Tag: Kirk Ciarrocca

Rutgers’ Kirk Ciarrocca is one of the highest paid coordinators in college football

Rutgers football has one of the highest paid offensive coordinators in college football.

Rutgers football owes much of its success last season to offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. And not surprisingly, Ciarrocca is one of the highest paid offensive coordinators in college football.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ciarrocca’s $1.4 million annual salary is the twelfth highest in the country. The Rutgers offensive coordinator is one of four Big Ten offensive coordinators on the list.

Last fall was Ciarrocca’s first season back at Rutgers.

During his first year as Rutgers offensive coordinator last season, Ciarrocca brought out the best in his players. That includes Kyle Monangai, who led the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,262 yards. He was the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012 and was rated the top running back in the Big Ten. 

Highest Paid Offensive Coordinators in College Football💰 pic.twitter.com/2eMkMJtofE

— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 23, 2024

 

Although Ciarrocca will have one of the best running backs in the country at his disposal this year, his biggest test will be at quarterback. Earlier this month, Athan Kaliakmanis was named Rutgers’ starting quarterback. The former Minnesota Gopher has recorded 2,784 passing yards and thrown 17 passing touchdowns in his career.

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Ciarrocca coached Kaliakmanis when he was a freshman at Minnesota in 2022.

 

Gavin Sidwar breaks down his recent Rutgers football offer

Gavin Sidwar details his Rutgers football offer.

Rutgers football officially offered Gavin Sidwar on Wednesday, just hours after members of the Big Ten program’s coaching staff saw the quarterback prospect throw.

It is an offer that Sidwar has been hoping to pull in for some time. A 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback prospect at La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania), Sidwar had a throwing session last week for Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and running backs coach Damiere Shaw.

A class of 2026 quarterback, Sidwar has been communicating consistently with Rutgers football since last fall. He visited for the game against Ohio State, where Rutgers had a halftime lead that they carried deep into the third quarter against one of the nation’s top teams.

It was after that game that Sidwar had the chance to meet with Ciarrocca and head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

“They said they really liked my tape and have been doing their homework on me, but they don’t offer quarterbacks until they throw in person,” Sidwar told Rutgers Wire.

“A few weeks ago, they invited me to practice and I spent the day there. Once again, (I) met with both coaches and they said they will come see me throw.”

Following the throwing session, Ciarrocca said that Schiano would be in touch.

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That night, Sidwar had a video call with the coaching staff where Schiano offered.

“I’m excited about it. Rutgers was an offer I wanted. I really like Coach Schiano and it’s a place I can see myself at,” Sidwar said.

Sidwar has visited programs such as Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers this spring.
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Last week in addition to Rutgers, Sidwar has thrown for Alabama, Illinois and South Florida over the past week. Missouri and Michigan State are also expected to come in at some point this spring.

After a throwing session at his school, Gavin Sidwar offered by Rutgers football

Gavin Sidwar was offered by Rutgers on Thursday.

Rutgers football visited Pennsylvania quarterback Gavin Sidwar on Thursday, watching the class of 2026 have a throwing session.

Following that throwing session, Sidwar was offered by Rutgers football.

Sidwar, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback prospect at La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania), threw in front of Rutgers offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag] and running backs coach [autotag]Damiere Shaw[/autotag].

Rutgers has had recent success recruiting La Salle, having successfully landed Samuel Brown in the 2022 class. A four-star recruit, Brown was ranked the seventh-best recruit in Pennsylvania by Rivals during his time at La Salle.

As for Sidwar, he already holds an impressive list of offers including from Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia Tech among others.

Sidwar posted on social media on Thursday about the offer from Rutgers:

 

Sidwar had a solid sophomore season for La Salle. He completed 186 of 285 passes for 2,439 yards and 29 touchdown passes.

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La Salle, traditionally one of the best programs in Pennsylvania, finished the season with a 6-5 record.

How does Athan Kaliakmanis (as the starting quarterback) change the Rutgers football offense?

Rutgers football quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is the new starting quarterback, and Mike Teel believes the offense is likely to change.

With the naming of Athan Kaliakmanis as the starting quarterback, the Rutgers football offense is certainly set to change. And with that, former Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel believes that the change will be tailored to their new quarterback’s skillset.

Kaliakmanis, a multi-year starter in the Big Ten, is certainly not lacking for Power Five experience. And there was and is a belief around the Hale Center that he had a significantly better spring than any other quarterback on the Rutgers roster.

So the former Minnesota quarterback takes over an offense brimming with potential and will be protected by a veteran offensive line. All of this means that there is a chance that the Rutgers offense can take the next step in what will be their second season under offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag].

