Tag: Gavin Wimsatt

Rutgers football officially has a quarterback competition. What does Greg Schiano hope to find?

For Greg Schiano, a quarterback competition is all about finding a way to win.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The arrival of Athan Kalaikmanis this semester to Rutgers football also heralds a quarterback competition for the Big Ten program.

A competition that Rutgers didn’t have last year but badly needed. And in the arrival of Kalaikmanis, the Scarlet Knights now have two quarterbacks with significant starting experience in the Big Ten.

Kaliakmanis comes to Rutgers after two years at Minnesota that showed steady growth. He enters into a quarterback room headlined by Gavin Wimsatt, who started every game last year and led Rutgers to a bowl game.

Wimsatt was named the starter last year before the start of training camp, effectively ending a quarterback competition then and there. He completed 47.8 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,735 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He also rushed for 497 yards and 11 touchdowns.

[lawrence-related id=36830]

Now, Rutgers has a competition this spring that could well go into the summer.

“We felt we needed to strengthen our performance of the position and whether it’s with Gavin who played all of last season, brought in someone that we thought could help strengthen it,” head coach Greg Schiano said on Tuesday.

“We also brought in…we have Ajanni Shepherd in the program. And we have a freshman that is starting now (in) AJ Surace (who) has been with us all winter. So we have four scholarship quarterbacks in the program right now and they will compete and we’ll figure out who gives us the best chance to win.”

Kirk Ciarrocca recruited Kaliakmanis when he was the Minnesota offensive coordinator in 2021. The quarterback ended up starting several games during the 2022 season and was the starter last year for Minnesota.

[lawrence-related id=36855,36832]

Ciarrocca is now in his second season as the offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

This past season showed some of the promise in Kaliakmanis. As a sophomore, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Solid numbers in the Big Ten.

[lawrence-related id=36775,36810]

“Well, Kirk obviously has experience with him from the University of Minnesota. So we knew the competitor he is, we knew he has a background in this system,” Schiano said.

“And it just it was a guy that we believe in, and it gives us a chance to create competition and hopefully the cream will rise to the top and we’ll have better quarterback play in ’24 than we did in ’23.”

Gavin Wimsatt took a ‘leap of faith’ when he came to Rutgers. Now, he says, the Scarlet Knights ‘have bigger plans’

Rutgers Gavin Wimsatt reflects on what Thursday’s win means for Rutgers football.

BRONX, N.Y. — When Gavin Wimsatt arrived at Rutgers three years ago, the highly-touted quarterback was expected to be a huge part of the program’s rebuild. On Thursday evening, he celebrated his team’s win over Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

Wimsatt’s season, which started with strong performances against Northwestern and Temple, is now defined most by Thursday’s win. The 20-year-old quarterback guided his Rutgers football team to a bowl victory over a storied Miami program.

In doing so, Wimsatt snapped a stretch of nine years without a bowl win and got the first bowl win of the Greg Schiano 2.0 era at Rutgers. Wimsatt ran for two touchdowns (of the ‘tush push’ variety’) to guide the Scarlet Knights to the win on Thursday over Miami.

“It means a lot. When I committed here, obviously it was a little bit of a leap of faith, but I trusted in coach Schiano, and he had a plan, and we had the right guys. So it’s an exciting moment for this to happen,” Wimsatt said after the game.

“This is what we pictured, but we have bigger plans, but this is just a step in the right direction. It’s exciting.

With the win, Rutgers finishes with a winning season (7-6, 3-5 Big Ten) for the first time since 2014. Wimsatt started every one of those games in a season where the Scarlet Knights closed the gap a bit on the rest of the Big Ten.

[lawrence-related id=33538,33502]

Wimsatt too, closed the gap a bit in his development and maturation.

On the season, he finished with 1,735 passing yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had 497 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

Thursday saw Wimsatt manage an offense that did not turn the ball over once in getting the win over Miami.

[lawrence-related id=33497]

“What we did today is we took care of the football. We knew that if we could take it away — I count punt blocks as a take-away, where it was a pick six or fumble six when you block a punt,” Schiano said during his post-game press conference.

“We knew if we could win the turnover margin that we felt very confident we would win the game. Did we play a little tight to the vest? Sure, we did, because we felt that was the kind of game we had to play.

“We’ll develop. Like at every position, we’ll continue to develop, including the quarterback position. We’ll just keep getting better. Like you said, that’s part of the — today I thought a developmental program was on display. You look at some of the young guys.”

Scroll down and enjoy some of the best moments from Thursday’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl for Rutgers football!

 

‘Tush push’ (take two): Rutgers football extends lead with another Gavin Wimsatt ‘tush push’ touchdown

Rutgers football extends their lead against Miami.

BRONX, N.Y. — Gavin Wimsatt had (another) tush push touchdown, extending Rutgers football’s lead in the fourth quarter of the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

For Wimsattt, it was his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon and it extended the Rutgers lead to 28-17 over Miami.

The touchdown gave some much-needed breathing room for Rutgers, who rolled out to a 14-0 lead at the midpoint of the second quarter. Miami rattled off 17 unanswered points to stake a 17-14 lead with 10:33 left in the third quarter.

Wimsatt has had a quietly efficient game for Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights are looking for their first bowl win since 2014:

 

Rutgers re-took the lead with 5:06 left in the third quarter. Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked a Miami punt and Timmy Ward recovered for a 21-17 lead for Rutgers.

[lawrence-related id=33494,33487]

This season was a strong next step for Rutgers in their rebuilding effort under head coach Greg Schiano. They finished 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten) and were bowl eligible for the first time since 2014 (the program’s first in the Big Ten).

Watch: Third time is the charm for Rutgers football, take 7-0 lead with a ‘tush push’

Rutgers football got an early lead over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

BRONX, N.Y. — Rutgers football got on the board early in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, a one-yard ‘tush push’ by quarterback Gavin Wimsatt good enough for a 7-0 lead over Miami.

The 13-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s opening possession was vintage stuff from Rutgers. Taking 8:06 off the clock, the drive featured 11 rushing plays for 59 yards.

Rutgers ran the ball hard and physically, controlling the line of scrimmage on the drive.

For Wimsatt, it was his tenth rushing touchdown of the season. He came into the season without a rushing touchdown.

It was the third time in the goal line situation that Rutgers trotted out the ‘tush push’ formation. It turned out to be the charm as the Scarlet Knights got the ball across the goal line for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead over Miami with 6:54 left in the first quarter.

 

[lawrence-related id=33497,33453]

Rutgers came into the Pinstripe Bowl 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten). They lost their last four regular season games.

Rutgers football vs. Miami: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

On Thursday afternoon, Rutgers will play in the Pinstripe Bowl for the first time since 2013 when they faced Notre Dame

On Thursday afternoon, Rutgers will play in the Pinstripe Bowl for the first time since 2013 when they faced Notre Dame. They will face a Miami team hungry for a bowl win after finishing the regular season with seven wins. This game will also add to the program’s rich history.

Thursday will mark the 13th time Rutgers has played at Yankee Stadium, dating back to 1926. It will be the Scarlet Knights’ 51st game at an MLB stadium and the sixth such bowl game. They have played Notre Dame and Iowa State in their last two Pinstripe Bowl appearances.

[lawrence-related id=32182,32178]

To leave Yankee Stadium with a win, Rutgers will need a big game from Gavin Wimsatt and Kyle Monangai. The talented duo has combined for 16 rushing touchdowns. That has made the Scarlet Knights a tough team to face regardless of the opponent.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

However, they have a talented team in their way in the Hurricanes. Regardless of the outcome, playing in a bowl game is a significant milestone for Greg Schiano and Rutgers.

Rutgers football: Best five wins of the season

During the 2023 campaign, Rutgers football gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate.

During the 2023 campaign, Rutgers football gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Scarlet Knights finished with a 6-6 record and performed better in conference play. Although the last few years have been full of highs and lows, the program took a step forward.

While their success was a team effort, Kyle Monangai and Gavin Wimsatt became players to be reckoned with. Monangai was one of the best running backs in the conference with 1,099 rushing yards and Wimsatt added 1,651 passing yards to his resume. Due their play, the offense was no longer the achilles heel.

 

Like in years past, the strength of this team continued to be the defense. The Scarlet Knights finished the season with eight interceptions and 19 sacks. As a result, they played better against Big Ten teams.

While Rutgers still has one game left, the 2023 campaign was full of positives for this program. Below are the five wins that stood out the most.

Rutgers football landed a building block player in ’24 quarterback A.J. Surace

A.J Surace has the potential to be a long-term solution for Rutgers football at quarterback.

A.J. Surace isn’t the highest-ranked player in the Rutgers football recruiting class, but he likely ends up being the most important. That’s because if Surace continues his developmental arc, he is likely a multi-year starter at quarterback for the Big Ten program.

Along with the rest of the 2024 recruiting class, Surace signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play for Rutgers football.

Surace is a three-star quarterback prospect who is coming off a fantastic senior season at Notre Dame Prep (Lawrenceville, New Jersey). He is ranked the fourth-best player in New Jersey according to 247Sports.

On the season, Surace was 130-of-188 for 1,862 passing yards. He had 26 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 909 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

“AJ, he’s a tremendous football player. It’s in his blood. His dad is a long-time head coach at Princeton and in the National Football League before that and just a great family,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Wednesday.

Family of educators. His grandpa was a legendary coach down in south Jersey. So you guys know the story, and AJ is every bit the culmination of all that. He’s a football guy. He’s a great student, and I think is going to be a great quarterback at Rutgers.

What stands out about Surace is his pocket poise and presence. He has an understanding of ball placement and the ability to throw his receiver open. It is a rare trait and skill set for a high school football player.

[lawrence-related id=33280,33272]

Given his production and how well he did in camp settings, Surace could well have been a four-star quarterback. However, at 6-foot-2, he doesn’t have the size that jumps out to most recruiting analysts.

But he is certainly Big Ten caliber size, and his performance on the field as both a passer and a runner backs up his ability to transition at the next level. He enrolls in January.

The potential is there for Surace to be a multi-year starter at Rutgers and to develop into the type of quarterback that Gary Nova and Mike Teel were for the program.

[lawrence-related id=33274]

Surace’s father, Bob Surace, is the highly respected (and successful) head coach at Princeton.

Bottom-line driven, Rutgers football OC Kirk Ciarrocca sees ‘normal growing pains’ from Gavin Wimsatt

Kirk Ciarrocca is pleased with the bottom line for Rutgers football’s offense this year.

There was some significant improvement seen from Gavin Wimsatt this season, as the Rutgers football quarterback took some developmental steps in his third year of college football. There were also moments of frustration and regression throughout the season.

And for [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag], in his first season as offensive coordinator with the Rutgers football program, the ups and downs from Wimsatt were to be expected.

Wimsatt threw for 1,651 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions, marking the first time in his career that he had more touchdowns thrown than interceptions. He also had 488 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, a number always glossed over when talked about his development.

The source of concern for Wimsatt was his diminished play come the Big Ten schedule, where his turnovers went up and his completion percentage went down.

“I think Gavin is a guy that’s come a long way since January. He has improved every day,” Ciarrocca said on Monday during a press conference ahead of next week’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

“I think Gavin, if he was sitting here right now, would tell you that he needs to be more consistent with it, but like any young quarterback, he had some highs, and we had some lows, and then we had where we were just kind of in between that with it.

“For me it’s normal growing pains that you see in a young quarterback. The important thing is that he just keeps working hard and keeps learning from his mistakes and moving forward. He has a ton of ability. So we just need to see how he continues to grow.”

Wimsatt completed 47.8 percent of his passes this year, a career high. But it was still a disappointing number. He threw an interception in each of his last four games.

[lawrence-related id=33191,33179]

The completion percentage, Ciarrocca said, is “I don’t think that’s really relevant” when compared to other factors. And in his first year as the Rutgers offensive coordinator, there is no doubt that Rutgers did a better job as a unit of moving the ball.

The mentality from head coach Greg Schiano, according to Ciarrocca, is “the whole idea is to win the game on Saturday.” Wimsatt’s job is to get that done.

“Offensive football is the ultimate team game, and there’s 11 guys that are totally interdependent upon each other. That’s why when you see really good offensive football, it’s a beautiful thing to watch, but one guy is a little off here or one guy is a little off there, I mean, it can be ugly to watch, hard to watch sometimes,” Ciarrocca said.

“So I wouldn’t say anything is one particular player’s fault that we played a certain way or how we did it. I think that as an offensive coordinator – I think one of my strengths is I look at what the strengths and weaknesses are of the players that we have and try to mold things around their strengths and limit their weaknesses.

“Then you also try to think about what’s the whole team? I think coach (head coach Greg Schiano) is one of the best I’ve ever been around at being able to assess an opponent and have a picture for how he feels like the game needs to go.

“I always relate it to a boxing match. It’s going to be a boxing match. How do you want the fight to go in order to give yourself the best chance to win that particular fight? Do you want to pin this guy against the ropes? Do you want to dance around the ring?”

Rutgers, bottom-two in the Big Ten in 2022 in nearly every significant offensive category, was ninth in the Big Ten in total offense this past fall.

[lawrence-related id=33146,33122]

For perspective, Rutgers had the second-toughest schedule in college football this season.

Athan Kaliakmanis previews his official visit to Rutgers football

Rutgers football will host Athan Kaliakmanis this weekend on an official visit.

This weekend, Athan Kaliakmanis will take an official visit to Rutgers. The transfer portal quarterback could be a very interesting fit for the Scarlet Knights.

As a sophomore this fall at Minnesota, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He is an accomplished and efficient passer who boasts some good athleticism.

Outside of incumbent starter [autotag]Gavin Wimsatt,[/autotag] Rutgers doesn’t have a quarterback on the roster with significant snaps or any starting experience (Evan Simon entered the transfer portal last week and has committed to Temple).

He said there has been no discussion at all with the Rutgers coaching staff about what his role would be were he to join the Scarlet Knights.

“I have not heard anything at all. No matter where I go, I will look to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Kaliakmanis told Rutgers Wire on Friday.

“In choosing my next destination, I want to go somewhere where I will be able to continually grow and contribute.”

Joining him on the trip this weekend is his brother, Dino Kaliakmanis, who was a wide receiver at Minnesota and also recently entered the transfer portal.

[lawrence-related id=33065,33046]

A factor in his official visit this weekend is Kirk Ciarrocca, the Rutgers offensive coordinator. Two years ago it was Ciarrocca, then the offensive coordinator at Minnesota, who recruited Kaliakmanis to the the Golden Gophers.

“My brother and I are very excited to visit. My family has roots there and we still have a lot of extended family in the area. So far, It has been a lot of getting to know one another with the coaches,” Athan Kaliakmanis said.

“I have always had an amazing relationship with coach Ciarrocca. He recruited my brother and I in high school and I was so happy to get the chance to work with him last year. He is super smart, has a great offensive mind, and I respect him a lot.”

As for why he entered the portal, Athan Kaliakmanis was diplomatic in his thoughts on his time at Minnesota.

[lawrence-related id=33073,33075]

The quarterback signaled his intention to leave Minnesota in late November.

“I will always cherish my time at Minnesota and I will truly miss my teammates and friends. So many amazing relationships have been built over the last few years,” Athan Kaliamkanis said.

“It was just time to move forward and I wish everyone there nothing but the best.”

Rutgers tailgate and pre-game party set for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

For Rutgers fans, Billy’s Sports Bar will be the place to be before the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

While the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl is still weeks away, Rutgers fans can already start planning out their pregame festivities. For some, that may include a stop at Billy’s Sports Bar for the official Rutgers Tailgate and Pep Rally on December 28.

The event will be open to the public and hosted by Rutgers Alumni & Rutgers Foundation. However, anyone interested in participating must be at least 21 years old. Doors will open at 10 a.m., just one hour before the festivities begin.

Fans will be treated to appearances from the Marching Scarlet Knights, Rutgers cheer and dance teams, Sir Henry and other special guests. The afternoon will also include performances from the original Springsteen tribute band and New Jersey’s own The BStreetband.

 

Additionally, Rutgers faithful will be able to show their support through giveaways from The Rutgers Boardwalk that will include “Beat Miami” buttons and shakers. Kickoff is set for 2:15 p.m.

[lawrence-related id=32752,32747]

For Rutgers, this game, in a way, represents a milestone for the program as it is their first bowl game in years. Miami is favored heading into this game after finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record.

However, the Scarlet Knights will be looking to play spoilers and enter this matchup highly motivated. They will need big games from Gavin Wimsatt and Kyle Monangai on offense to pull out a win.