Rutgers QB commit AJ Surace shined on Saturday night to lead Notre Dame to a 48-27 season opening victory against Wayne Valley. Surace ran for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns while also completing 15 of 16 passes for 163 yards and one score through the air. His lone incompletion was a first quarter interception.
All four scores by Surace were big plays. He had touchdown runs of 64 yards, 32 yards and 45 yards. His touchdown pass went for 39 yards.
Surace finished his junior season for Notre Dame completing 131 of 231 pass attempts (56.7%) for 1,731 yards along with 21 TDs and 6 INTs. In addition, Surace had 32 rushes for 189 yards, 5.9 yards per carry and three touchdowns last season.
The fact that Surace surpassed his previous season high total for rushing yards in the first game of his senior year is very intriguing. In his three year high school career prior to Saturday, including two as a full-time starter, Surace rushed for 361 yards on 4.5 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns.
His development as a true dual threat quarterback makes him even more valuable. On Surace’s first touchdown, he was looking to throw and made the decision to run after he couldn’t find any open teammates downfield. It was a sound decision but his ability to take advantage with his legs was eye opening.
He also ran for a score on a RPO play call, something Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca will look to utilize with Surace in the future.
Surace is currently ranked No. 13 recruit in New Jersey, No. 42 QB nationally and No. 718 prospects overall in the 2024 class per 247 Sports composite rankings.
The future Scarlet Knight being able to make big plays with his legs is a step forward in his development. The Notre Dame backfield will be even more stacked for their third game of the season. That’s when Rutgers commit Gabe Winowich will be eligible after having to sit out of the first two games due to New Jersey high school transfer rules. Winowich is rated a high 3-star in the composite rankings and is an explosive player in his own right.
On Saturday, it was clear that he best prospect on the field. If his season opening performance was any indicator, Surace is ready to have a monster fall for Notre Dame. Whether the recruiting experts raise his 0.8756 recruit remains to be seen. Regardless, Rutgers fans have plenty to be excited about in the near future with AJ Surace.
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BataliBoli98
August 27, 2023 at 11:43 am
I have no idea if Wayne Valley is any good but he made high school athletes look like they were standing still. I wonder what AJ’s 40 time is because he can move. More important than that is the instincts that a QB needs to possess like knowing when to tuck it and run. It appears to me that he has both speed and instincts. Thanks for the article and links. Go RU!
thevinman
August 27, 2023 at 1:10 pm
Yes, the RPO decision to pull the ball out and run himself was excellent as the RBs path was blocked by a lot of defensive players.
pj43
August 27, 2023 at 3:18 pm
” More important than that is the instincts that a QB needs to possess…” I second your emotion.
FlaRef
August 27, 2023 at 8:36 pm
Didn’t Gavin have the same hype about his PRO and dual threat skills when he was in high school? How are the measurables with AJ for speed and arm strength and accuracy comparable to Gavin? Still watching to see how long it takes for those skills to translate to the college game.