And Kaliakmanis, who was recruited and coach by Ciarrocca to Minnesota, knows this system well.

This leads Teel, a legend of the Rutgers program, to believe that the offense with Kaliakmanis taking the snaps is likely to look different than the past two years under [autotag]Gavin Wimsatt[/autotag].

“I think you call plays, you draw ups plays and you scheme up plays as an offensive coordinator to benefit your personnel,” Teel told Rutgers Wire.

“Rutgers has the best running back in the Big Ten returning, Kyle Monangai He’s supposed to run the football right?  It’s always great when a quarterback can run the ball because it adds that extra number to the run game that the defense has to account for and I think there were times when Gavin did a great job of adding that extra dimension to the offense last year.

“But at the end of the day, I think if you can use the pass game, meaning the quick game, to supplement some of those quarterback runs whether it’s through RPOs or whether it’s through that three-step concept -the hitches, the slants, the quick outs…you have an off corner to the boundary throw…the quick hitch…right now I think you’ll see a lot more of those type plays to offset the quarterback run.”

Wimsatt entered the transfer portal on Wednesday.

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Teel is the all-time leading passer in Rutgers football history. He currently works as an analyst on Rutgers football broadcasts.

In the spring game, Kaliakmanis was more athletic than advertised, showing the ability to move around in the pocket and carry the ball downfield. But he is first and foremost a pocket quarterback who has a quick release as well as the ability to make plays down the field.

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That, Teel believes, is likely to be an asset in balancing this offense.

“So at the end of the day, if teams are going to stack the box, going to put nine guys, eight guys in the box – I think you have to make them pay,” Teel said.

“You can do that by throwing the ball and using the quick game which is what I think they will try to do as the season comes.”

 

What Greg Schiano told the Big Ten Network on Tuesday about Rutgers football’s quarterbacks

Greg Schiano talked Rutgers football quarterback competition with the Big Ten Network.

There is change coming to Rutgers football, with Greg Schiano announcing Athan Kaliakmanis as the starting quarterback on Wednesday. Incumbent starter Gavin Wimsatt will enter the transfer portal, a source confirms.

Just a day prior to the news (which was broken by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday morning), Rutgers head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] was asked about the state of his quarterback competition. Kaliakmanis and Wimsatt were engaged in a quarterback battle that appeared destined to drag out until the summer.

But on Wednesday, Kaliakmanis was named the starter heading into fall camp and Wimsatt, who has two years of eligibility left. Last season at Minnesota, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He had previously played for Rutgers offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag], who three years prior had recruited him to Minnesota.

In speaking on Tuesday to the Big Ten Network, Schiano perhaps foreshadowed the coming change in the quarterback room during his interview with Anthony Herron.

“Well, I think it starts with coach Ciarrocca,” Schiano told the Big Ten Network during an interview 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 is coming off a third season at Rutgers where he completed 47.8 percent of his passes for 1,735 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran for 11 touchdowns.

 

Rutgers football recruiting update – Derek Zammit on four-star ranking, recent visit

Derek Zammit talks Rutgers football, four-star ranking.

Derek Zammit was named a four-star last week, the New Jersey quarterback taking the national ranking very much in stride. A priority recruit for Rutgers football for quite some time, Zammit is pragmatically letting it all play out.

Zammit was offered by Rutgers head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] last summer. His offer list includes Boston College, Duke, Illinois, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others.

A class of 2026 quarterback from DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey), Zammit is the fourth-best recruit in New Jersey and the No. 221 prospect overall. He checks in as the No. 16 quarterback in the country according to 247Sports.

He took the ranking news last week very much in stride.

“I’m pretty excited,” Zammit told Rutgers Wire.

“Obviously it is pretty cool to be recognized but….I’m not going to let a ranking define me.

“I just thanked God and realized there’s still 15 quarterbacks ahead of me so I needed to work even harder.”

His recruitment is progressing along, with several visits throughout the spring.

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Things with Rutgers are “going good.” They were among the first programs to offer the DePaul standout.

“They’ve made it clear to me that I’m a priority for them,” Zammit said.

“And I value that highly and I feel that if I go there I’ll be put in a good situation.”

One of his spring visit stops was in April at Rutgers, where he took in a scrimmage. It gave him an opportunity to see the development of the offensive under offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.

This is Ciarrocca’s second season back at Rutgers. He had spent time previously as the offensive coordinator at Minnesota where he turned around their offense.

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Prior to that, he was on staff at West Virginia and Penn State (where he was offensive coordinator).

“I’m excited to watch it. They looked good in the scrimmage I watched,” Zammit said.

“So hopefully I can get to a game and watch them again.”

What two Rutgers freshmen did Greg Schiano single out for praise during spring practice?

