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Savage denied early 'graduation' from O'Hara | Philadelphia Daily News | 06/30/2008

Tom Savage had it all arranged.

The star Cardinal O'Hara quarterback wanted to leave high school early and attend Rutgers in January, in what would have been the second semester of his senior year of high school.

But wanting to make that move, which is becoming more and more prevalent nationally among standout high school athletes, and actually being allowed to do it is something different for Savage. Especially as an athlete in the Philadelphia Catholic League, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The archdiocese told the Savage family last Thursday that their request for early admission to college for Tom, a 6-4, 220-pound quarterback considered among the best in the country, has been denied.

The official stance of the archdiocese is that it did not want to set a precedent for athletes leaving high school early to attend college. No Philadelphia Catholic League athlete has ever been permitted to leave school early; Savage would have been the first.

Two calls to the archdiocese on Friday were not returned.

Savage presented the idea to his parents in April, before he gave his oral commitment to Rutgers in May. Tom and Linda Savage backed their son's decision and presented a plan to O'Hara administrators, which included principal George Stratts.

Savage carries a 3.8 GPA, and scored 1,030 on his SAT. He's academically qualified for Rutgers, so that wasn't an issue.

It's also a move that has been made by other high school athletes in the Philadelphia area, most prominently Dan Connor, who left Strath Haven High School early to attend Penn State in January 2004. Connor graduated in December with a degree in criminal justice. The two-time All-America linebacker was a third-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers.

Such a move would have put a lot of pressure on Savage, who would have had to give up his summer and double up on certain academic demands during the fall semester of his senior year.

"But this was something Thomas was very eager to do," said his father. "We knew what we were up against when we first thought about this. We just wanted to look into all of our options in doing this, seeing what had to be done. Our intention wasn't to set any precedents. Thomas was willing to give up his summer to do this. He knew the sacrifices that were involved."

Savage was planning to attend Delaware County Community College starting July 7, taking one class in advanced computer science 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day.

"He was ready to throw his summer away for this," his father said. "And instead of cruising through his senior year, he was going to double up with his classes. He was going to take two religion classes and two English classes during the fall semester."

Savage played in six games his junior year, which was cut short by a broken foot in the second game of the season. He came back for playoff games against La Salle and St. Joseph's Prep.

There are some positives in the denial, Tom Savage notes. His son will be able to attend and observe Rutgers practices next spring, and also will be able to play in Pennsylvania's Big 33 game, if he's invited.

"The big thing is that Thomas gets to enjoy his senior year of high school with his friends," Tom Savage said. "Sure, it's disappointing, but what are you going to do? Thomas will be able to go up there to Rutgers when he can and learn the offense. We're rolling with the punches. We agree with their decision."