Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Jerry Kill isn't weighed down by the history of Rutgers quarterbacks.

The first-year offensive coordinator doesn't need to know that Rutgers has never had an all-conference quarterback or that only three Rutgers quarterbacks have gone on to start games in the NFL.

Kill's focus is on the future. Not just only finding the next quarterback for coach Chris Ash, but on recruiting multiple talented passers that will create a level of intra-squad competition rarely seen at Rutgers.

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

"We won't win unless we do," Kill said. "Call it like it is. That's OK. If you don't have a quarterback -- if you don't have that guy -- it's hard to win."

Kill isn't referring to the upper echelon likes of Ohio State's record-breaking Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett, though nobody would turn down the former five-star recruit. His coaching career is dotted with lesser-known commodities who climbed their respective school's record books by being consistent winners.

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So how does Kill plan to solve the never-ending quarterback conundrum at Rutgers?

One year ago, former coordinator Drew Mehringer's 20-something-age and fresh take on the spread offense was supposed to be the thing that energized Rutgers quarterbacks. Both characteristics landed Tylin Oden (who was dismissed from the program) and incoming recruit Johnathan Lewis before Mehringer left for Texas.

So what tricks are up Kill's sleeve?

Here is a quick look at Rutgers quarterback history, followed by with some of Kill's specific ideas for recruiting, development, relationships and more:

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Scott Lituchy | The Star-Ledger

The top 6

If you scan the record book for Rutgers quarterbacks, the same six names will pop up again and again in categories for career, single-season and single-game leaders.

The most passing touchdowns and completions? The most attempts and interceptions?

It's all Gary Nova, Mike Teel, Ryan Hart, Mike McMahon, Ray Lucas and Scott Erney in one order or another.

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While Erney played before Rutgers joined the Big East in 1991, the other five have played in the conference era (Big East, American Athletic Conference and Big Ten) and none have made all-conference.

Meanwhile, Erney (1988), Ed McMichael (1980)l, Rich Policastro (1969) and Frank Burns (1949) were Honorable Mention All-Americans. Tom Savage was a 2009 Freshman All-American who transferred after his sophomore season.

After that, the pickings are slim enough that Chas Dodd -- who spent most of his career as a reliable backup -- is seventh in career passing yards (4,079). Eight FBS quarterbacks threw for more yards than that in 2016 alone.

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

RECRUITING

Kill doesn't have a magic pill that will make five-star quarterback recruits choose Rutgers over more established programs. But his track record suggests that he doesn't need one.

The head coach of 23 years believes in old-fashioned hard work and beating the bushes to find overlooked potential gems -- even a world where too many camps and social media outlets make it difficult to keep a prospect under wraps.

Kill will be involved with quarterbacks at Rutgers annual skills camp but there is no plan to hold a separate camp for quarterbacks like is done with specialists.

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"I've been all over the country," Kill told NJ Advance Media. "I don't know if they've done that before (at Rutgers). We've worked very hard in New Jersey. I've seen everybody work out. I've seen everybody throw.

"The guys who have come in to visit, I've put them on the board (to diagram plays). I treat it like a NFL evaluation. I coach them as hard as I can coach them."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

STABILITY

Kill is clear on this: He didn't uproot his wife, move to the East Coast for the first time in his life, get medical clearance from the doctor treating his epilepsy and more just to be at Rutgers for one year.

He is not an up-and-comer looking to climb the ladder as quickly as possible. He is not a former coach who was fired once and is looking for his second shot. He is not old enough (age 55) to be looking toward retirement.

He is happy to have found a spot where he can coach without shouldering too much of the face-of-the-program responsibilities.

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It's as reassuring as it's ever going to be in the college football world that Rutgers has its answer to the revolving door of offensive coordinators. Kill is the eighth in eighth years.

"Over the last 8-10 years, they've had a different coordinator every year," Kill said of the quarterbacks. "How do you know how good Gio (Rescigno) is? How do you know how good he could've been? They've had no stability. I told Coach Ash the most important thing we do is have stability within the staff."

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Which Rutgers athletes were all Big Ten in 2016-17?

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Mike Dinovo | USA TODAY Sports

DEVELOPMENT

The list of quarterbacks that Kill became successful starters under Kill includes Minnesota's Mitch Leidner, Northern Illinois' Chandler Harnisch and Southern Illinois' Joel Sambrusky and Nick Hill.

What do they all have in common? None were better than two-star recruits out of high school.

The same goes for Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch, who was recruited by and began to develop under Kill. He blossomed into a Heisman Trophy candidate after Kill left for Minnesota.

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"Jordan Lynch was a two-star athlete and he was up for the Heisman," Kill said. "He wasn't highly recruited, but he had the 'It' factor. Sometimes, that's what you look for in a quarterback. Meeting them, seeing personality. You look at all the great quarterbacks, they are all smart. Certainly in the NFL."

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Leidner's 33 rushing touchdowns are the most by a quarterback (fourth-most by any player) in Minnesota history. He also ranks second in completions, third in passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns.

Sambursky and Hill hold nearly major passing record at Southern Illinois. Harnish holds most of the passing records at Northern Illinois, while Lynch was one of the most successful running quarterbacks in NCAA history.

"I've really been fortunate to have good quarterbacks," Kill said.

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Where are they now?

Rutgers' transfer tracker under Chris Ash

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Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

RELATIONSHIPS

Two of Rutgers' all-time great quarterbacks (Teel and Nova) came from Don Bosco High School, where Teel is now the head coach.

Is that enough for a pipeline? Of course not, though Rutgers did prioritize Lewis over another Bosco quarterback (Syracuse-bound Tommy DeVito) in 2016.

