Rutgers Lands 4-Star Satety Messiah Tilson
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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have hit the jackpot with their latest addition to the program. Defensive back Messiah Tilson flipped on Kentucky and will be joining the Scarlet Knights for the 2026 season.
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— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) December 5, 2025
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It has been a rollercoaster season for Rutgers on defense. The team struggled all year long to put together a well-constructed defense. Injuries played a factor in their lackluster defense as well. Tilson, a 4-star caliber defensive back, is precisely what the Scarlet Knights needed.
Tilson is an essential piece for the Rutgers team going forward. What are they getting from him? They are getting a leader who wants to win badly. Rutgers is getting a player who plays with so much confidence and is a student of the game—a player who will give it all he has and leave it all on the field.
He’s one of the top prospects in the nation, especially in the safety position. Tilson is ranked No. 8 in Illinois. Rutgers and Matthew have built a relationship in the last few months. The prospect visited the campus back in June, and he knew after the visit that Rutgers would be at the top of his list.
Other schools that Tilson had in mind, aside from Rutgers, are Kentucky, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. If you’re Kentucky, this is bad luck for the program and could see Rutgers as a future rival, but this is the Scarlet Knights' gain. It’s an early Christmas gift for the program.
Tilson has tremendous speed, is great physically, and has excellent ball skills. He has experience playing on offense for his high school team as a wide receiver. Tilson is slowly bulking up. Therefore, by the time he gets to Rutgers or by the time his college career is over, he will reach 200 pounds. He went from 165 to 180.
We are seeing one of the most exciting defensive back classes in years. There is so much talent coming out in that position for the 2026 season. The Scarlet Knights are building momentum, and they have a player who brings that old-school feel as a defensive back.
Rutgers and Tilson seem to be like a good marriage. Whoever the Scarlet Knights' defensive coordinator is next season must develop good chemistry with Tilson.
Everything we are seeing on tape, especially what Tilson did during his Junior and senior seasons, looks very promising. Rutgers has struck gold.
Tilson finished his senior year at Guilford with 51 tackles with one for loss, four interceptions with a pick-six, and two pass breakups. At Guilford, Tilson also played basketball and competed in track and field.
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Miguel Mike Medina is a Writer and Freelance Sports Journalist who contributes to Rutgers On SI. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and a Minor in Journalism in 2014 from City College of New York.