“I Am 10000% Committed to Wagner.” Inside an Official Visit on Grymes Hill with OL Alexander Citrullo

Jacksonville, FL offensive lineman Alexander Citrullo might not have been born here in the Northeast, but he’s intent on making it his home anyway. The Wagner commit for 2026 (one of two that we’ve tracked down) was on hand for the NEC Sports Instant Classic (TM) between Central Connecticut State and the Seahawks this past Saturday. What he saw only reaffirmed what he already knew- that Grymes Hill was the place for him to play his college ball.

So what’s an official visit like in the NEC?

I think most of us on the outside have always wanted to follow a recruit on an official visit. Unfortunately, my eligibility is looking pretty expired, but what we got this past weekend from Citrullo is probably the next best thing. I’ve always been curious about how Coach Masella and the staff at Wagner do so well recruiting Florida, so hearing it from a commit who’s excited to get up to NYC in January was the best way to do it.

Citrullo flew in on Friday morning and was given a tour of the campus on Staten Island. After that, he got the kind of red carpet treatment we only dream about in media (I am usually elated when I get a Diet Mountain Dew). “[We had] lunch at the dining hall with several coaches including Coach Sino and Coach Czelusniak. Then went over to the field to watch the JV game and met the school president and the athletic director,” Citrullo said. “My whole family met with Coach Masella and had a great talk. Stayed for practice and team meetings and even went over some pass protection with Coach Sino.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve made it back out to New York City from out here in the western frontiers of the NEC, but whenever I do I’ve got a list of pizza places to hit up. One of those is Denino’s Pizza on Staten Island.

Imagine going from Florida pizza to Staten Island pizza in the span of a weekend. You’d commit, too.

That was the setting for dinner on Friday night, along with several coaches and player host James Aldridge.

On Saturday, Citrullo attended the homecoming festivities on the beautiful campus of Wagner College. Homecoming for Wagner football is kind of an interesting concept, too, because the head coach of the program is an alum and one of the greats for the Seahawks. It’s definitely a compelling argument that it could be a place any prospective recruit could want to return to, too. But like anywhere else, the central activity on Homecoming is, ultimately, football.

“[I had] on field access for pregame and truly felt like I was already part of the team,” Citrullo said. “After the game I got to hang out with some of the team in Manhattan. I felt like I was home. I am looking forward to being here in January.”

On Sunday, New York City was allowed to be the primary recruiter, along with New York State legend Dinosaur BBQ. I’ve got to ask Syracuse, NY school Le Moyne if they use the famed Empire State staple in their pitches, too.

And as far as the football game went, we’ve already mentioned the overtime thriller was an instant classic. Experiencing it as a recruit was apparently a lot like watching it as media. Citrullo told us, “The game was great. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was a great game. The fumble recovery for a touchdown was great and reminded me of Devin Lloyd from the Jags against the Chiefs.”

Jaguars? In this climate?

You can take the Jaguars fan out of Florida, but… well, we’ll see what happens with four years up north where he belongs.