Rutgers also has seen in-state quarterbacks commit to Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Virginia, Boston College, West Virginia, Miami, Temple, Florida State, South Carolina and Wisconsin since 2010.

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"I've been in it a long time," Kill said, "so I think the pipeline is relationships I've had throughout the years. Coaching and life is about relationships. Coach Ash has said, 'I want you recruiting quarterbacks.'"

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RVision

HIT THE ROAD

Because there are greater restrictions on the amount of in-person recruiting that can be done by a head coach as compared to assistants, Kill is as involved in the nitty-gritty as he has been in a long time. He is making his own evaluations rather than relying on film or the word of trusted advisers.

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"Going on the road has been fun because I've seen people who say, 'Hey coach, what's going on? How do you like being an assistant?'" Kill said. "I say, 'It's great. I'm standing here watching this kid. I'm watching him play. I'm watching his skills.' Then we get him over for a visit and you've got to build your relationship with him."

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Comparing Jerry Kill and Ralph Friedgen

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RVision

HELPING HAND

Ash, whose background is in defense, made it clear when hiring Kill that he wanted a head coach of the offense because he is less likely to chime in than he is when defensive coordinator Jay Niemann makes a decision.

Kill has found his own right-hand man in quarterback evaluations in fellow offseason addition running backs coach Lester Erb, who has never coached the position but has nearly two decades of experience as a running backs coach.

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Perhaps because of his proven resume, Kill does not view asking for a second opinion as a sign of weakness.

"I'll take Lester along with me because he's got a great background in quarterbacks, too," Kill said. "If I need him to come, I'll say, 'I'm not sure. Why don't you fly in?' We'll work together on that."

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Jerry Kill's 5 biggest challenges for fixing Rutgers offense

A post-spring practice look at Rutgers offense

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

KNOW YOUR SYSTEM

Ash hired Mehringer because he wanted to replicate Ohio State's power spread offense -- a scheme that he always thought was most difficult to defend as a coordinator even with the day-to-day exposure during his two years with the Buckeyes.

It didn't work without Ohio State's talent, however.

Kill's hire represented a subtle shift in the offense towards a middle ground between what works best in college football today and what Rutgers' personnel is suited to do.

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As Kill recruits, he keeps personnel in mind and tries to forecast what the offense will look like on gamedays.

"I asked (Ash), 'What do you want to do? What gives you the most trouble?' because I've done it all at one time or another," Kill said. "A lot of stuff fit because he's coached against me before.

"I said, 'Who do we have?' That changes things, too. We'll have to be different. We can't be Minnesota right now."

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How Yogi Berra and his son Dale became big Rutgers fans

A story that goes back 40 years

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Newcomers are here for summer session #1! Excited to have them on board. #TheHunt pic.twitter.com/jTGu4kbbTA — Chris Ash (@CoachChrisAsh) May 30, 2017

Twitter

START IN-STATE

The first high school quarterback to commit to Kill in the Ash era was California's Jalen Chatman. South Carolina's Tyshun Sarratt could be the second.

But leaving New Jersey isn't a required part of the plan. It just so happens that New Jersey and New York traditionally produce fewer high-level quarterbacks than areas in the west and the south -- plus recruits closer to home are more familiar with some of the ugly final scores from Rutgers' 2016 season and therefore it is more of an uphill battle to fight.

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"That's where you have to get those kids kind of like me," Kill said. "People ask, 'Why are you going to a 2-10 team in New Jersey?' Because I want to be here when we turn it around. That's the kind of kid you've got to get.

"That's how we sold them at Minnesota. This is your state. Do you want to be here when we turn it around? Some kids buy into it and some don't.

"They did a great job -- I helped toward the end -- with last year's class (2017). That's a hell of a class."

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Will Rutgers rotate 2 QBs in 2017?

Jerry Kill's definitive answer

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How Jerry Kill manages his epilepsy on the road recruiting

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Big Ten Network

2 EXAMPLES IT CAN BE DONE

The Big Ten school known as the "Cradle of Quarterbacks" isn't Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State or any other traditional power. It's Purdue, which, as of 2012, had more alums with starts and wins at quarterback in the NFL than any other school, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The list includes old-time Super Bowl winners Len Dawson and Bob Griese, as well as former coach Joe Tiller products Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.

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Even in 2016, Purdue had the Big Ten's leading passer (David Blough) and two quarterbacks who transferred out and started games in the SEC (Florida's Austin Appleby and LSU's Danny Etling). Now, Jeff Brohm, a former Louisville quarterback who ran a pass-first offense at Western Kentucky, is Purdue's coach.

In a way, unless a program is a five-star factory, history speaks for itself. It helps Purdue. It will hurt Rutgers, until Kill and Ash can change the pattern.

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Kill agrees with the Purdue example -- especially under Tiller -- but has another school in mind: Kansas State, where he most recently worked as a football administrator.

"There is nobody like (coach) Bill Snyder," Kill said. "He wins with average (recruits). They are hard-nosed. He starts walk-ons. There are little changes every year because of the personnel he has. We weren't great up front (at Kansas State) this past year, so we spread them out. You have to figure out your personnel until you get what you want."

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2 faces of the cause at Rutgers

Why Jerry Kill, Eric LeGrand look forward to meeting

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A stunning stat

If recruiting quarterbacks was an exact science, everyone would do it right.

It's not just Rutgers that has swung and missed more often than it has hit a home run.

Of the top 50 quarterbacks ranked by 247Sports in each recruiting class from 2011-14 (200 total), exactly half (100) transferred from their original school, according to a FoxSports.com report in January.

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Todderick Hunt | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

How Rutgers has fared in spring evaluation recruiting period?

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Ryan Dunleavy can be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy.