Rutgers football has landed another offensive lineman in the portal, as Everett Smith, an offensive tackle from Eastern Michigan, has decided to commit to the Scarlet Knights. He has one year of starting experience at the group of five level and comes to Rutgers with one year of eligibility remaining.
Small joined Eastern Michigan as a part of the 2024 class. The 6-foot-4, 302-pounder redshirted his freshman year with the Eagles, appearing in only two games, before earning the starting center job
for them in 2025. However, after just two games, he was moved over to the starting left tackle position, where he stayed for the rest of the season.
He allowed 24 pressures and three sacks throughout the 2025 season. He received attention from several Big 12 and ACC teams before deciding to commit to Rutgers.
Small is likely to be competing for a spot in the rotation behind Rutgers starting tackles, even though former starting right tackle Taj White has left in the transfer portal. The Knights still have a lot of Big Ten-experienced tackles on staff, including Tyler Needham, Ryder Langsdale, Moshood Giwa, and Dontae Chin, so small will likely be a depth piece his first season on the banks.
