Not in love with this guy. But he was highly regarded out of HS and did have a Stanford offer. Graduated in 3.5 years from Rutgers with a degree in Economics.
Stanford could use another RB. Huggins is not a big back. But he is not small either.
He is getting passed over by some pretty good RBs at Rutgers. Paul James and the two freshmen they have are really good (in the case of James) and very solid in the case of the 2 frosh RBs (Hicks and Martin).
IMO, he is considerable because he is a One for One transfer at a need position (for depth).....and Stanford most likely won't fill it's allotment of available scholarship. So basically he is a free extra bullet.
He is actually a lot like Wright. Slightly bigger, longer. Good RB but not great. Has limited top end speed. Tough to say how physical he is with watching more. And for lack of verification, he might have better vision than Wright. Not a hard challenge.
Scarlett will not be able to go next year. And I don't envision another RB prospect dropping out of the sky in the 2015 class. Love is more of an athlete that can at best cameo as a situational RB. IMO, they should not try to beef McCaffrey up next year. Can get bigger. Just not big for big sake. Mold him as a WR / RB get the ball in his hands in many ways threat. Love and others can follow suit.
That pretty much leaves Wright alone with Sanders. Adding a somewhat game test RB that has at least produced and at some point showed some flashes (albeit I believe he was vastly overrated coming out of HS - #7 RB in the Nation....come on Rivals!).
But regardless, always good to have extra bullets.....particularly when you can afford it. And in this case, it is just one year's scholarship. Of all places, we can afford it.
Howard from UAB is 1000x better and a better fit (on the field). But Huggins might do.
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Savon Huggins not leaving behind any ill-will with Rutgers football
Ryan Dunleavy, @rydunleavy 6:27 p.m. EST December 29, 2014
Savon Huggins' career with Rutgers football ended much more quietly than it began.
The senior running back from Jackson is transferring from Rutgers, where he never met the inflated expectations created by being labeled the top recruit in the state and the most heralded in program history at that time.
"I just wanted a fresh start," Huggins told Gannett New Jersey. "Some people might say it's because of competition, but I'm pretty confident that I was going to at least get some touches next year. That wasn't really the issue."
As a graduate transfer, Huggins, 21, will be immediately eligible to play his final season at the FBS or FCS (formerly Division I-AA) levels. Huggins isn't leaving behind any ill-will.
RELATED: Ralph Friedgen to return to Rutgers? Kyle Flood expects it
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"College will really help anybody who is not just in my shoes but anybody who's played college football," Huggins said. "You develop thick skin really quick. If you don't it will weed out the weak. It's not a bad thing, but college football is not for everybody.
"I love the game of football, but you have to understand there is a lot that comes to it. You have to have a short memory and a thick skin to play college football. If you have those two things, I really think you can thrive."
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood granted Huggins a release from his scholarship. ScarletReport.com first reported the news.
"Savon is an impressive guy. I'm proud of him," Flood said on Dec. 20. "I'm proud of how he helped us win football games here. I'm proud of how he has handled this year where he would like to be playing right now and he's not able to do it. He's found ways to contribute to this football team. Savon's a class guy from a great family."
Huggins rushed for 842 yards with an average of 3.2 yards per carry and nine touchdowns in 32 career games, only topping the 100-yard plateau once. He did not participate last spring and missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
"Of course I wish it would've went differently," Huggins said, "but everything happens for a reason. I've had so much success growing up maybe it was time for me to take a (step) back and see things in a different perspective. I grew in that way. I matured as a man. I appreciate it so much more. I don't take any of that stuff for granted."
Huggins thanked his fans and the "RU Family" in confirming his departure on Twitter.
"Moving forward, I know what type of business this is," he said, "but at the same time I want to take full advantage of wherever I go next because everything I learned I took it in stride. I turned a negative into a positive. Nothing kept me down too long. My support system is tremendous."
Flood, who is expected to address Huggins' departure Tuesday in a postseason media teleconference, said in October that he expected the former four-star prospect to return to the Scarlet Knights in 2015.
Huggins, who wants to open his own training facility in the future, finished undergraduate classes earlier this month - one semester shy of four years - but said he didn't fast-track his education just to transfer.
RELATED: Rutgers associate AD, communications official Jason Baum resigns
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"I knew what I wanted to do when I first came to college," Huggins said. "Right when I got on campus I started to get core classes for my economics degree. Instead of just taking filler classes because I don't know what I want to do, I was taking econ classes. That put me way ahead of everyone else."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Huggins chose Rutgers over a list of top programs around the country out of St. Peter's Prep. He declined to name any schools he is considering this time around.
"It's important to me to be able to get a master's wherever I go," Huggins said. "It really does not matter where the school is located as long as it's a respectable school in terms of education."
Rutgers should be deep in the backfield next season with the expected return of starter Paul James from season-ending injury and the emergence of true freshmen Robert Martin and Josh Hicks. Justin Goodwin and Desmon Peoples also are experienced ball-carriers.
Huggins spent the first two seasons of his career behind Jawan Jamison - he had a career-best 179 rushing yards against Cincinnati as a sophomore - and opened his junior season as the starter. James leapfrogged Huggins on the depth chart after just one game.
"I told coach that I needed to start over again and I have the opportunity being able to graduate early," Huggins said. "I might as well take advantage of this opportunity."
Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleav@gannett.com
ARTICLE - Savon Huggins Transfer from Rutgers
Stanford could use another RB. Huggins is not a big back. But he is not small either.
