Rutgers lands sharpshooting transfer from low-major that torched Scarlet Knights

After watching Darin Smith destroy his defense last winter, Steve Pikiell has added the sharpshooter to his roster.

Smith, a 6-foot-7 forward who played at Central Connecticut State over the last two years, has committed to Rutgers, a person with knowledge of the situation told NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria on Thursday morning. The decision comes after a visit to campus on Wednesday, which was first reported by On3.

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The Springfield, Massachusetts, native has two years of eligibility remaining. At the time of his commitment, he was the 298th-ranked prospect in the transfer portal on 247Sports and 500th on EvanMiya.

Smith averaged 20.7 points on 45.6% shooting (47.3% on twos, 37.6% on threes, 89.8% on free throws) on 14.8 attempts per game, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 turnovers and 0.7 steals in 32.6 minutes per game across 28 appearances (all starts) last season.

Smith was named the Northeast Conference’s Player of the Year, marking the second time in three years Rutgers adds the winner of that award. Jordan Derkack, who played on the 2024-25 team, won the award in the 2023-24 season with Merrimack.

One of Smith’s biggest games came in Piscataway, when he scored 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting (3-of-8 on threes), grabbed five rebounds, dished an assist and recorded a steal en route to a 13-point upset win over the Scarlet Knights.

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Across two collegiate seasons, Smith is shooting 40.6% on threes at high volume (93-of-229). He had the ball in his hands often, ranking 68th nationally in usage rate (29.8% of possessions he was on the floor) and 28th in shot percentage (32.6% of his team’s shots when he is on the floor), and got to the line a decent amount (40.5% free throw rate, 419th nationally).

Darin Smith's shot chart at Central Connecticut State during the 2025-26 season. (Graphic and data via CBB Analytics).CBB Analytics

It will be an intriguing balance for Pikiell and his staff to strike with star guard Tariq Francis, who is an equally ball-dominant player (29.4% usage rate, 31.9% shot rate).

Smith played under Pat Sellers, who worked with Pikiell for two years (1999-2001) when they were both assistants at Central Connecticut State.

Rutgers now has nine scholarships allotted for the 2026-27 season, meaning there are six open slots remaining.

Here is Rutgers’ current projected roster makeup entering the 2026-27 season (labeled by years of eligibility remaining; bolded are signed with program):

1 year - Tariq Francis (G), Darren Buchanan (F), Jamichael Davis (G).

2 years -Darin Smith (F)

3 years -Lino Mark (G), Kaden Powers (G), Gevonte Ware (G).

4 years -Imahri Wooten (G)

Unknown -Lewis Duarte (G)

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Guards (6):Tariq Francis, Jamichael Davis; Lino Mark, Kaden Powers; Lewis Duarte; Imahri Wooten.

Wings/Forwards (2): Darren Buchanan; Darin Smith.

Centers (1): Gevonte Ware.

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