Rutgers football has landed its third commit in the last seven days, as 2027 tight end Saleh Atariwa has committed to Rutgers football. Atariwa is the second tight end commit for Rutgers in the 2027 class, joining West Orange, New Jersey product Sydney Padilla. He is also the third New York commit of the class, joining OL James Cocozzo and ATH Trent Buttles.
The 6-foot-6, 245 pound Atariwa hails from the Bronx, and currently attends Cardinal Hayes High School. He is rated as a three star recruit by
the 247sports recruiting composite.
Atariwa has shown a lot of interest in Rutgers the past few weeks, as he made three trips to the school since the visit window reopened in March, one being for the teams Junior days. He committed to the school after Saturday’s practice.
Tight Ends coach Scott Vallone is highly credited with earning his commitment, as he and Atariwa build a bond way before his scholarship offer was extended.
“I’ve been in contact with coach Scott Vallone, the tight ends coach for a while now. It started when I went to the Rutgers 7-on-7 with my team last July and he brought me in personally for a workout and to get to know me. From there we kept a good connection,” said Atariwa in a statement to The Knight Report.
Atariwa had offers from Syracuse, Maryland, Wake Forest, Boston College and Michigan State. Syracuse got Atariwa to schedule an official visit along with Rutgers, but with his commitment, it is expected that he will cancel that visit within the coming days. His official visit will be on June 5th.
