Nova breaks down Rutgers QB battle

Published Apr. 30, 2015 10:27 a.m. ET

Marcus Hartman

Gary Nova is done playing football for Rutgers, but he is far from done with the Scarlet Knights.

So who does he think is going to replace him as the starting quarterback this fall, Chris Laviano or Hayden Rettig?

"I think Chris is a lot like me," Nova told NJ.com . "I think he's somebody off the field who can be just one of the guys and just hang out and make guys laugh, but when it's time to handle business, he has that switch that he can turn on. In the meeting room, he's a very smart guy."

Nova sees Laviano, who was far more efficient in the spring game than Rettig, benefiting from being his backup last spring and having more experience in the offense than Rettig a transfer from LSU who sat out last season.

"Hayden is from California so he has to win the battle of the teammates and stuff like that," Nova said. "He's also a smart guy in the meetings. He obviously has the talent. I think he has a lot of stuff on his plate and he just has to handle it each day at a time, which I think he'll do."

The school's all-time leader in touchdown passes, Nova has remained in the area for his preparations for trying to make an NFL team, and he has kept in touch with former teammates since concluding his career.

(H/T NJ.com)