Greg Schiano is pleased with the depth he finally has throughout his Rutgers football roster. And for the head coach, that includes having the deepest quarterback room he has had across his two tenures with the Scarlet Knights.
On Tuesday, Schiano talked on the Big Ten Network with Anthony Herron, where he fielded two questions about the status of the quarterback competition at Rutgers.
Incumbent starter Gavin Wimsatt is facing something he did not encounter last year and that is a true, open quarterback competition during fall camp. Wimsatt was named the starting quarterback last June.
He struggled at times in Big Ten play but was effective enough to guide Rutgers to a bowl game (and a bowl win over Miami).
But Rutgers still sought to deepen the position, bringing in Athan Kaliakmanis in the transfer portal. Recruited to Minnesota by current Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, Kalaiakmanis has significant Big Ten experience.
Last season as a sophomore, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
“Well, I think it starts with coach Ciarrocca,” Schiano told the Big Ten Network on Tuesday.
“You know, coach Ciarrocca recruited him and worked with him at Minnesota so we knew exactly what Athan is and what he was going to be able to do. His brother Dino (Kalaiakmanis) came with him, which he had a good spring as well. So I’m excited.
“You know, I think our quarterback room is as strong as it’s ever been in all my years as the head coach here at Rutgers. And I know that it’s a very fluid thing when you talk about college personnel, right? Because there is a transfer portal there is NIL, there’s all those things that make it that way. So what you do is you literally take it day by day you have a plan, but you got to be ready to adjust. And I feel really good about Athan and I feel good about Gavin and I feel good about our other two quarterbacks as well. You know, they’re doing a good job. So we have some depth at the position. But you know, you don’t know how long that lasts all the time.”
Wimsatt remains the most intriguing player of the two quarterbacks vying for the starting position at Rutgers. A former four-star recruit, his potential remains high although he needs to take a big step forward this fall.
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While he continued to struggle with accuracy as well as his reading of defenses, Wimsatt did show improvement in his third year with the team. Schiano said that “he’s made great strides.”
Wimsatt saw his completion percentage go up a tick last year while throwing more touchdowns than interceptions for the first time in his career.
And with his legs, he ran for 11 touchdowns, a not-insignificant part of his game.
“He’s grown his understanding of the game. He’s grown in his ability to use his mobility to his advantage,” Schiano said.
“I think coach Ciarrocca has done some good things that have allowed him to do that. So he’s been a weapon both with his legs and his arm. But most importantly, the growth he’s made as a quarterback is what excites me the most.”