By Danny Powell

The town of Coffeyville, Kansas has an estimated population of just over 10,000 people, 3,000 less than Hofstra University’s total enrollment. So, one can’t help but wonder, just how did a man recruited by a major football school to play quarterback end up playing in this small Middle America town?

“When I decided to transfer, I figured a junior college would help me get recruited by a Division I school again,” junior Brian Savage, who hopes to one day work with NFL Films, explains. “Coffeyville Community College is the winningest program in the country and a very respectable one.”

Out of high school, Savage had joined the University of Wisconsin because he had a strong connection with then-Badgers’ offensive coordinator Brian White and felt at home on the Madison campus. But when Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez left after the 2005 season, taking most of the coaching staff with him, Savage knew it was time to move on.

“There were no hard feelings,” the 21-year-old explains. “It was just that all the coaches I had gone in with were leaving and I had been really comfortable with that staff.”

And so Savage set out to find a new Division I school to call home and after one year of junior college ball he succeeded. The Pennsylvania native is now the starting quarterback for the Hofstra Pride, ranked No. 20 in Division I-AA by Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches’ poll.

Head coach Dave Cohen named Savage the starter just before the Pride broke training camp, citing the former high school football and baseball standout’s athleticism and ability to play in the system.

His adjustment to the new school, new team and new system was greatly aided by talented seniors like running back Kareem Huggins and wide receiver Charles Sullivan.

“They are really good friends of mine and unbelievable players,” Savage said of his teammates. “They made it much easier for me because we can all help each other on and off the field with our new system.”

It should come as no surprise that the transfer was able to grasp the new system so quickly. Just talk to Savage about his goals for the season and it becomes obvious that this is an extremely levelheaded, focused young man.

“My goals are just to go 1-0 every single week, to put our team in the best position to win and just have fun,” Savage said. “I get to play one of the greatest sports and I have the best teammates so the having fun part is easy.”

Even with his ability to keep looking ahead and focus only at the task at hand, Savage admitted that winning his first game with Hofstra was tremendous. Savage threw for 285 yards on 24 of 36 passing with one touchdown and no interceptions as the Pride defeated ninth-ranked Furman.

“It meant a lot to me,” Savage said. “This is a new team this year, with great talent, great captains, and great coaches and we really prepared ourselves well for this game and we played really hard for that win. It’s always exciting to start out a new season with a big win but we go into every week 0-0 and we want to come out 1-0 when the game is over.”

Already it was clear that Savage had talked his way past the tremendous success of Week 1 and was refocused on the Pride’s upcoming game at the University of Albany this Saturday.

“It’s important to keep that momentum going but we can’t think about who we beat last week,” the broadcast journalism major said. “We just prepare for the next game with a lot of intensity and focus all our attention on Albany.”

Though the Pride’s match-up with the Great Danes may not draw as much national attention as the seventh-ranked Badgers’ game with the Citadel, Savage has no regrets about his decision to leave the world of primetime college football.

“I couldn’t have made a better decision. I found my new home and new family here at Hofstra,” Savage said. “I’m getting a great education that should help me make a difference with an organization like the NFL Network or NFL Films in the future.”

For now, however, it is the Pride that gets to benefit from the impact of Savage’s leadership and athletic ability. If last Saturday was any indication of things to come, Savage could leave quite a lasting impression on his new home at Hofstra.