The Rutgers football season will likely only go as far as Gavin Wimsatt takes them. The redshirt sophomore quarterback is showing some flashes of improvement and development throughout this offseason, with Saturday yet another test for Wimsatt.
In what was the first scrimmage of training camp, Wimsatt’s performance was highlighted by the fact that the offense didn’t turn the ball over. Last season, Rutgers struggled with turnovers, with Wimsatt throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.
Schiano underscored the lack of turnovers following Saturday’s first scrimmage of training camp.
“Most important thing, he took care of the football. He seemed sped up at times, I think just excited. We got to play that out of him,” Schiano told reporters after the scrimmage.
“But he ran the offense, got us in and out of the plays we wanted to get in and out of. When I say sped (up), sometimes I think not as accurate as he was in practice but encouraged.”
Wimsatt battled injuries in the first half of the 2022 season to show some flashes of potential. He finished the season with 757 passing yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Schiano has made it a point to repeatedly say throughout the spring that Wimsatt has looked more composed in the pocket. His growth would be a big step for the Scarlet Knights as they seek bowl eligibility.
Asked about Wimsatt’s accuracy, Schiano talked about the development he has seen over the past few months.
“I have, a lot. That’s why a little of it was surprising but the most important thing is that he took care of the football,” Schiano said about Wimsatt’s accuracy before nuancing a bit about turnovers.
“If we will not turn the ball over -now as a head coach, today the ones and twos didn’t turn the ball over. As a head coach….the defense didn’t take it away. We have to take the ball away. Now when you go against yourself, you’re going to be happy or sad. But the best thing we did on offense, we didn’t turn it over.”
Rutgers also has some positional battles at wide receiver, including two new wide receivers who have come in via the transfer portal. Saturday was not necessarily the best showing from the group, Schiano said.
“Inconsistent. Made some really fine plays and then dropped some what you would call easy ones,” Schiano said.
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