Regardless of which coach Rutgers tabs to replace Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights won’t have Tom Savage as an option at quarterback in 2012. Or any other year, for that matter.
In a tweet posted to his Twitter account Sunday night, Savage wrote that “I guess you can get punished for being a man and coming home to take care of your family.” A pair of media outlets both subsequently confirmed that Savage’s tweet referred to an appeal to the NCAA for a hardship waiver that would allow him to play immediately had been denied.
Savage began his collegiate career at RU before transferring to Arizona in 2010. Shortly after Rich Rodriguez‘s hiring by UA in December of last year, Savage announced that he was again transferring, although he claimed the decision to move on again was due to family issues as opposed to not being a fit in RichRod’s spread offense.
Late last month, it was reported that Savage was eyeing a return to Rutgers.
“Thanks for all the support,” Savage wrote in a later tweet late last night. “This is only a speed bump... You will see me play again I promise you that... Eveything [sic] happens for a reason.”
Where the QB will play again remains to be seen.
Because he’s transferring a second time and his appeal to the NCAA failed, Savage will have to sit out the 2012 season if he chooses to transfer to any school at the Div. 1 level. As it stands now, his only option would be playing for a non-Div. 1 school -- Div. II, Div. III or NAIA.
It had previously been reported that Rutgers would only want Savage to transfer back if he won his appeal and had two years of eligibility remaining.