Two freshmen wide receivers are making plays this spring for Rutgers football.

Following the second scrimmage of spring, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano highlighted the overall emerging depth of his team. In particular, some intriguing names popping up at wide receiver is good news for the offense.

The fact that both players are true freshmen and in their first spring at Rutgers is certainly encouraging for the continued growth and development of the program.

Last season under Kirk Ciarrocca, the Rutgers offense took a big step forward developmentally. Ciarrocca’s return to Rutgers helped elevate what was one of the Big Ten’s worst offenses into a respectable unit that finished middle of the Big Ten in total offense.

Rutgers was led by a ground game that was among the best in the nation. If Schiano’s offense can start making plays with their wide receivers, then the team’s rebuild can take yet another step forward.

Wide receiver has consistently been a struggle for Rutgers to land talent. But this incoming freshman class could prove to be an important cycle for the program’s ability to land multiple wide receivers with the ability to make plays at the Big Ten level.

“I don’t know if they’re big time –  how will we know if they’re going to be big time until they do it, right? But there’s some really talented young guys: Ben Black jumps off is really doing some good things. You know, KJ Duff, I think is really doing some things and he doesn’t look like a freshman out there,” Schiano told reporters on Saturday.

“So that’s good. We have a couple guys as you know, that are bumped up so they’re getting more repetitions. And then we just need to get (to) play bigger and stronger at the position and I think we’re starting to learn how to do that, you know, in the Big Ten there’s big DBs and there’s big nickels and big cover down linebackers and you got to be able to play strong. And it’s something that we didn’t always do at times. So we’re really working on doing that.”

From North Carolina, Black was ranked a three-star and the No. 26 recruit in North Carolina in the class of 2024. At the time he committed to Rutgers, Black had offers from Duke, Georgia Tech and UConn among others.

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Duff was a marquee recruit for Rutgers after being a dominant force in Long Island his final two seasons in high school.

He was a four-star recruit according to Rivals and On3 with  offers from Miami, North Carolina, Syracuse and Tennessee among others.

What is the state of the Rutgers football quarterback competition? Greg Schiano sees ‘a healthy competition’

Rutgers football is having a good, healthy quarterback competition this spring.

For the first time since Rutgers entered the Big Ten in 2014, there is a quarterback competition that features two experienced players who each have deep Power Five starting experience.

The offseason addition of Athan Kalaikmanis, who started every regular season game for Minnesota last year, certainly changes the look and feel of the Rutgers quarterback room. With the incumbent starter, Gavin Wimsatt, back from a year where Rutgers won a bowl game, there is a level of depth and competition that hasn’t existed around this program in quite some time.

Of the four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Wimsatt and [autotag]Ajanni Sheppard[/autotag] spent last season at Rutgers and with offensive coordinator [autotag]Kirk Ciarrocca[/autotag].

“For two of them, it’s their second year in the system now so you would expect a better understanding from a whole offseason of studying yourself,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Saturday.

“But yeah, there’s a healthy competition in the room. I think it’s deeper so we’ll just let it play out.”

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Rutgers has had inconsistent quarterback play for much of the last decade and the hope this offseason is that Kalaikmanis or Wimsatt will step up and manage the offense effectively.

While Sheppard is promising and A.J. Surace, a three-star quarterback who arrived on campus in January, the quarterback competition is likely to favor the most experienced players.

Wimsatt and Kalaikmanis both have significant starting experience in the Big Ten and that is likely what is needed with this veteran roster.

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“Well, Athan I saw do things in Big Ten games, so I’m not really surprised – I think he’s doing well, but it’s not a surprise,” Schiano said.

“AJ only saw (him) play in high school and yes, he’s pleasantly surprised me. I mean, AJ is a really fine young quarterback prospect. Very excited about him. So like I said, I’m encouraged. Starting up there with Gavin and going all the way through Ajani who was here – it’s a good room, and I think they got a good chemistry in there to coach Ciarrocca does a really good job of kind of blending them together. And yes, there’s a competition. But they you watch them they help each other all the time. I mean, that’s what that’s what family is about.”

A car accident in high school nearly derailed Dymere Miller’s career. Now, the Rutgers football wide receiver is ready to make a statement

Rutgers football added Dymere Miller this offseason in the transfer portal. Now, Miller wants to make a point in the Big Ten. #Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — A car accident in high school nearly cost Dymere Miller his football career. But the Rutgers football wide receiver, who took the road less traveled, now finds himself ready to play in the Big Ten.

Miller, a former FCS All-American at Monmouth, committed to Rutgers out of the transfer portal this offseason. Midway through his high school career, however, Miller was anything but a lock to play college football at any level.

