Northwestern quarterback plans transfer to Penn

Sophomore Gavin Hoffman, who started all 12 games for the Wildcats last season, will suit up for the Quakers this year. Quarterback Gavin Hoffman, who threw for 2,199 yards at Northwestern last season, will transfer to Penn this fall, the Wildcats announced Tuesday. Because Hoffman, a 6'6", 233-lb. sophomore, is transferring from a Division I-A to a Division I-AA school, he will not have to sit out a year. Hoffman left Northwestern because he was dissatisfied with the program and the Wildcats offense, which became more conservative after head coach Gary Barnett resigned to coach at Colorado and Randy Walker took over Northwestern's reins earlier this year. "With the new coaches and the new offense and just the way things were, I just felt like moving on," Hoffman said. "It just wasn't a good situation for me anymore." It is unclear, however, how Hoffman is expected to fit into Penn's quarterback picture, as the Quakers' football coaching staff would not comment until the official admissions paperwork had been finalized. Ed Mebs, who transferred from the University of Miami, Tom DiMenna and freshman Mike Mitchell had looked to be the top candidates for the starting quarterback position prior to news of Hoffman's arrival. Hoffman threw for 13 touchdowns in 12 games as a redshirt freshman at Northwestern last season. The Wayzata, Minn., native completed 54.5 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions in 323 pass attempts for the Wildcats. Hoffman is not the first Division I-A starter to transfer to Penn. Two years ago, the Quakers landed Matt Rader, who had started seven games for Duke as a sophomore before coming to Penn. "My initial interest [in Penn] was because I heard about the success Matt Rader had as a transfer here," Hoffman said. "A lot of times transfers kind of get lost in the shuffle and you never hear them again, and I didn't want that to happen to me." According to Hoffman, he would have been the starter at Northwestern this season had he chosen to stay. The Penn coaches have only told him he would be given the opportunity to start, but Hoffman still welcomes the change of scenery. "The Northwestern situation wasn't a good one for me any more," Hoffman said. "It affected my behavior outside football. It's tough giving up a scholarship, but I think the benefits being at Penn far outweigh that." Hoffman was contacted by Colorado, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Brown and Columbia prior to choosing Penn. The former Wildcats quarterback, who will be entering Wharton in the fall, was a Prep Star and Super Prep All-American in high school and was named the Gatorade player of the year in Minnesota as a senior after throwing for 2,506 yards and 25 touchdowns.

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