The Way Too Early Rutgers Football Starting QB Poll

Who will be the Rutgers starting quarterback come September? Chime in. Vote in our poll and leave a comment telling us why!

Coach McDaniels with Laviano (5) and Rettig (11). (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Head coach Kyle Flood said during a Big Ten football coaches teleconference with the media on April 16 that he doesn’t expect to name a starting quarterback until the  summer in training camp. He did mention however, and that can be attributed to the rep count now in practice and intrasquad scrimmages, that redshirt sophomores Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig are essentially 1a and 1b, ahead of redshirt freshman Giovanni Rescigno.

Ranked a 3-star recruit and member of Rutgers’ 2013 recruiting class out of Glen Head, N.Y., Laviano is a guy with a seemingly awkward delivery, but is mobile.

Rettig, also a member of the 2013 recruiting cycle, signed with LSU and transferred to Rutgers in June 2014. A 4-star prospect out of high school in California, Rettig is surrounded by hype, but needs to perform.

After the first team scrimmage on April 11, Flood said, “I don’t think either guy is ahead,” when talking about the quarterbacks. “I think they’re both working. I think they’re doing a good job and we’ve got to keep working. We’ll get to where we want to go, but it’s going to take time and it’s going to take reps.”

Laviano threw for 103 yards on six of nine passing, connecting on a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo, while also running for a score as well. Rettig, went five for eight for 80 yards and failed to score. Rescigno connected on one of three passes for seven yards. (Stats from NJ.com).

Laviano dominated the bulk of the snaps in 7-on-7 drills (stats not included) edging out both Rettig and Rescigno with 22 snaps, compared to 15 and six, respectively.

In the second 101-play  intrasquad scrimmage on April 18, Laviano completed 16 of 23 passes for 169 yards, while Rettig went 10-for-18 for 133 yards. Flood said it was intentional that the reps were almost identical. Laviano, however, started the game with the first-team.

“[It was] about equal,” Flood said on the quarterback reps. “I think right now we’re in a situation where we are evaluating both those guys. As we do that, we have to give them opportunities. You have to try and make sure they are moving in and out with the different people. We only have so many linemen so we have to make sure those two guys are getting more than everybody else.” In addition, “I think we’ve still got a good two-person competition right now and I think Gio is getting better.”

Futhurmore, Laviano is the only quarterback on the roster with college experience. After going 0-9 passing in the Scarlet-White spring game last season, he improved and beat out former Scarlet Knight Mike Bimonte for the backup job behind starter Gary Nova. The 6-foot-3, 210 pound signal caller appeared in five games a year ago completing 11 passes for 103 yards, while also rushing for 81 yards.

Rescigno looks to be the odd man out so far, and the redshirt freshman from Warren, M.I. will have ground to make up come the summer, or wait his turn.

Incoming freshman Mike Dare arrives in June and will most likely redshirt this season and not be an option to be the starter this season. the 6-foot-5 signal caller from Elmwood Park has an arm however, so be on the lookout in the future.

So, who will be Rutgers’ starter QB come September.  Vote and chime in if you’d like!

*Scarlet-White Spring Game – Friday Knight Lights, April 24, High Point Solutions Stadium 7:30 p.m. FREE*
[poll id=”4″]