PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The development and growth of the quarterbacks on the Rutgers football roster took center stage on Saturday during the first scrimmage of spring.
Gavin Wimsatt and Evan Simon stepped into spring practice two weeks ago as the frontrunners in the starting quarterback competition. Saturday’s first scrimmage of spring gave head coach Greg Schiano an opportunity to see Wimsatt and Simon in a more intense setting.
The development and maturation of the quarterback duo are pivotal factors in Rutgers football’s hopes to take a step forward this season. Schiano saw some things from Saturday’s practice that were positives.
“I thought I thought Gavin and Evan both managed the offense well. We left some plays out there for sure. But we took care of the football and when we do that, we win,” Schiano said on Saturday following the scrimmage.
“So now the key is to learn from those opportunities that maybe were missed and still take care of the football and that’s the hope. I’m pleased and we’re making progress. It’s never fast enough, right? Time is our number one enemy. I really believe that if you just keep going in the right direction (then) we’re gonna get there.”
Wimsatt, in particular, will be scrutinized heading into the fall. The former four-star quarterback has been hyped since his arrival at Rutgers two years ago.
[lawrence-related id=25890]
Arguably the best quarterback that Rutgers has ever landed, Wimsatt took a step forward last season despite an injury suffered in Week 3 at Temple. That injury sidelined Wimsatt for several games, staggering his development and growth.
But despite the injury and the change at offensive coordinator at midseason, Wimsatt still showed some progress and growth last season. He completed 44.8 percent of his passes for 757 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
[lawrence-related id=25943]
[mm-video type=video id=01gy33hy6cg8na9nbjqr playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gy33hy6cg8na9nbjqr/01gy33hy6cg8na9nbjqr-2373644c0a4021d21a37d1956414ae81.jpg]