An injury put Chris Laviano’s recruitment on hold, but it quickly made him realize he wanted to call Rutgers home.
“I made it to a couple of schools and said there is no real point,” the Holy Trinity rising senior quarterback said. “I really just wanted to pull the trigger on Rutgers.”
That’s exactly what Laviano did, verbally committing to the Scarlet Knights and first-year head coach Kyle Flood Monday afternoon. He hurt his knee during lacrosse season and pushed potential workouts back to the summer.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound signal caller is the No. 2-ranked prospect in New York State by ESPN and No. 10 overall for pocket passers. Rivals.com also had him second in the state and Scout.com at No. 7. Laviano, considered Rutgers’ top quarterback target, also had an offer from Boston College and interest from Maryland and Ole Miss, among others.
“I never got a better feeling than when I stepped into Rutgers,” Laviano said. … “I really just want to jump on and be a part of it.”
He was enticed by the high energy around Flood and a program that has grown into one of the best in the Big East. Laviano, who said he followed Rutgers all last season, was already being recruited by offensive coordinator Dave Brock, who was on Laviano when he was at Boston College.
“I think it’s a really good fit for Rutgers and for myself,” he said.
The Scarlet Knights, who have started four quarterbacks in the last three years since Mike Teel graduated, are expected to have four on their roster entering the season, including returning starters Chas Dodd and Gary Nova. Red-shirt freshman Mike Bimonte and incoming freshman Blake Rankin will also be in the mix.
“I saw him on tape, his arm is good,” one Division I coach familiar with Laviano said. “He’s got good arm strength. I’m not sure how mobile he is. I think he’s a good quarterback. He’s a drop-back guy.”
The four-year starter threw for 1,713 yards and 14 TDs as a junior, helping a young Trinity team to a 3-7 record and the CHSFL Class AA semifinals. As a freshman he led the Titans to the ‘AAA’ final, where they fell to league power St. Anthony’s. Over his first two years, the Long Island school went 17-4. The Titans played their best football late last year as the team matured around him.
“He’s a great player,” Holy Trinity coach Tony Mascia said during the season. “Everybody just has to know he’s not a one-man team, though.”
The Titans are expected to be much improved this fall and entering his final high school campaign, Laviano called it relieving to know where he’s headed.
“I’m going to be up there a ton of times in the summer [to] learn the offense,” Laviano said.
Additional reporting by Zach Braziller