Princeton lands Arizona quarterback Jake Rogers over Ivy League rivals

Princeton landed one of the Ivy League’s most notable quarterback commitments of the summer when Chandler, Arizona, passer Jake Rogers announced for the Tigers on June 26. The Basha High School quarterback picked Princeton over Colgate, Brown, Penn and Eastern Washington, a mix that shows this was never just another FCS recruitment.

The Tigers got in first, and that mattered. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Rosenbaum watched Rogers throw at Basha on January 21, then called him from the airport with Princeton’s scholarship offer, making the Tigers the first FCS program to extend one. From there, the relationship kept building through spring visits, a home visit and repeated time around the staff.

Rogers said the Princeton staff, alumni and current players stood out because of the way they treated him, and that connection separated the Tigers from a crowded field. He visited campus from June 18-20, spent time with head coach Bob Surace and the rest of the staff, and met other 2027 commits along with sophomore quarterback Ty Ciongoli, a glimpse of the depth chart and recruiting class he would be joining.

That visit also gave Princeton a chance to sell more than football. Rogers left impressed with the location, the people and the offense, and he said he felt he could call the place home. For an Ivy League program, that pitch is different from the usual FCS commitment story. Princeton is not just asking a quarterback to buy into a system or a chance to play early. It is selling a degree, a recruiting network and a football environment built on relationships that last beyond a signing day press release.

The commitment is a real win for Princeton because it came against both Ivy League competition and a strong non-Ivy FCS program in Eastern Washington. Rogers’ decision says Princeton can still go into the West, identify a quarterback early and hold him through the full recruiting cycle. In a summer full of quarterbacks looking for the fastest path to playing time, Rogers chose a longer game, and Princeton won it.