He is getting passed over by some pretty good RBs at Rutgers. Paul James and the two freshmen they have are really good (in the case of James) and very solid in the case of the 2 frosh RBs (Hicks and Martin).
IMO, he is considerable because he is a One for One transfer at a need position (for depth).....and Stanford most likely won't fill it's allotment of available scholarship. So basically he is a free extra bullet.
He is actually a lot like Wright. Slightly bigger, longer. Good RB but not great. Has limited top end speed. Tough to say how physical he is with watching more. And for lack of verification, he might have better vision than Wright. Not a hard challenge.
Scarlett will not be able to go next year. And I don't envision another RB prospect dropping out of the sky in the 2015 class. Love is more of an athlete that can at best cameo as a situational RB. IMO, they should not try to beef McCaffrey up next year. Can get bigger. Just not big for big sake. Mold him as a WR / RB get the ball in his hands in many ways threat. Love and others can follow suit.
That pretty much leaves Wright alone with Sanders. Adding a somewhat game test RB that has at least produced and at some point showed some flashes (albeit I believe he was vastly overrated coming out of HS - #7 RB in the Nation....come on Rivals!).
But regardless, always good to have extra bullets.....particularly when you can afford it. And in this case, it is just one year's scholarship. Of all places, we can afford it.
Howard from UAB is 1000x better and a better fit (on the field). But Huggins might do.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savon Huggins not leaving behind any ill-will with Rutgers football
Ryan Dunleavy, @rydunleavy 6:27 p.m. EST December 29, 2014
Savon Huggins' career with Rutgers football ended much more quietly than it began.
The senior running back from Jackson is transferring from Rutgers, where he never met the inflated expectations created by being labeled the top recruit in the state and the most heralded in program history at that time.
"I just wanted a fresh start," Huggins told Gannett New Jersey. "Some people might say it's because of competition, but I'm pretty confident that I was going to at least get some touches next year. That wasn't really the issue."
As a graduate transfer, Huggins, 21, will be immediately eligible to play his final season at the FBS or FCS (formerly Division I-AA) levels. Huggins isn't leaving behind any ill-will.
RELATED: Ralph Friedgen to return to Rutgers? Kyle Flood expects it
RELATED: Rutgers football "unsung hero" Lorenzo Waters stars in Quick Lane Bowl
"College will really help anybody who is not just in my shoes but anybody who's played college football," Huggins said. "You develop thick skin really quick. If you don't it will weed out the weak. It's not a bad thing, but college football is not for everybody.
"I love the game of football, but you have to understand there is a lot that comes to it. You have to have a short memory and a thick skin to play college football. If you have those two things, I really think you can thrive."
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood granted Huggins a release from his scholarship. ScarletReport.com first reported the news.
"Savon is an impressive guy. I'm proud of him," Flood said on Dec. 20. "I'm proud of how he helped us win football games here. I'm proud of how he has handled this year where he would like to be playing right now and he's not able to do it. He's found ways to contribute to this football team. Savon's a class guy from a great family."
Huggins rushed for 842 yards with an average of 3.2 yards per carry and nine touchdowns in 32 career games, only topping the 100-yard plateau once. He did not participate last spring and missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
"Of course I wish it would've went differently," Huggins said, "but everything happens for a reason. I've had so much success growing up maybe it was time for me to take a (step) back and see things in a different perspective. I grew in that way. I matured as a man. I appreciate it so much more. I don't take any of that stuff for granted."
Huggins thanked his fans and the "RU Family" in confirming his departure on Twitter.
"Moving forward, I know what type of business this is," he said, "but at the same time I want to take full advantage of wherever I go next because everything I learned I took it in stride. I turned a negative into a positive. Nothing kept me down too long. My support system is tremendous."
Flood, who is expected to address Huggins' departure Tuesday in a postseason media teleconference, said in October that he expected the former four-star prospect to return to the Scarlet Knights in 2015.
Huggins, who wants to open his own training facility in the future, finished undergraduate classes earlier this month - one semester shy of four years - but said he didn't fast-track his education just to transfer.
RELATED: Rutgers associate AD, communications official Jason Baum resigns
RELATED: Rutgers TE Tyler Kroft still pondering NFL Draft
"I knew what I wanted to do when I first came to college," Huggins said. "Right when I got on campus I started to get core classes for my economics degree. Instead of just taking filler classes because I don't know what I want to do, I was taking econ classes. That put me way ahead of everyone else."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Huggins chose Rutgers over a list of top programs around the country out of St. Peter's Prep. He declined to name any schools he is considering this time around.
"It's important to me to be able to get a master's wherever I go," Huggins said. "It really does not matter where the school is located as long as it's a respectable school in terms of education."
Rutgers should be deep in the backfield next season with the expected return of starter Paul James from season-ending injury and the emergence of true freshmen Robert Martin and Josh Hicks. Justin Goodwin and Desmon Peoples also are experienced ball-carriers.
Huggins spent the first two seasons of his career behind Jawan Jamison - he had a career-best 179 rushing yards against Cincinnati as a sophomore - and opened his junior season as the starter. James leapfrogged Huggins on the depth chart after just one game.
"I told coach that I needed to start over again and I have the opportunity being able to graduate early," Huggins said. "I might as well take advantage of this opportunity."
Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleav@gannett.com
ARTICLE - Savon Huggins Transfer from Rutgers
