Perhaps no school has been a bigger surprise on the 2025 recruiting trail than Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights have now landed a second four-star commitment this week, as all-purpose running back John Forster pledged to head coach Greg Schiano‘s program.
On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights secured a commitment from four-star offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews. With Forster now joining the group, Rutgers has landed 16 commitments in the month of June and 24 overall in the 2025 recruiting class. The Scarlet Knights currently rank seventh in the national team recruiting rankings.
Forster, who currently suits up for Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, ranks as the No. 5 player in the Garden State and No. 5 all-purpose back in the 2025 class.
In addition to Rutgers, Forster received scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.
He cut down his list to five finalists in May, which included Rutgers, Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Forster took an official visit to Rutgers during the weekend of May 31. He followed that up with a trip to Champaign for an official visit with Illinois during the weekend of June 7. However, after spending time with both programs, Forster decided he wanted to play his college ball in his home state and become a Scarlet Knight.
Forster also took numerous unofficial visits to Piscataway throughout his recruitment. He is comfortable with Schiano, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, running backs coach Damiere Shaw and the rest of the staff at Rutgers.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Forster is an explosive running back who can beat defenders with his speed or tackle-breaking ability. He also excels as a receiver out of the backfield and is a dangerous returner on special teams.