HARRISONBURG — Call it déjà vu or call it Groundhog Day.

The same three James Madison quarterbacks will again contend for the same starting job they initially began competing for around this time last year.

“Everything is earned, not given,” first- year Dukes coach Curt Cignetti said.

JMU holds its first practice with Cignetti at the helm on Thursday, and all starting roles are up for grabs including the one at quarterback, according to the coach.

“That’s how it should be,” Cignetti said. “… But the cream rises to the top and you know some guys are going to walk onto the field Day 1 and be the best at their position, and then they’re going to walk off the field the last practice and be the best at their position, but the more competition, the better.”

So for senior Ben DiNucci, junior Cole Johnson and sophomore Gage Moloney, the quest to be the first- team signal- caller restarts even though DiNucci started all 13 games and was a third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association choice last season.

DiNucci pulled away from Johnson late in training camp last year and former coach Mike Houston decided on DiNucci the eve of JMU’s 2018 season opener at N.C. State. Moloney had fallen behind DiNucci and Johnson earlier last August.

Cignetti played the position at West Virginia, and was a quarterbacks coach at Davidson, Rice, Temple, Pittsburgh and N.C. State during his climb as an assistant. New offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery, who in January after his hiring said, “an open battle,” would take place at quarterback, played the position at N.C. State and coached the position throughout his career as well.

Fresh eyes on the quarterbacks mean new evaluation criteria.

“I think the quarterback, number one, has to be an extension of the coach,” Cignetti said. “You’ve got to be able to trust him with the football. He’s a distributor of the ball, but he’s got to protect the ball in the run game and the pass game.

“Turnover ratio is very important to me. Before you win the game, you’ve got to make sure you don’t lose it, so we’re looking for a guy that obviously is sort of a coach on the field in terms of how he thinks.”

DiNucci threw for 2,275 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 433 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, but also surrendered 12 interceptions and fumbled five times last season.

In his career as JMU’s primary backup, Johnson has thrown for 981 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.

“And then I look for how does the guy extend plays because some plays break down,” Cignetti said. “You drop back and there might be pressure or nobody is open or whatever, so how good are you at extending plays and how do you play at the end of the game when the game is on the line? The really good quarterbacks play better at the end of the game.

“These are the intangible things that I look for.”

Poise is also critical as Cignetti said he wants to see how each man behind center reacts when a practice isn’t going well or a mistake is made.

“Are you able to have a short memory?” Cignetti said. “And put the mistake behind you and rip off the rearview mirror so to speak, so that one mistake doesn’t become two mistakes. That’s part of being a good football player, too.

“But it all begins with that position because he’s got the ball in his hands every single play.”

Other quarterbacks on JMU’s roster are sophomore Patrick Bentley, who was Scout Team Offensive MVP while sitting out last year due to NCAA rules after transferring from Division II Alderson-Broaddus, and redshirt freshman Jake O’Donnell, a Tampa, Fla., native.