Rutgers Places Two on Rivals' 2009 Freshman All-American Team

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights placed two players on the Rivals 2009 Freshman All-American Team.

Mohamed Sanu was chosen as a first team wide receiver, and redshirt freshman Scott Vallone was chosen as a second team defensive tackle.

What's surprising for Rutgers fans is freshman quarterback Tom Savage and freshman linebacker Steve Beauharnais failed to get mentioned.

Rivals selected Stanford's Andrew Luck and South Florida's B.J. Daniels ahead of Savage.

Beauharnais, unheralded and only receiving one scholarship offer, didn't take over as a starter until midway through the season.

Oregon was the only team with three selections. Stanford, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Clemson, Utah, and Rutgers each had two. Rivals did not pick a third team.

Sanu caught 51 passes for 639 yards and rushed 62 times for 346 yards. These statistics are far from overwhelming, but it was Sanu's ability to perform many jobs well that made him such a special player.

Originally recruited as a safety, Rutgers switched him to receiver. Sanu also ran the wildcat, where he scored five touchdowns, and he returned punts. While in the wildcat, he showed he could pass the ball.

Sanu was a surprise to most of the country, but in his first game, which was nationally televised, he caught 10 passes for 100 yards. It's not out of the question for him to become a two-way player next year. He could go back to play some safety if needed.

Vallone got hurt his first year, redshirted, and became a mainstay on this year's defensive line. Against West Virginia, the 270-pounder recorded a career-high 11 tackles, including two for a loss.

One other note on Savage: His omission might be disappointing to Scarlet Knight fans, especially after seeing Daniels go 7-of-17 with no touchdowns and two picks when USF visited, but USC's Matt Barkley and Michigan's Tate Forcier, two of the most highly touted freshman quarterbacks, were some of the other good ones passed over as well. 

Of the 52 players selected as Rivals Freshman All-Americans, the Pac-10 led all conferences with nine players chosen. The ACC had the second most selections with eight.

Other players from the Big East to make the team were Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis, Syracuse defensive end Andrew Jones, Cincinnati safety Drew Frey, and West Virginia kicker Tyler Bitancurt.