S. Carolina RB favors Rutgers

Irmo High (Columbia, S.C.) running back Mustafa Greene is off to a blistering start on the field. Off the field, he said his familiarity with the Garden State is playing heavily in his recruitment, and he talked about when he will officially visit Rutgers.

Mustafa Greene said his mother moved from Brooklyn to South Carolina six years ago because “she wanted a slower lifestyle,’’ but he remains in touch with his hometown and it is a central reason why Rutgers is the leading contender in the recruitment of this three-star running back from Irmo High of Columbia, S.C.

“I would say Rutgers,’’ Greene said when asked about his leader. “That’s my hometown, and plus they keep in touch with me. Whenever they can call, they call immediately. I’ve established a good relationship with them.’’

But it hasn’t stopped other schools from jumping into the recruiting process.

Greene said he recently spoke with coaches from North Carolina State, Maryland and Syracuse. He does not have any visits set up, but knows the Scarlet Knights will receive one.

“Most likely I’ll go to Rutgers, probably in December,’’ Greene said. “That’s what time I’m setting up with them. Other schools, they just say we have to set up a time. I just have to let them know.’’

One of the reasons Greene favors Rutgers is simple.

“A lot of my family can come watch me play and all that good stuff,’’ he said.

Despite missing five games as a junior, Greene rushed for 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns. And the 6-foot, 200-pounder is heading for a big improvement on that this season. Greene is averaging 8.8 yards per carry in Irmo’s first five games (4-1). He has 1,021 yards rushing and scored 15 touchdowns.

Greene attributes his quick start to an offseason workout regimen put forth by his coaches. There was four miles of running in the morning, and four more in the afternoon, but with a twist.

“It helps with endurance and explosion,’’ Greene said. “Phase I (in the morning) is endurance, and Phase II (in the afternoon) is for speed. Phase II is when we run dashes. You basically have to do a 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. I’ve done that every year, but I really tried my best in each and every single one of them.’’

Motivation of not being caught on the field pushed Greene through the workouts. He said his vision to find running lanes was never an issue, and he doesn’t want speed to be a concern, either.’’

“I wanted to be faster than the safeties and corners and linebackers,’’ he said. “When they try to catch the angles on me, I wanted to be able to outrun then and get to the end zone.’’