Rutgers picked up another boost to its 2026 class with offensive lineman James Cocozzo reclassifying and planning to enroll this summer.
Cocozzo, a three-star lineman, will join the Scarlet Knights early after announcing he is moving up to the 2026 group. The decision gives Rutgers a second reclassification in as many weeks. Last week, four-star running back Aiden Gibson flipped from Penn State to Rutgers and also reclassified to arrive this summer.
Scarlet Nation learned that Cocozzo, like Gibson, will be on campus in time for training camp.
“I really started enrollment because I would get more out of being at Rutgers than my high school this year,” Cocozzo told Scarlet Nation.
“Not only is it top-tier competition, but I would also be learning their offense and adapting to the speed of the game at a college level.”
Cocozzo had been ranked the No. 42 interior offensive lineman in the nation in the 2027 class and the No. 3 overall prospect in New York in the current recruiting cycle. Before his reclassification, Rutgers’ 2027 class sat at No. 38 nationally.
Now, Cocozzo becomes the seventh offensive lineman in Rutgers’ 2026 class and the only commit from New York in that group.
The 6-foot-3, 292-pound lineman committed to Rutgers in April, choosing the Scarlet Knights over Maryland, Penn State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. He was coming off a missed season after a knee injury.
“The strength program definitely plays a role in this as well,” Cocozzo said.
“Coming off a year where I didn't play and was injured, it's important to get my strength up, and there is no better place than Rutgers to do that because of how great their staff is.”
The early arrivals of Gibson and Cocozzo give Rutgers two more highly regarded recruits on campus ahead of schedule, a development that should speed up their transition to college football. It also says plenty about the pull Greg Schiano and his staff have built on the recruiting trail, with both players choosing not just Rutgers, but the chance to get started early.
Cocozzo’s father, Joe Cocozzo, played offensive line at Michigan and spent seven years in the NFL, and he supported the move to reclassify.
“He has told me things are different,” James Cocozzo said of his father's input. “But no doubt it will be extremely hard and to mentally prepare yourself for what is to come the best that I can.”
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