Rutgers Football: What to Expect from the Quarterback Competition in 2015

Rutgers football enters the 2015 season with a gaping hole at quarterback following the graduation of four-year starter Gary Nova. While his career was riddled by inconsistency, Nova's experience played a crucial role in the Scarlet Knights' four bowl trips during his time on campus.

Unfortunately, his retention of the position throughout his peaks and valleys has also left Rutgers with almost zero experience behind him.

Simply put, the QB competition is shaping into one of the most important in recent memory in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Last season's backup, redshirt sophomore Chris Laviano, represents the most game-ready option on head coach Kyle Flood's roster after taking the field in five games in 2014. While Laviano took snaps against some of the Knights' stiffest opponents—Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin—all of that action came in blowout losses.

His biggest competition, fellow redshirt sophomore Hayden Rettig, was forced to sit out last season after transferring from LSU and hasn't played in a game since high school.

However, there is reason to believe that he can win the starting job. A former U.S. Army All-American, Rettig was one of the top pro-style QB recruits in the class of 2013 and possesses the natural gifts needed to win in the Big Ten.

"It's the other things," Flood said of Rettig, via Tom Luicci of ScarletKnights.com. "It's how hard he works. It's his passion to be a great football player. He's a high intangible guy. Those are ultimately the things that separate the players when you get to this level."

The final candidate, redshirt freshman Giovanni Rescigno, will push Laviano and Rettig, but with just one season as a starter in high school under his belt, he likely needs another year on the sidelines to develop.

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While this will certainly be a program-defining decision, as NJ.com's Keith Sargeant notes, Flood held things together just fine after presiding over open QB competitions in 2012 and 2014. This time, however, the Knights will be under a lot of pressure to get off to a hot start.

Rutgers opens its season with Norfolk State but faces some challenging games in Weeks 2 through 4 against Washington State, Penn State and Kansas.

Considering how formidable the Big Ten East is expected to be next season, the Scarlet Knights will need to pick up wins against nonconference foes like the Cougars and Jayhawks if they want to keep their four-year bowl streak alive.

With that in mind, Rettig's big arm and huge upside will likely be too much for Rutgers to ignore. While 247Sports' Michael Foti notes that Laviano currently has a leg up due to his experience, the gap between the two should be narrowed as Rettig gets more reps with the starters.

Unfortunately, this means that the duel could drag on deep into the summer—so gear up Rutgers fans, this is going to be one long battle.