Rutgers adds elite speed with 3-star North Carolina WR Benjamin Black | 5th commit in 2 days

Rutgers has two wide receivers from the Tar Heel State pegged for its 2024 football recruiting class since Benjamin Black, a three-star wide receiver and DB from Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.), opted in on Sunday, after officially visiting campus last weekend.

“What stood out to me the most about Rutgers is the honesty that the coaches give me when they speak to me,” said Black, who brought his mother, father, sister and brother with him to Rutgers. “They speak nothing but the truth and you know they mean what they say when they put the facts behind it.”

A 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, Black picked Rutgers out of 13 offers, including Boston College, Duke, Maryland and Georgia Tech. He joins fellow North Carolina pass catcher Isaiah Crumpler, who, like Black, is fast, physical, has good hands, and plans to help Kirk Ciarrocca, and classmate-slash-quarterback A.J. Surace, keep Rutgers’ cannon operator busy in years to come.

Also a track and field All-American who can deadlift 470 pounds, Black runs a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, the 100-meters in 10.76 seconds and a 21.9-second 200-meters, adding speed to Rutgers’ wide receiving corps that hopes to see a number of speedsters breakout this fall.

Black is also a 4A 4×100 and 4×200 state champion who helped break the North Carolina all-time state and meet records with times of 40.87 seconds and 1:24.79, respectively.

Whether used on offense or defense, Black boasts game-changing speed that should help Rutgers keep up with some of the faster teams in the Big Ten.

Rutgers’ 2024 class entered Sunday ranked 21st in the country per 247Sports.com and 20th per Rivals.com.

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Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com.