In fact, a return to Coatesville High School (Coatesville, Pennsylvania) seemed like something that might not happen.

It was late fall of Miller’s sophomore year in high school when he was driving home with his mother. A car parked to their right pulled out unexpectedly and tried to make a U-turn.

The other vehicle hit the passenger side where Miller was sitting. Miller suffered a herniated disc from the collision. He was fortunate to walk away from the accident.

Surgery wasn’t required but extensive rehabilitation took place that spring and summer for Miller. He returned to competitive sports the following fall for his junior season, but he was in significant pain in almost every game and practice.

It wasn’t until the fall of his senior season that Miller was finally pain-free. and he began to show his potential on the field. Upon graduating from Coatesville, he pursued a post-graduate year at Salisbury (Salisbury, Connecticut)

If Miller was going to play college football, he would need more than one good season of high school film. It was there that Miller attended a Monmouth camp and got on the radar of college football programs.

“I got an offer and then on top of that, the prep school coach…coach Phelps (head coach Chris Phelps) also helped me get a couple more offers coming out,” Miller told Rutgers WIre.

“I don’t know them all off the top of my head but Monmouth was the perfect fit for me. They had the perfect outlet for me.”

Miller arrives at Rutgers as perhaps the most significant addition to the team that came in via the transfer portal.

Last year at Monmouth, Miller had 90 catches for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns. In the season opener against FAU, he had 10 catches for 78 yards.

He chose Rutgers, in part, because of the opportunity to play in the Big Ten and at an elite level. Competition is something that Miller wants to experience at the next level.

Miller is level-headed and doesn’t want to look ahead to where things might stand next year and the possibility of being selected in the NFL draft.

The first step, he said, is to go out and perform at Rutgers. That process is something he admits happens day-by-day and moment-by-moment.

“Just the opportunity. Monmouth did everything they could for me at the FCS level. So I just wanted to move up another level to see what I can do on the next stage to help me get to the next level,” Miller said.

“The opportunity at the Big Ten, the Big Ten is one of the biggest conferences in college football. Just the opportunity is what I wanted.”

So far, the early returns on Miller have been positive.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca spoke with the media a week ago and mentioned Miller as showing some early flashes of his potential.

“It’s a little too early to know exactly what he can bring but we really liked his skill set when we watched his film from Monmouth,” Ciarrocca said.

“And in the first two practices, you know, he’s probably… he might be even a little better than I was thinking on the film. I’m just really excited to get a chance to work with him. He is an excellent young man. He’s worked really hard since he’s gotten here and really taken to the program and you can tell the other guys really like him.”

Miller is an explosive playmaker, the kind that Rutgers hasn’t had over the past two seasons.

With good pace and a change of direction, Miller’s skillset makes him ideal for either the slot or out wide. That unique ability to make players miss in the open field is a big reason why UConn, FAU, Pittsburgh and Texas Tech offered him out of the transfer portal.

Very much thankful for his time at Monmouth, Miller’s eyes are now focused on this next step in his career.

“It is a step-up competition,” Miller said.

“But at the end of the day, I feel as though – like, I’m a football player and I’m a baller and I believe I can play at any level.”

 

 

Rutgers football: What new player has impressed Kirk Ciarrocca in practice this week?

Dymere Miller has made a good first impression on the Rutgers football coaching staff.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — One Rutgers football player has looked better than advertising according to offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. An addition to the Rutgers offense out of the transfer portal, Dymere Miller might be the playmaker that the Scarlet Knights desperately need.

Miller joined Rutgers in the transfer portal in December with one year of eligibility left. Last season in the FCS, he led Monmouth with 90 catches for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns. He had some impressive performances including 10 catches for 78 yards in the season opener against FAU.

Out of the portal, Miller was offer by UConn, FAU, Pittsburgh and Texas Tech among others. Following Thursday’s second practice of spring, Ciarrocca was asked about Miller.

A coach known for carefully parsing and then re-parsing words offered an encouraging perspective on how Miller has looked so far.

“It’s a little too early to know exactly what he can bring but we really liked his skill set when we watched his film from Monmouth,” Ciarrocca said.

“And in the first two practices, you know, he’s probably… he might be even a little better than I was thinking on the film. I’m just really excited to get a chance to work with him. He is an excellent young man. He’s worked really hard since he’s gotten here and really taken to the program and you can tell the other guys really like him.”

Miller isn’t the only new veteran set to debut at Rutgers this spring.

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A transfer portal addition last year, wide receiver Naseim Brantley was cleared by the NCAA in January and has been able to participate in spring practices. Also from the FCS ranks, Brantley and Miller give Rutgers two veteran targets who should be able to elevate the passing game.