San Diego State was reportedly in the mix for a graduate transfer this summer, but the move came sooner rather than later as former Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano has decided to become an Aztec, according to Barstool Sports and confirmed by NJ.com.
Laviano announced back on Nov. 30 that he decided to transfer from Rutgers and spoke at length about his time with the Scarlet Knights.
"Looking back on my career, a kid in my position could say it didn't go the way I planned for. Obviously, you want the ultimate success when you are a football player, but at the same time you learn a lot about yourself in those dark times and the times where the program is not going the way everybody else wants it to go.
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"I've had to battle and I've had to compete my entire career. It's taught me a lot about myself, and it's taught me to continue to compete and work through the adversity. I'm not done by any stretch of the imagination. I still feel like I have a ton of ball left in me and that's kind of the purpose for this move I'm making.”
As a graduate transfer Laviano will be immediately eligible and that might mean there could be a quarterback competition between him and last year’s starter Christian Chapman in the fall.
The depth will be much needed as only Chapman has significant game time experience on the roster while Laviano has 15 career starts and played in 24 games for Rutgers, throwing for 3,102 yards, 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 268-for-480 passing.
It will take a lot to dethrone Chapman who threw for 1,994 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. As for Laviano’s 201t stats, he threw for less than half of that amount with 748 yards and had just five touchdowns and two interceptions as the Scarlet Knights struggled on their way to a 2-10 record.