Rutgers Football adds Delaware State transfer IOL Isaiah Cook
Rutgers Football has once again added to the trenches, this time on the offensive line.
The Scarlet Knights landed a commitment from Delaware State transfer offensive lineman Isaiah Cook, he announced on social media Thursday night. He originally hails from Willingboro, New Jersey and attended Willingboro High School. Cook will compete at center in Piscataway after starting at three different positions on the offensive line with the Hornets.
He will have one year of eligibility remaining after earning First Team All-MEAC honors in 2025.
“Can’t beat an opportunity to play Big Ten football,” Cook told TKR. “It’s the best place for me to be with my last year of eligibility. I want to go to the NFL, and Rutgers has the resources that can help me get there. Plus, I have family ties to Rutgers, both my parents graduated from there.”
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Cook’s background
At six-foot-three and 300 pounds, Cook steadily worked himself up the depth chart with the Hornets, developing into a quality interior offensive lineman before entering the transfer portal.
He earned All-MEAC third team honors in 2022 as a sophomore and first-year starter at right guard, grading as the second-best pass blocker in the conference, according to Pro Football Focus.
Heading into 2023, he was named an All-MEAC second-teamer and started ten games, earning a 70.8 pass blocking grade according to PFF. He started nine times at center and once at right guard.
Cook then suffered an injury and was limited to just two games as a redshirt junior in 2024.
This past season in 2025, Cook once again showcased his positional versatility in nine starts, splitting time on both the inside and outside of the line. Five of his starts came at right guard, but he also moved outwards and started four games at right tackle. He earned the third-best pass blocking and run blocking grades in the MEAC, according to PFF. The senior was also named to BOXTOROW’s HBCU All-America team for his efforts.
Cook lands at Rutgers for his final year of eligibility as a versatile offensive lineman who will compete for time at center, a position that will have a new starter for the first time in three seasons after the graduation of Gus Zilinskas.
Zilinskas’ younger brother Hank is the early favorite to start, fresh off a redshirt year following two seasons as a starter at Colorado, but there will also be competition for depth at that position. Fellow Willingboro native Terrence Salami also graduated, while John Stone opted to transfer to Temple.
Cook becomes the third addition on the offensive side of the ball from the portal, joining quarterback Dylan Lonergan and tight end Kam Anthony. He is the eighth portal addition for the Scarlet Knights this cycle so far.
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