PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Normally, when a freshman is asked to move to another position after his first week of preseason camp, it’s not a positive endorsement on his progress.
But Darius Hamilton is not your typical first-year player. A consensus scholastic All-American out of Don Bosco Prep, a New Jersey high school power, Don Bosco Prep, Hamilton is arguably the highest-rated recruit ever to play for Rutgers.
And through his first week of camp, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound freshman has lived up to his billing. That’s why first-year coach Kyle Flood felt compelled to move Hamilton from defensive end to the interior tackle spot he starred at in leading Don Bosco to a 35-0 record and three state championships in as many years.
“I had a talk with the defensive coaches and Coach Flood (Sunday) night and they felt it was probably best for me to play 3-technique (defensive tackle) because that’s where I’m comfortable at,” Hamilton said Monday. “They said I picked up on end really well, but I played 3-technique all my life. So, it’s not a big change at all.”
