PISCATAWAY -- He survived a coaching change and a direct threat to his job security, and now Chris Laviano is again Rutgers starting quarterback.

Laviano was named the winner of an offseason-long competition by first-year coach Chris Ash, who wanted to strengthen his 11-game returning starter by making him uncomfortable and forcing him to raise his work ethic.

The announcement curiously comes just one day after Ash said that none of the quarterbacks looked "game-ready" and that the team showed signs of hitting a mental and physical wall during Saturday's intra-squad scrimmage.

"I think we, as quarterbacks, need to play better and eliminate the kind of mistakes that are high risk," Laviano said after the first week of training camp.

"We'll get better. We have these next two weeks to hopefully take advantage of them, but the quarterback competition will take care of itself."

There is plenty of talk of a new-and-improved and better-guided Laviano behind the scenes, but whether his new body, refocused commitment, increased maturity and command of the overhauled offense translates on gamedays is yet to be seen.

If so, Laviano will have a chance to win over Rutgers fans who had no love for him last season when he went five straight games without a touchdown pass and lost his cool by blasting them on social media after interpreting boos meant for then-coach Kyle Flood at his own show of toughness in the middle of a career-best game.

Laviano threw four touchdowns in the season finale against Maryland and missed only one play after taking a vicious hit and hobbling off the field. As he left the sideline and boos came, Laviano flapped his arms at the fans as if asking for more.

Ash started his quarterback competition from scratch and Laviano pulled ahead of fellow incumbents Hayden Rettig and Giovanni Rescigno during spring camp.

Still not satisfied, Ash brought in TCU graduate transfer and dual-threat Zach Allen, who threw only two passes in three seasons but was much more experienced than Laviano with running a shotgun-based spread offense.

The 6-foot-2, 221-pound Laviano, who bulked up by about 15 pounds, threw for 2,247 yards and 16 touchdowns with 12 interceptions last season. He completed 60.9 percent of his passes -- best by a Rutgers quarterback since Mike Teel in 2008.

Completion percentage is a point of emphasis in new coordinator Drew Mehringer's playbook, which will include an array of quick deliveries designed to feed shifty playmakers like Janarion Grant, Dacoven Bailey and Jawuan Harris in space.

Laviano, who seemed overly reliant on departed No. 1 wide receiver Leonte Carroo last season, also showed better-than-expected arm strength during training camp.

It is possible that there still could be room for snaps for Allen, whose skill set makes him a threat in the red zone and in short yardage.

There also is reason to believe that Ash -- who stresses competition in every aspect of the program -- will have a quicker hook with struggling players than Flood had.

But the job is Laviano's with almost two weeks to prepare for the Sept. 3 season-opener at Washington. Though technically still in training camp, Rutgers made an early switch to game preparation with an eye toward using the third scrimmage as a dress rehearsal.

Rettig and Rescigno, who were No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, on the depth chart last season, are behind Allen. True freshman Tylin Oden -- who is not yet a lock to redshirt -- also is in the mix.

A new Rutgers Football podcast launching Aug. 30

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.