PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The hopes of the Rutgers football offense remain very much pinned on the young arms of Gavin Wimsatt. Set to enter his third season at Rutgers, this second year of spring practice is crucial for the development of the young quarterback.
A former four-star recruit, Wimsatt’s 2022 season was rocked by injuries and an offense that, as a whole, struggled at times to compete at the Big Ten level. Wimsatt showed some encouraging moments, including a very strong performance in a tight loss at Michigan State late in the season.
A former four-star recruit, Wimsatt is a hugely talented prospect. This spring is an important time for his development to continue and the game to continue to slow down.
In answering a question about if there was a quarterback competition this spring., Schiano said that on defense, “there are some guys that really have cemented” their position as starters. On offense, however, Schiano indicated that things might be a bit more wide-open.
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“Offensively we weren’t very good – we’re going to figure out how to get better by competing and see who claims the job,” Schiano said.
“Having said that, I was really encouraged – Gavin really came out and had a pretty good grasp of what he was doing. Had some confidence about him which, that’s encouraging for sure.”
Last season, Wimsatt completed 44.8 percent of his passes for 757 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
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As a unit, the offense is predictably young, having lost its top three wide receivers by production this offseason. The offensive line returns three starters from last year’s unit, a group that struggled at times.
There is young talent on the offensive line, in particular with the class of 2022. But outside of Kwabena Asamoah, who earned starts last season as a true freshman, the group remains a bit unproven.
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New offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, with two decades of experience in the NFL, is a big part of the equation in helping to turn around the line.
“Depth, when we took over, was rough, obviously. But I think we have more quality depth. We’re still young on the offensive line so there are a lot of young guys who are in that depth,” Schiano said.
“I think we have some upper-class leaders who will do just that, that will lead that young group.”
“It will be a work in progress but with coach Flaherty, he is the guy we’re leaning on to get that group to mature.”