Morning Links: Meyer Heads to ESPN, Savage Looks To Head South and Oregon Looking to Bolster Their Class

Urban Meyer Heading To ESPN: While you could see this move coming with Meyer providing some analysis during bowl season for ESPN this year, it is nice to see it finalized. Meyer is one of the nicest coaches in the nation, and it is nice to see him land on his feet. Meyer is now able to spend more time with his family and the fans get an excellent voice added to their college football coverage. I was impressed with Meyer during his stint this winter, and think he is going to be a great addition to the ESPN family.

Rutgers Does a 180, Allows Savage to Transfer to Florida Schools: Rutgers University reversed course and will now allow their former quarterback Tom Savage to transfer to a Florida school if he so desires. Originally the Scarlett Knights refused Savage’s request to go to either a Florida or Miami (much more likely), siting competitive reasons. That reason didn’t hold much weight since those schools aren’t in the Big East, and aren’t on Rutgers schedule the next few seasons. Their claim of recruiting heavily in the region doesn’t make much sense either since, wherever Savage goes, they will be less likely to recruit a quarterback (or at least high quality ones) for the next couple of seasons, which should indirectly help Rutgers out. It’s good to see the school reverse course here and not punish a kid who is just looking to play football.

Ducks Look To Poach The Trojans: With Signing Day 24 hours away teams are making a last push for recruits. Not only are the undeclared prospects getting the attention, but a number of verbal commits are also being swayed. Now given the number of high profile coaching changes this offseason, and a high number of players declaring for the NFL Draft (opens up early playing time at some schools, as well as a number of extra scholarships at schools) it has left schools and kids scrambling to find matches. Oregon is using its National Championship appearance as a last ditch effort to sway some recruits from other schools, to land a class more befitting their place in the Pac-12. One player they are pursuing heavily is USC recruit DeAnthony Thomas. Thomas is one of the top recruits in the nation, as ranked by all the major scouting services, and is capable of playing early in his career. While he is primarily thought of as a running back, he could also profile as a receiver or corner back as well. If he is willing to redshirt he would be a great fit for the Ducks to replace LaMichael James after next season. He could also look to start as a receiver and switch to running back down the line. Either way it would be a huge get for the Ducks and a big loss for USC.