ESPN Rise has a great look at Tom Savage. One of Cardinal O'Hara's recent games was televised on ESPN U. Teammate Corey Brown had been sitting out due to injury, and Savage was reportedly taking a lot of hits from the opposing defense. He has another televised game coming up.
Mike Farrell published another rumor column last week.
• Paulsboro (N.J.) High safety/linebacker Gerald Hodges, a Rutgers commitment, has been rumored to be showing interest in Penn State; indeed, he could take an unofficial visit to Penn State this weekend for the game against Michigan.
• If Rutgers keeps all its early commitments, quarterback Tom Savage will be a big reason. Savage, from Springfield (Pa.) Cardinal O'Hara, is solid to Greg Schiano and has been working overtime talking to current commitments to keep everyone together despite the Scarlet Knights' 1-5 start. A few Rutgers commits are looking around, including Hodges, offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche of Newark (Del.) High and tight end Malcolm Bush of Hackensack (N.J.) High. Bush was at North Carolina this past weekend on an unofficial visit, while Bunche reportedly is looking at Miami, Illinois, Maryland and Connecticut.
The Bunche/Bush stuff isn't anything new, and there's no point in worrying about either at the moment. Farrell said Hodges was solid a few weeks ago, and he gave similar comments in Tom Savage's article on SI.com. I don't think a visit in itself is that much to worry about.
According to Scout, Isaac Holmes says Rutgers is no longer recruiting him.
Holmes says that local favorite Rutgers is no longer recruiting him. "They aren't really keeping in touch," he said. "They've already got a lot of recruits in."
He says he plans to take at least three visits before making a decision. "I want to get acquainted with the program a bit more and get a feel for the coaches and players," he said. "I just want to see if I can see myself playing there for four years."
What's up with the Merrell twins?
Jamal, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound outside linebacker, confirmed that he and his brother would be taking an official visit to Pitt sometime down the road. They do not have a date set, but they said it would be during the season.
"We’ve also been talking to Rutgers and Syracuse a lot lately," he said. "Actually we’ve been talking to all of the schools we’ve mentioned before, or at least most of them.
Good news on De'Antwan Williams:
Enlow said the top colleges on Williams's list are now Alabama, West Virginia, Maryland and Rutgers -- which entered the picture only recently but has come on strong.
Fans of every school need to be conscious not to commit recruiting violations.
Rivals.com reports that RU commit Shawney Kersey has missed several games this season due to injury.
David Osei is a bit of a mystery man, but he received a positive mention recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer's ranking of top local linemen.
3. David Osei, Abington, senior, 6-4, 250, tackle. This Rutgers recruit, a standout pass blocker, is a big reason why the Ghosts average 31 points a game.
ESPN recently took a look at RU commit Robert Joseph.
Abdul Smith has been having a productive season at quarterback for his high school team.
Smith, often criticized for playing a questionable schedule, has already accepted a full ride from Division I-A Rutgers — which more than confirms the talent the Perkiomen senior displays. In only five games, he has run for 673 yards and nine touchdowns, thrown for 459 yards and six more scores despite averaging considerably less attempts than other area quarterbacks, and he's scored three other times on defense and special teams. There isn't anyone anywhere in this neighborhood, either, as valuable to his team as Smith is to the Indians.
It's hard to say whether this will amount to anything or not, but Rutgers has been talking to underclassman Florida RB Giovanni Bernard.
Class of 2010 ESPNU Watch List running back Giovanni Bernard told affiliate Web site GatorCountry.com, "I'm hearing from a lot schools. Right now, Rutgers has been mailing me a lot and I've also been hearing from Auburn and West Virginia a lot too."
Another 2010 name from Florida getting early interest from the Knights is Brandon Gainer.
A long list of universities have also been in contact with the powerful Dade County back including Rutgers, UCF, Wisconsin, Boston College, Clemson, Florida State and LSU.