SLIPPERY ROCK — His numbers were outrageous.

4,460 yards and 52 touchdowns passing. 700 yards and nine touchdowns rushing.

And now they're gone — as is Roland Rivers III, Slippery Rock University's starting quarterback the past two years and winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2019 as the best NCAA Division II football player in the country.

Rivers led SRU to a combined 24-4 record in 2018-19, including a 13-1 mark and berth in the national semifinals in 2019.

So the task begins. Who replaces him behind center in 2021?

“You don't replace the production he gave us,” SRU head coach Shawn Lutz said. “We have no right to expect that.

“But we've got a great competition between three guys.”

Those three are 6-foot-4 senior Andrew Koester, 6-3 freshman Brayden Long and 6-2 junior Noah Grover. The latter is a transfer from Division I North Dakota.

“Noah has a 4.0 grade point and is a very intelligent kid,” Lutz said. “He can play the quarterback position, run or throw. Brayden has a ton of talent, but we have to remember he's just a freshman.

“Andrew was our starter before getting hurt. We know what he can do.”

Koester, a West Allegheny graduate who threw for 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in high school, got off to a great start for The Rock in 2018.

He threw for 394 yards and three scores, ran for 88 and another touchdown before going down with a season-ending injury at Shippensburg in Week 2. Rivers replaced him and kept the job for two years.

“The best man is going to get this job,” Koester said. “Obviously, I hope it's me. But the three of us are treating this as a healthy situation. We're pushing each other, making each other better.

“This team has the will to win and I want to be on the field leading these guys. But I have to be unselfish. If the job's not mine, I have to stay ready.”

Koester knows as well as anybody that back-ups are an injury away from starting. The potential of COVID-19 contact tracing still looms as well.

“This year more than ever, you don't know when you may be called upon,” Koester said. “If I'm not starting, I'll be the best teammate I can be.”

Long was an all-state quarterback his senior year at New Oxford High School in Pa. He threw for 6,595 yards and 67 touchdowns in his prep career.

“All three of us can handle this,” Long said. “I know I'm gonna have to stand out in a big way to land the starting position. I like that challenge.

“There's so much talent on this offense. I feel like I can work the short game and throw the deep ball. My mind-set is to win the job. If I don't, I'll stay ready.”

Long and Grover both believe they can excel as leaders of the offense.

“Leadership and work ethic are what I'm about,” Grover said. “I didn't start a game at North Dakota, so I'm anxious to get on the field and prove myself.

“I've been here since January of 2020. I've had a lot of deep talks with guys on the team. Everybody's been very welcoming.”

Grover threw for over 1,000 yards in his lone season as a starter at Phoenix College before transferring to North Dakota. He came to Slippery Rock for an opportunity.

“I know how good this team is,” he said. “The receiving corps is so deep, the offensive line is experienced ... I can't wait to get on the field with these guys.

“I can make throws in the pocket, outside the pocket, run with the ball. I think I can fit right in.”

SRU opens its season Sept. 2 at Wayne State (Mich.). Lutz said he wants to name a starter after the team's final scrimmage this month.

“It's not ideal, not knowing who your quarterback is in August,” the coach admitted. “But, honestly, I'd feel comfortable with any one of these three guys leading us. That's a good position to be in.”

Returning All-American wide receiver Henry Litwin agreed.

“We've got three starting quarterbacks. A lot of teams search for one,” Litwin said.”No matter which one of these guys is out there, they're gonna find ways to get us the ball.”