Myles Hartsfield has not had scholarship offer to Rutgers since verbal to Penn State, official says
Updated: Mar. 29, 2019, 1:12 p.m. | Published: Oct. 12, 2014, 6:13 p.m.
Sayreville's Myles Hartsfield at the center of police activity at his home October 10th
Gallery: Sayreville's Myles Hartsfield at the center of police activity at his home October 10th
By Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Myles Hartsfield, the star running back and defensive back from Sayreville War Memorial High School, does not currently have a scholarship offer on the table from Rutgers, the school's senior associate athletic director, Jason Baum, said Sunday.
Police were observed at Hartsfield's home Friday night, minutes before authorities announced that six of seven juveniles were taken into custody on charges related to four locker room hazing incidents among Sayreville football players.
Authorities did not release the names of those taken into custody, so it is unknown if Hartsfield — Sayreville's highest-profile athlete and a three-sport standout — was among them.
Hartsfield is verbally committed to Penn State, so Baum said the player's scholarship offer from Rutgers had already been rescinded, prior to Hartsfield being linked to police activity.
However, in the world of big-time college football recruiting, schools often continue recruiting players who are verbally committed, hoping to convince them to change their minds before signing binding letters-of-intent in February.
"He was committed to another school and when a player commits to another program, they no longer have a committable offer from Rutgers University," Baum told NJ Advance Media in an email Sunday.
Meanwhile, Penn State assistant athletic director Jeff Nelson told NJ Advance Media Saturday that Hartsfield's scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions still stands.
"We continue to monitor the situation at that institution," Nelson replied in an email Saturday.
Ranked the No. 16 prospect on the NJ.com Top 50 list, Hartsfield committed to Penn State in June, choosing the school over offers from Rutgers, Purdue, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Pitt, Georgia Tech, among others.
Rivals.com lists him as the No. 28 athlete in the country and the No. 13 prospect in New Jersey. As a junior in 2013, he rushed for 1,586 yards and 24 touchdowns, earning Third Team All-State, First Team All-Group 5 and First Team All-Middlesex County honors.
Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com.
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