Despite the devastating impact of the coronavirus, Greg Schiano and the Rutgers football staff are on a roll. Parsippany (N.J.) Hills athlete Jordan Thompson has committed to Rutgers, he confirmed to NJ Advance Media Friday morning.

Its either you want to be part of history or make history, he said. And I want to make it."

A 6-3, 225-pound junior, Thompson has ties to the Piscataway-based program, which helped keep him home. His mother, Neretta, ran track at Rutgers and graduated from the school in 1991. And theres a current player on the team whose opinion he values.

Billy Taylor, whos the long snapper for Rutgers, is the brother of one of my close friends, Zack, Thompson said last month. And he always talks about how amazing Rutgers is.

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A three-star recruit, Thompson visited Rutgers two Saturdays ago, and confirmed all the things he had heard about the school.

The facility and how much the coaches are willing to making Rutgers into a great program stood out," he said following the visit. "I was mostly with Coach Panagos, Gleeson, and Nunz. Coach Schiano said that I can play either side of the ball and I could help Rutgers make a difference. Rutgers is definitely one of my top schools.

And, now hes a Scarlet Knight.

I called coach Schiano today and he just talked about life and how they are recruiting a very good class. So, I said, I want to be part of it and I want to commit,' Thompson said.

Thompson is the third player to pledge to Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano this week -- a breakneck pace considering the country is on lockdown for the coronavirus. Rutgers 2021 class now boasts six recruits and is ranked 19th in the country and sixth in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.com.

Thompson is versatile and plays all over the field but will start out a hybrid defensive end at Rutgers. He joins East Orange (N.J) running back/cornerback Al-Shadee Salaam, and Westside (Newark, N.J.) defensive back Shaquan Loyal, whom pledged to Greg Schiano on Wednesday.

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Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.

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Hybrid d-end Jordan Thompson becomes 3rd player to stay home, commit to Rutgers this week - NJ.com