Savon Huggins transferring to Northern Iowa from Rutgers football

PISCATAWAY – Savon Huggins is the third man in on a St. Peter's Preparatory high school football reunion being held in the Midwest.

The Jackson native, who spent three years in the backfield for Rutgers football, announced Friday that he is headed to the University of Northern Iowa for his final year of eligibility. He will be reunited with former high school teammates Brandon Napoleon and D.J. Singleton at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) power.

"It's a great program and I like the people out here," Huggins told Gannett New Jersey. "I like what they're doing. They have great potential for a national championship and that's what I'm looking to play for."

The former No. 1 overall recruit in New Jersey was granted his scholarship release by Rutgers after the season, which he spent on the sideline while recovering from shoulder surgery and earning a redshirt. He graduated in December, one semester shy of four years, and thus is immediately eligible at Northern Iowa.

Huggins, 21, told Gannett New Jersey in December that he just wanted a "fresh start" next season and that he valued the opportunity to get a master's degree over factors like proximity to home when looking for a transfer destination. He already is on campus as classes begin Monday.

"I might do sports psychology or exercise science," Huggins said. "They have a great exercise science program out in this part of the country. They sort of specialize in those things. And they play in a dome as well so I'm going to be spending a lot of my time around the facilities."

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.

Northern Iowa finished 9-5 and lost to Illinois State in the second round of the 2014 FCS playoffs. The Panthersm who averaged 12,490 fans per home game, rushed for 2,353 yards but are losing two of their top three backs, including a 1,500-yard runner.

"It's a great system and they had a back who might go in the second or third round of the (NFL) Draft," Huggins said. "There is opportunity to play right away. They know what I want and we're on the same page. It's time for me to go to compete."

Huggins, a five-star recruit, said he also looked into Massachusetts, Delaware, Towson, Villanova and Temple. UMass and Temple are both FBS members.

"Savon has been a tremendous contributor for this program since Day 1," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said on Dec. 30, "and really has represented himself, our program, his family, his high school at a very high level in everything he's done. We wish him the best in whatever comes next for him. And we'll do everything we can to help him find a place that he thinks is the right fit for him."

Napoleon, a defensive back from Rahway, transferred from West Virginia last month and Singleton, a linebacker from Jersey City, left Nebraska in November.

"It just so happened that we all ended up at the same school but we all want to do the same thing: Take that extra step and win a championship," Huggins said. "That's why I came here and I feel I can do it best at UNI. We're all close, me, Brandon and D.J. It's definitely a good look for me."

Huggins made it clear that he was willing to go far from home for the right fit when he first announced his transfer – "I'm a little bit older now and I know how to handle different things. Maybe it would be a little better if I was to go to school away from home," he said – and backed up the foreshadowing with his decision.

"It's a lot better than people expect," Huggins said of Iowa. "It's a great college town. It has everything you need. It's a really small city, but it's what I need."