Tom Savage was a starter at Rutgers for most of his freshman season.
Photo by Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
Tom Savage, a former starting quarterback who is transferring from Rutgers, has been granted permission to speak with Arizona, according to a story in the Miami Herald.
Savage has been granted permission to speak with Marshall, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, in addition to the Wildcats, according to the story.
His preference appears to be Miami, but, in giving Savage a conditional release from his scholarship, Rutgers is denying him permission to speak with Miami, Florida, Florida State and Michigan. Savage’s father has appealed that decision to Rutgers.
Savage was one of the top freshman quarterbacks in the nation in 2009, when he completed 149 of 289 passes for 2,211 yards, with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
He struggled through the first three games of the 2010 season and then was injured in the fourth game against Tulane. He was a backup the rest of the way.
Savage (6-5, 226) would have to sit out the 2011 season under transfer rules and would be eligible as a junior in 2012. For Arizona, that seems to be a critical year at quarterback, as Nick Foles, Matt Scott (assuming he doesn’t redshirt) and Bryson Beirne will be gone.
Lightly recruited Cam Allerheiligen redshirted as a freshman last season. True freshman Daxx Garman, who graduated early from high school and enrolled at Arizona for the spring semester, carries much higher expectations.
But, from this distance, it looks as if the 2012 quarterback job will be up for grabs.
Savage, from Springfield, Pa., was rated the 125th-best overall high school prospect and the 10th-best quarterback in the country by ESPN.com.