Zach Allen only received one assurance from the Rutgers coaching staff before selecting Piscataway as his transfer destination in June.

"Coming in late - I have might have a disadvantage, people think - but they promised me that everyone was going to have an equal opportunity," Allen said, "and if you know what you are doing, you are going to have a good chance to win this job."

It became clear that Rutgers held up its end of the bargain Monday when coach Chris Ash released a depth chart that listed Allen and Chris Laviano as co-starters.

Allen's arrival from TCU bumped both Hayden Rettig and Giovanni Rescigno - Laviano's chief challengers last season and in spring camp - to the second-team offense.

"It's my job, coming in late, to know the playbook and to get everything done that I need to get done before camp starts," Allen said. "I felt like I put myself in a good place to be able to compete for this job."

Rutgers went in search of leadership and consistency at quarterback after spring camp ended with unsatisfying results.

Allen is hoping to provide those attributes because he lacks experience, having thrown two passes in one game over three seasons at TCU.

In fact, Allen played wide receiver last season in an effort to get on the field.

"Zach's done a great job this whole summer," Ash said. "That's why we brought him in. He's a mature kid, he's an intelligent kid. The transition to quarterback from what I saw today looked pretty smooth.''

Either Laviano (11 starts) or Rettig (one) took every snap for Rutgers last season, and those two plus Rescigno have been with Ash's staff since it started in January.

"They want you to be a leader, to know what you are doing, to be able to be a game-manager and run the offense," Allen said. "You don't have to be a superstar. You don't have to make crazy plays. But you have to run the offense."

Ideally, you have to be run in the offense, too.

Rutgers is looking for a dual-threat to operate its spread offense. None of the other quarterbacks involved in the competition share Allen's mobility.

"The spread is different everywhere you go," Allen said. "There are some similarities and there are a lot of differences. The concept of going fast and trying to catch the defense off guard is the same.

"The playbook here is different. A lot of different formations. Just a lot of different things the defense has to prepare for, which is cool as an offense. You can just go fast with your base offense and they have to prepare everything else."

Allen said he is "happy" with the speed at which he is learning in advance of the Sept. 3 season opener.

"Definitely he can be ready in four weeks," offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer said. "He's one of those guys that if you tell him he can't do it, he'll get himself in position to succeed."

The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder moved well on rollouts during Monday's practice but his passes needed to be crisper. That will happen with more practice, he said.

"I'm confident in my ability," Allen said. "Going through all summer - throwing 7-on-7 and working 1-on-1 with the receivers - I feel I've knocked the rust off. It's only going to get better for all of us quarterbacks."

Allen, who had multiple suitors as a transfer, said he saw Rutgers as a team "on the rise."

As Rettig, a LSU transfer, has pointed out in the past, in can be difficult to join a team that already has its pieces in place and immediately command a leadership role.

"It's different when you come to a new school and you don't know the people," Allen said, "but as time goes on and you work out with them, you grind with them, you sweat with them, you end up building a relationship.

"When I first got here I texted a lot of the receivers. We threw a lot 1-on-1. I hung out with the O-linemen, trying to get accompanied with everyone the best I could. It's a great opportunity to come out here and lead a team and try to win the job."

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