Springfield native and Cardinal O'Hara grad Tom Savage is headed out west. The former Rutgers quarterback has decided to transfer to Arizona.
Is this a good move for the 6-5, 230-pound sophomore?
It could be.
Savage has to sit out the 2011 season under NCAA transfer rules and Arizona's top two quarterbacks, starter Nick Foles and backup Matt Scott, will be seniors next fall. Scott could sit out as a redshirt, Arizona coach Mike Stoops said, which would give the Wildcats two veteran quarterbacks when Savage becomes eligible in 2012. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Savage could have gone the I-AA, like Joe Flacco and Pat Devlin and played right away, but he wanted to play at the BCS level.
If Scott does redshirt, Savage will have to beat out five other quarterbacks for the starting job. In addition to Scott, the Wildcats also have Bryson Beirne, John Cardona, Cam Allerheilgen and Daxx Garmen on the roster. Beirne and Cardona were sophomores last season. Allerheilgen was a freshman and Garmen is a freshman who came in this semester.
Savage certainly has the talent to win the job. He was a freshman All-American at Rutgers two seasons ago. But this is the PAC-10, not the Big East so there are no guarantees that he will win the starting job.
Savage is expected to enroll in classes in the summer.