Elijah Crawford will take an official visit to Rutgers in June, one of three official visits the Maryland defensive lineman will likely make this summer.
Crawford was offered by Rutgers on March 1 and announced on Monday an official visit to Rutgers the weekend of June 14.
He was on campus recently for an unofficial visit, where he watched spring practice. The interior defensive lineman has Rutgers scheduled and will be at West Virginia the weekend of June 7th.
Syracuse is also on Crawford’s list, but an official visit has not yet been scheduled. Other programs to offer Crawford include Temple and Virginia Tech.
At 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, Crawford is coming off a strong season for McDonogh (Owings Mills, Maryland). In nine games played this season, Crawford had 39 total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.
“They just impressed me with everything,” Crawford told Rutgers Wire.
“The training was quick with everyone flying. The campus was really impressive because it was so modern and strength and conditioning was probably the most important thing.
“I talked to coach JB (Jay Butler) and he showed me some of the guys’ transformations since their time there and it was just unreal how much they’ve grown.”
Overall, Crawford cites a strong relationship with the Rutgers staff since being offered six weeks ago.
“It’s great, I talked to coach Ferrell (Colin Ferrell) and he’s really genuine and has a great defensive mind,” Crawford said.
“And (he) really understands the d-line game and how I can improve my game. Additionally, I spoke with Coach H (Joe Harasymiah), the defensive coordinator. And we just talked about how I would fit into their team and their philosophy and he was really impressed with my game.”
Crawford said a fourth official visit could take place this summer “depending on how this period goes.”
He expects to announce his commitment in the first week of July.
