Recruiting starts over for Huckabee

Timber Creek two-way lineman Matt Huckabee thought the recruiting process was a thing of the past when he made an oral commitment in August to attend Hofstra.

With a football scholarship seemingly secured, Huckabee was able to play most of his senior season without the worries about recruiting.

That all changed Dec. 2 when Hofstra announced it was shutting down its football program, citing increased costs.

So the recruiting process began again for Huckabee. Within 24 hours of the announcement, he said, representatives from the University of Rhode Island and New Hampshire were in contact. Schools such as Maine, Massachusetts, and Stony Brook have also been in touch.

"I haven't set up any visits yet, because I still have to see the schools that are interested in me," said Huckabee, an Inquirer second-team All-South Jersey selection as a defensive lineman.

Huckabee said he had no indication that Hofstra was planning to end its program.

"I was really mad and disappointed," he said. "And I was really surprised."

He was supposed to make his official campus visit this past weekend. Now Huckabee will set up other trips.

"I thought I had gotten all this stuff done," he said. "Now I'm starting all over again."

- Marc Narducci