Greg Schiano earns highest-profile pledge of 2024 class from Big North 4-star DB Kaj Sanders

Published Jul. 08, 2023, 4:03 p.m. By Todderick Hunt | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com He has the speed to play cornerback despite being 6-foot-1 and weighing 185 pounds. He has the quickness, physicality and awareness to play nickel. He boasts loose enough hips to play centerfield and play the post. He can open up, turn, run, has the make-up speed to recover, and he can play the boundary with a blindfold over both eyes. Kaj Sanders began playing football at six-years old, following in the footsteps of his father, Jessie, who played at UVA from 1996 to ‘99, and brother, Kamal — a 6-foot-5 senior offensive tackle-turned-tight end at Division-II Virginia State. Now a high school rising senior, Sanders is a four-star running back-slash-DB, who has helped Bergen Catholic to back-to-back Non-Public A state titles. He shared his plans to spend his college years at Rutgers on Saturday during a commitment ceremony hosted by Rivals.com from his home in Colonia. “It was my relationship with the coaches, the distance from home,” Kaj, who will start out at either strong safety, free safety or nickel at Rutgers, told NJ Advance Media. “I believe they can develop me the best because I’ve known the coaches for a long time and built a strong bond with them.” Jessie “LaQuan” Sanders was raised in Newark, New Jersey, and played football and basketball for Central high school where he became a blue-chip All-American football player, who also earned three scholarship offers to play hoops. Although his son, Kaj, was raised in Matawan, and played sports in Old Bridge, Jessie would return to those roots alongside Kaj to test just how far the apple has fallen from the tree. “He was killing everybody down there, scoring three-to-four touchdowns a game. I had to take him somewhere to see if he was really built for this game,” said Jessie, who averaged 127 tackles per year as a defensive end over his last two seasons at Central. Kaj landed in Newark with the Brick City Lions — the most talented and accomplished youth football program in New Jersey — before reaching BC. He ended his eighth-grade year as the featured running back on a Division-1, Pop Warner national championship team, and as the top up-and-coming high school running back in New Jersey. However, Kaj broke his collarbone during his freshman year, which strained his transition to Oradell. Yet, it wasn’t long before his recruitment soared. “He’s a winner in every sense of the word,” said Crusaders head coach Vito Campanile who has known Kaj since he was 12. “He’s hardworking, he’s humble, he’s great in the classroom. He’s a great kid to coach. He’s tough ... so tough. He’s a special kid.” Brought to Bergen to run the ball, Kaj dabbled with playing defensive back once back from injury. Campanile gave Sanders, who had fallen out of the running back rotation due to rust, the chance to play DB instead of waste his inaugural Big North year on the sidelines. The rest was history. “By the end of his sophomore year, Kaj had 20 offers at safety and corner, something he had never played before,” Jessie said. Rutgers began recruiting Sanders during his freshman year when he attended a prospect camp as a running back, and ran a 4.6-second laser-timed 40-yard dash — the fastest time at the camp, which earned Sanders a scholarship offer. However, Jessie made clear to Schiano that Kaj would not make any early decisions, and that Kaj would choose a school when ready. Ex-Rutgers offensive line coach Augie Hoffmann targeted Sanders following the camp before handing him off to Rutgers ex-defensive backs coach Fran Brown, who has since left Rutgers for the same role with the Georgia Bulldogs, leaving head coach Greg Schiano to spearhead Sander’s recruitment, flanked by safeties coach Drew Lascari. “Coach Schiano supports me no matter what,” Kaj said. “If I make a mistake, he knows I’m just a kid and he talks me through it. He just seems like a great person overall.” Added Jessie: “Kaj didn’t care much about NIL. He didn’t care about his brand. None of that mattered to him. When I would talk about it to him, he would say, ‘When did we start caring about money?’ “He wanted to go somewhere he would be a priority and be developed.” Kaj took official visits to Wisconsin, North Carolina and South Carolina before Rutgers, which presented his final pitch on June 19. Kaj was hosted on his in-state trip by 2024 NFL Draft defensive back prospect Max Melton, and was joined on campus by his parents, who took everything in. “I’ve been to Rutgers a lot, so I knew a lot about the campus already. But I learned a lot more about the education, the NIL part, and just how big the team is on being a family,” said Kaj, who believes Rutgers is on the verge of breaking out in the Big Ten. Kaj cancelled his final official visit to Penn State as the Nittany Lions earned a pledge from Irvington (N.J.) defensive back Vaboue Toure — the brother of Rutgers senior linebacker Mohamed Toure, and freshman wide receiver, Famah Toure, who James Franklin will add to a crowded DB room. Meanwhile, Kaj, one of the Garden State’s best, picked scarlet over navy blue. “Coach Schiano said that when I get the defense down, I will get a good amount of plays on offense, too,” said Kaj, who enters his final high school campaign with a goal to rush for 2,000 yards and pick “five-to-seven” passes off. Kaj could grow two inches if he’s to catch his father, Jessie, who stands 6-foot-3, and played in the trenches. Kaj was named an All-American relay sprinter after running a 10.2-second split at nationals. He also runs 100-meters in 10.7 seconds — flying for a high school senior, especially that size. Kaj is the first high-profile recruit from the Big North that Schiano has secured since returning to Rutgers in December 2019, which Rutgers hopes will cue momentum in one of the nation’s top high school football leagues, located in North Jersey.