manager Rob Sullivan are viewed as key contributors off the court, with work that has lifted the resources the program has at its disposal, helped organize its search for targets and steered support toward landing the players Rutgers wants most.

The exact nature of Sullivan's involvement remains unclear. What is evident is that the Scarlet Knights have performed better in both high school recruiting and the transfer portal since he joined the program.

Other influences may be contributing to the momentum as well, though the improvement on the court and the work of the athletic department are seen as the two biggest drivers. From here, the challenge for the staff is to keep the three commitments on board, develop them once they reach campus and retain them long enough for Rutgers to benefit from that work.