The growth of Gavin Wimsatt this offseason is being seen not just in his play on the practice field, but also in how he holds himself and runs the offense. The maturation of Wimsatt in this part of his game is big news for Rutgers football.
Last season, as a redshirt freshman, Wimsatt had some understandable struggles. Coupled with injuries that cost him the first half of the season, and 2022 was a bit forgettable for Wimsatt.
Last season, he finished with 757 passing yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 44.8 percent of his passes.
When asked on Wednesday about how Wimsatt was growing, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said that the on-the-field development of Wimsatt has led to a confidence growing in the locker room about his quarterback.
“Well, that happens when you do better right? I mean, if you’re as confused and you can’t keep your own head above water, how are you going to lead anybody else? So I think as he’s gotten more and more comfortable, he’s made more and more plays,” Schiano told reporters.
“People want to follow you more when you make more and more plays. The confidence grows around you for you. And then I’m sure it grows in him. So yeah, he has things to be genuinely confident about now. Not just say, you know, I never understood a coach who said, ‘Hey, you know, you need to be more confident.’ Well, if I’m telling you that there’s no chance you’re gonna be more confident, right? There’s something that’s leading you not to have that confidence in yourself.
“So I don’t really know if there’s a way to trick it. You know, I think you got to earn it. And he’s earning it this camp.”
Wimsatt was named the Rutgers quarterback by Schiano in July during Big Ten Media Days.
A former four-star quarterback, Wimsatt is set for his third season at Rutgers, having joined the program two games into the 2021 season (after graduating from high school in September).
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