Savage visits future home field
The O'Hara junior committed to Rutgers Friday. Yesterday, he took in the Scarlet-White game.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Sitting six rows from the field for yesterday's Scarlet-White game at Rutgers Stadium, Tom Savage received plenty of attention. The Cardinal O'Hara junior fielded questions from reporters, mingled with other recruits, and was seen by the school-record 14,501 spectators on the Jumbotron.
Savage, a blue-chip quarterback who orally committed to the Scarlet Knights on Friday, was with his parents, Tom and Linda, O'Hara sophomore teammate Corey Brown, and about a hundred other recruits.
"I really like it here," Savage, a strong-armed signal-caller, said. "After I had made my commitment, I definitely wanted to check it out. This is where I want to be for the next four or five years."
Savage watched as senior-to-be quarterback Mike Teel passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Scarlet past the White, 28-14.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Savage chose Rutgers over Georgia, Miami, Tennessee and Louisville. He also took unofficial visits to Florida, North Carolina State and Virginia. Coaches from some of those schools will stay in touch, as he cannot sign a letter of intent until February 2009.
Per NCAA rules, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano cannot comment on a recruit who has not signed a letter of intent. However, he no doubt hopes Savage's commitment has a pied-piper effect on other top recruits.
Savage's brother, Bryan, was a star QB at the Haverford School who accepted a scholarship from Wisconsin but did not stay long with the Badgers. He's now a starter at Division I-AA Hofstra. Said Tom Savage: "My brother said, 'If you feel like a place is right for you, go for it.' "
Teel, who last season threw for 3,147 yards and 20 TDs, connected on 16 of 25 passes. Mason Robinson, expected to be the go-to running back after the departure of star rusher Ray Rice, carried eight times for 38 yards and a first-quarter score.
Jack Corcoran, a fullback from St. Joseph High in Hammonton, caught a 26-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass from Teel. "He's a very athletic fullback who has improved as a blocker," Schiano said. Alex Silvestro, a 6-4, 230-pound defensive lineman from Paulsboro, assisted on a pair of tackles for the White squad. "He gets better every day," Schiano said.
Starting middle linebacker Ryan D'Imperio, from Washington Township, suffered a concussion earlier in the week and was held out. "He had a good spring," Schiano said. "There was no need to push it."