Photos of Rutgers QB Gary Nova
In addition to the Giants' new draft class and six rookie free agents signed on Thursday, roughly 60 invited tryout players reported to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center for the start of rookie mini-camp.
What comes after is to be determined.
The group of NFL hopefuls range from former local high school stars to multi-year starters at power conferences. In some circumstances, they're both.
Such is the case with former Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova.
A New Jersey native from Elmwood Park, Nova, 6-2, 220, finished his Rutgers career ranked first in school history in touchdowns (73), second in passing yards (9,258) and second in completions (689). With 41 starts in 46 games, he tallied seven fourth-quarter or overtime comebacks as a Scarlet Knight.
Prior to college, Nova was a two-year starting quarterback for head coach Greg Toal at Don Bosco Prep, where he owned a perfect 24-0 record for the Ironmen and led his team to two state titles. He threw just six interceptions over his two seasons as a starter.
Here are other notable prospects to keep an eye on as the Giants hold practices Friday and Saturday:
DB Qua Cox, 6-0, 185, Jackson State
Cox played in three preseason games with the Colts last year and recorded four tackles, including one against the Giants in their meeting on Aug. 16. He trains with his older brother, James Patrick, who played in the NFL with the Buccaneers and Patriots.
DT Donte Rumph, 6-3, 320, Kentucky
Pronounced "rump" with a silent "h" in his last name, Rumph spent training camp with the Falcons last year and played in all four preseason games before being waived prior to the regular season. His uncle, Chris Rumph, is the defensive line coach for Florida and has also been an assistant at Texas, Alabama, Clemson, and Memphis. Donte's brother, Tremaine Tyler, played football at South Carolina, and his cousin, Phillip Merling, is a former Clemson star who played in the NFL for the Dolphins, Packers, and Redskins.
DL Daryl Waud, 6-5, 270, Western Ontario
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Waud is a top prospect in the upcoming Canadian Football League Draft and one of NFL.com's top undrafted free agents following the NFL Draft. If signed, he could become the second Mustang to make it to the NFL since defensive lineman Vaughn Martin was drafted in the fourth round by the Chargers in 2009. A three-time OUA all-star and two-time CIS all-Canadian, Waud anchored Western's defensive line over the last four seasons and recorded 81 total tackles (55 solo), seven sacks, and two interceptions. Early in the offseason, the Giants added Brett Jones from the CFL, where he played two seasons for the reigning Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2014.
WR Andrew Robustelli, 6-2, 209, Jacksonville
There is a familiar name donning the back of a Giants jersey. Wide receiver Andrew Robustelli is the grandson of Andy Robustelli, the late and great Hall of Fame defensive end who played with the Giants from 1956-1964. The younger Robustelli, 6-2, 209, played at Jacksonville University, where he was named first-team All-Pioneer Football League.
GIANT ROOKIE MINI-CAMP TRYOUT FULL LIST:
**NO** | **LAST** | **FIRST** | **POS** | **HT** | **WT** | **AGE** | **EXP** | **COLLEGE** |
15 | Ackie | Chris | S | 6-3 | 216 | 23 | R | Wilfred Laurier |
17 | Anthony | Marc | CB | 5-11 | 204 | 25 | 1 | California |
61 | Archambault | Byron | LB | 5-11 | 241 | 24 | R | Montreal |
89 | Bars | Brad | DE | 6-3 | 262 | 25 | R | Penn State |
3 | Belsterling | Taylor | WR | 6-5 | 205 | 24 | R | Huntingdon College |
36 | Cade | Anthony | RB | 5-11 | 205 | 24 | R | Lindenwood |
9 | Campbell | Tevaughn | CB | 5-11 | 189 | 24 | R | Regina |
55 | Chungh | Sukh | G | 6-1 | 298 | 24 | 1 | Calgary |
39 | Conway | C.J. | S | 6-0 | 206 | 28 | R | Montclair State |
25 | Cowan | Bobby | P | 6-4 | 233 | 25 | 1 | Idaho |
12 | Cox | Qua | CB | 5-9 | 177 | 24 | 1 | Jackson State |
26 | Creear | Willie | CB | 5-8 | 190 | 24 | R | Eastern Michigan |
22 | Durant | Lemar | WR | 6-1 | 226 | 22 | R | Simon Fraser |
6 | Edwards | Ben | WR | 5-10 | 197 | 23 | R | Richmond |
2 | Finnie | Thomas | CB | 5-9 | 183 | 23 | R | Bethune Cookman |
62 | Golson | Brandon | LB | 6-1 | 218 | 24 | R | West Virginia |
19 | Graham | Taylor | QB | 6-4 | 237 | 24 | R | Hawaii |
57 | Groulx | Danny | T | 6-6 | 325 | 24 | R | Laval |
33 | Harper | Kenneth | RB | 5-10 | 233 | 22 | R | Temple |
19 | Hollins | Tyree | CB | 5-9 | 183 | 23 | R | Grambling |
87 | Ingram | Luke | LS | 6-5 | 267 | 24 | 1 | Hawaii |
5 | Johnson | Derrick | WR | 5-10 | 187 | 23 | R | Maine |
69 | Johnson | Takari | LB | 6-0 | 245 | 23 | R | Concordia |
47 | Jones | Justin | TE | 6-7 | 282 | 23 | R | East Carolina |
64 | Knight | Rakeem | DT | 6-1 | 340 | 22 | R | Bethune Cookman |
46 | Marfisi | Matt | TE | 6-5 | 262 | 23 | R | Tulane |
53 | McEwen | Sean | C | 6-2 | 299 | 21 | R | Calgary |
79 | Murphy | Kevin | T | 6-7 | 293 | 25 | 1 | Harvard |
15 | Nova | Gary | QB | 6-1 | 232 | 22 | R | Rutgers |
60 | Omara | Ron | LB | 6-1 | 248 | 24 | R | St. Francis Xavier |
31 | Perkins | Chris | WR | 6-4 | 214 | 23 | R | Middle Tenn. State |
8 | Richards | Addison | WR | 6-4 | 214 | 21 | R | Regina |
2 | Robustelli | Andrew | WR | 6-2 | 209 | 22 | R | Jacksonville |
58 | Rodriguez | Mario | G | 6-2 | 288 | 21 | R | Western Michigan |
72 | Ruby | Jacob | T | 6-6 | 310 | 23 | R | Richmond |
73 | Rumph | Donte | DT | 6-2 | 299 | 25 | R | Kentucky |
63 | Taylor | Carlif | DT | 6-2 | 319 | 23 | R | So. Connecticut St. |
8 | Thomas | Pete | QB | 6-5 | 236 | 23 | R | Louisiana Monroe |
48 | Tye | Will | TE | 6-2 | 262 | 23 | R | Stony Brook |
86 | Uzo-Diribe | Chidera | DE | 6-2 | 258 | 22 | 1 | Colorado |
66 | Washington | Richard | T | 6-6 | 360 | 23 | R | Morehouse |
75 | Waud | Daryl | DT | 6-4 | 285 | 21 | R | Western Ontario |
43 | Whatley | Reggie | RB | 5-6 | 178 | 24 | R | Middle Tennessee St. |
18 | Williams | Ian | CB | 5-11 | 184 | 22 | R | Fordham |