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Sports

Archbishop Wood's Desmon Peoples Commits to Rutgers

The junior running back revealed his decision during a press conference at the high school Thursday afternoon.

Rutgers University had a lot going for it in its quest to recruit Archbishop Wood junior running back Desmon Peoples of Cheltenham. The Scarlet Knights boast an up-and-coming program, a newly expanded stadium, a strong schedule, and a relative close proximity to Peoples’ family. But, according to Peoples, it wasn’t necessarily just the football program that put Rutgers at the top of his list.

“The one thing that put [Rutgers] over the top was when [Rutgers Head Football Coach Greg Schiano] said ‘It’s not all about football; it’s about developing young men into responsible men for after college,’” he said.

Peoples announced his college decision in front of a relatively large audience of students, coaches, family members, friends, and reporters in the Archbishop Wood library Thursday afternoon. The crowded applauded as Peoples stood up and donned a black and red Scarlet Knight’s cap. Peoples was also being recruited by other Big East schools such as Pittsburgh and West Virginia, and even garnered last minute interest from Georgia Tech and UCLA.

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Flanked by his mother and father, the humble and soft-spoken Peoples cited Rutgers’ location as an important factor in his decision. “I wanted my mom and dad to be able to attend every game,” he said, smiling.

What Peoples most spoke about, though, was the familial values and closeness among the players and coaches that he observed during his visit to Rutgers. Peoples said Schiano preaches a “F.A.M.I.L.Y.” motto, which stands for "Forget about me, I love you” and that the Rutgers players are “like brothers.” He also came away very impressed by Schiano as a person.

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“I didn’t think I’d meet a more genuine coach than [Schiano],” he said.

The fact that Peoples, who rushed for 1,349 yards and 23 TDs last year, has the chance to earn playing time as a freshman didn’t hurt either. His head coach at Archbishop Wood, Steve Devlin, says he thinks the 5-foot, 7-inch 170-pound running back’s versatility will be a strong asset at Rutgers.

“The coaches [at Rutgers] have talked about using him in various different ways,” Devlin said. “[They’ll use him] at running back, throwing him the ball, and the special teams game. [Peoples] is a kid who can do a lot of different things.”

Peoples said he enjoyed the recruiting process, but was relieved to have made a decision before the summer so he can focus on finishing his junior year, and concentrate fully on football and his class work next fall.

“[Making the decision] takes a lot of weight off my shoulders,” he said. “It’s a heck of a process, and if you have a lot of schools showing a lot if interest, it makes your decision that much harder.”

Peoples said he was originally going to wait until the summer to announce his decision with some of his teammates, but after his official visit to Rutgers, his mind was made up. In fact, he said he was certain he wanted to commit right after observing a Rutgers practice, but his father told him to take his time and make sure he got a chance to get a bit on an idea what campus life was like there.

As far as the immediate future, Peoples has his sights set on helping lead the Archbishop Wood Vikings to a state championship this season, but after that the newest Scarlet Knight will get the chance to wow crowds at Rutgers Stadium with his speed and elusiveness.

Peoples’ strengths on the field will be a good fit for the Big East, where versatile running backs like West Virginia’s Noel Devine are in high demand in a conference not necessarily noted for its defensive prowess. He will also get the chance to help the rapidly-growing Rutgers football program, that has produced recent NFL standouts like Ray Rice, Kenny Britt, and Devin McCourty, continue on its way to becoming a big-time program in the Big East landscape.

Rutgers is sure glad they got their man today, and there were a lot of smiles to go around among Peoples and his family. Those who were not smiling about today’s news? The defensive coordinators of the other seven Big East teams.

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