Rutgers coach Greg Schiano never came out and said it before preseason camp. But something completely unexpected would’ve had to occur for Noah Vedral not to have been the starting quarterback. Still, Vedral didn’t treat training camp like a coronation.
“I’m still competing as if it’s not (settled),’’ Vedral told NJ Advance Media before the team’s first scrimmage in mid-August. “Coach has said every job is always open for competition. So I’m trying to compete as if it’s not mine, that I’m re-earning the job every year. I think that’s how you can keep from getting complacent, and that’s really been my challenge.’’
Keep that in mind as Vedral faces his next challenge this week. The fifth-year senior quarterback will remain QB1 on Sunday, when the Scarlet Knights begin preparations for their Week 2 game at Syracuse. But Vedral didn’t spend the past two days in a cave either.
He heard the news that highly touted quarterback recruit Gavin Wimsatt graduated his Kentucky high school early and was bolting immediately for Piscataway to enroll at Rutgers now instead of in January.
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When the news broke Friday night, Schiano gathered his team’s quarterbacks, including Vedral, and relayed this message:
“In our program, everything is about competition and every guy knows that,’’ Schiano said. “There’s no misunderstanding that anybody owns anything. We work every single day to earn it, present company included.’’
Vedral heard the message loud and clear. And like he did throughout the offseason, when he quickly seized the starting job over underclassmen Cole Snyder and Evan Simon, Vedral insists he’s ready to compete.
“Rent’s due every day,’’ he said following the Scarlet Knights’ 61-14 season-opening triumph over Temple. “There’s a competition due everyday. It’s been that way my whole career, from when I was a true freshman so every day is a competition.’’
While Vedral helped Rutgers score the most points against an FBS foe since scoring 63 against Louisville in 2008, it wasn’t always pretty.
Vedral threw for 138 yards on 15-for-27 passing, completing a 40-yard touchdown to Bo Melton and compiling a less-than-stellar 110.7 efficiency rating. The 6-1, 200-pounder from Nebraska highlighted his day with a team-best 58 rushing yards on eight scrambles.
“A little bit of a slow start personally but settled in a little bit more in the second half and was able to take what they gave me using my legs a little bit,’’ he said. “They played a lot of zone coverage. Definitely a little jitters at the start but settled in as the game went on.’’
Vedral said he understands he’ll need to play better Saturday at the Carrier Dome.
“We can probably play a little faster and a little cleaner between the snaps,’’ he said. “That was something (offensive coordinator) Coach (Sean) Gleeson was getting to us on the sideline. We’ll talk about that with the unit, and we’ll get that picked up, and I’ll try to get myself settled in next week a little faster.’’
Wimsatt is already enrolled in Rutgers classes and is expected to officially join the program Sunday. While Schiano isn’t about to immediately anoint a player who quarterbacked his Kentucky high school team to victory on Friday, Vedral hardly seems fazed by Wimsatt’s arrival.
“I actually got to meet Gavin back in June when he was here on a visit,’’ he said. “He’s a really great kid. I remember being the young guy. We’ll take him in, we’ll make him feel at home and I look forward to seeing him.’’
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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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‘Rent’s due every day.’ Rutgers’ Noah Vedral embraces QB competition as Gavin Wimsatt arrives - NJ.com
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