Rutgers football 2022 preview: Quarterbacks

Rutgers Wire is kicking off their position previews for the 2022 season. First stop, the quarterback competition

With the regular season set to kick-off in just under a month, it is time to start getting ready for Rutgers football. The Scarlet Knight will be looking to improve over their 5-8 season in 2021. Although they did end up being selected to play in a bowl game, it was due to a team having a COVID-19 outbreak. Head coach Greg Schiano wants to drive his squad to earn this one outright.

Additionally, Rutgers has not had a winning record since 2014 – the program’s first year in the Big Ten. This is Schiano’s third season since returning to the program and while there is hope and growth all over the field, it all starts with the quarterback position.

Let’s break down how the Scarlet Knights might look under center this coming season.

It will not be an easy path for offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Gleeson, as training camp kicked off with a true competition at the most important position on the field. It is a three man race with incumbent starter Noah Vedral, highly-touted recruit Gavin Wimsatt, and last season’s backup Evan Simon.

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Schiano spoke about the competition at Big Ten Media Day:

“One thing I’ve learned over the years is, when you have good players, you’ve got to let them compete, and it’s got to sort itself out. If it doesn’t sort itself out by Game 1, then we’ll play more than one guy. If it does, then we’ll play one guy and we’ll have another guy ready to go and a third if he had some issues,”

Vedral is the easy, obvious choice to start the year at quarterback. He is in his final year of collegiate eligibility – year six – and has two years of starting experience under his belt. With that experience comes poise and a high football IQ. Being fully aware of your limitations in order to play within yourself is something that only comes with time.

The coaching staff knows they will get consistency and stability out of Vedral which is very important when deciding who should run your offense. Vedral can manage the game, but in a formidable Big Ten conference, that might not be enough. A bit limited in his abilities, Noah hasn’t shown that he can go out and get your team a win with challenging throws in crunch time.

There is a good chance Vedral starts Week 1 against Boston College, but a worse chance that he keeps the job all season.

On paper, Wimsatt is the most talented quarterback in the room. His physical gifts are undeniable and his youth makes him fearless. Rutgers has the added benefit of Wimsatt already getting some experience with the club last season. Despite that, he should be a true freshman now and is going through his first collegiate training camp after leaving high school early to immediately enroll at the university.

A true dual-threat quarterback – Wimsatt has the biggest arm and the quickest wheels of the group. His physical ability to make the big play will never be in question. However, his inexperience could lead to some of those big plays being errant, especially against Big Ten defenses. Schiano’s coaching staff has been looking for ways to get more out of the offense and handing the reigns over to Gavin might be the way to do that.

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At the same time, carrying a Big Ten offense in conference play is a lot of ask of someone who’s just 18 years old. He may not start the season opener, but don’t be surprised if Wimsatt takes hold of the position soon into the season.

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Simon is in his third year at Rutgers. He may not be as athletic as the other two options but can still get out of the pocket when you need him to. He showed improvements enough last season to jump to No. 2 behind Vedral, but the faith shown by the coaching staff has not resulted in productivity on the field. With offensive line improvement, Simon should look even better in camp and in the preseason.

Starting him would be looking past the experience that Vedral brings and the explosive athleticism that Wimsatt brings. The odds are not in Simon’s favor, but he brings a veteran feel to the quarterback room and should help push whichever man does get the starting job.

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Rutgers could still wind up using Johnny Langan in certain packages and there are a few walk-ons to round out the group, but even with three names mentioned above – this should be a two-man race. A safe prediction is that Vedral starts the season, but Wimsatt takes control and ends up with more snaps than the sixth-year senior when the season comes to a close.

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Big Ten football media days: Greg Schiano says there is a Rutgers quarterback competition, won’t tip his hand

Greg Schiano talks about the quarterback competition at Rutgers football.

Sooner rather than later, Rutgers football will be going through a changing of the guard at quarterback. Whether that happens as early as the season opener remains to be seen.

Noah Vedral is the unquestioned most experienced quarterback on the Rutgers football roster but it is Gavin Wimsatt who is likely to create the most headlines heading into training camp. The former four-star recruit showed flashes last season as a true freshman and has been hailed as the future of the program.

And while Wimsatt wasn’t necessarily polished upon his arrival at Rutgers, his performance in the Gator Bowl was encouraging.

Now with the benefit of a full offseason, Wimsatt is in the midst of a quarterback battle with Vedral and Evan Simon.

Head coach Greg Schiano didn’t tip his hand at all in speaking on Wednesday at the Big Ten’s annual football media day.

“We have a quarterback competition, but you mentioned Noah. Noah is the ultimate competitor. He is an awesome guy to have on our team. He wants to be a coach and is going to be a great coach. So any of you coaches that are listening to this, I would highly recommend getting him on your staff when he’s done playing. We’re going to try,” Schiano told reporters.

“But Noah is competing really hard. He’s a monster in the off-season program. Gavin Wimsatt is another guy that is competing for the job, and then Evan Simon.

“I’d say all three of those guys go into training camp — Noah, as you mentioned, has two years’ worth of starts under his belt. So certainly an advantage for him with experience.”

It is likely a true and open competition for Rutgers. Vedral has the experience but Wimsatt’s upside and athleticism are exciting for an offense that has been a bit pedestrian since 2014.

Ahead of the opener at Boston College in five weeks’ time, it is unclear if Wimsatt or Vedral will get the nod on the road.

“But I think the one thing I’ve learned over the years is, when you have good players, you’ve got to let them compete, and it’s got to sort itself out. If it doesn’t sort itself out by Game 1, then we’ll play more than one guy. If it does, then we’ll play one guy and we’ll have another guy ready to go and a third if he had some issues,” Schiano said.

“I’m not concerned about it. I’m not going to make it happen. I’m going to let it happen and observe it and make the decision based on that.”

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What quarterbacks will Nebraska face in 2022?

The Huskers will see a talented slate of quarterbacks in 2022!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will face a diverse lineup of quarterbacks in 2022. First, the Huskers will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in former Texas signal-caller Casey Thompson. And Nebraska is not alone in using a transfer quarterback. The transfer quarterback was a rarity in college football but not any longer. Four of the twelve quarterbacks Nebraska will face in 2022 are first-year transfers. And if you take a deeper look at the roster of QBs, six of the 12 quarterbacks the Cornhuskers will face in 2022 are transfers not at their original school of commitment.

The transfer rules in college football will likely change in some way, shape, or form in the near future. What those new rules will look like and how they curb the recent wave of transfers in college football is unknown. But be prepared as the college football world will be undergoing more changes after 2022.

Take a look below at the 12 projected starting quarterbacks Nebraska will face this upcoming season. The list includes old faces and new, as well as a former Husker who will get a rematch against his old team. So get ready, the season opener is less than 60-days away.

Iowa Hawkeyes 2022 schedule breakdown: Rutgers

Rutgers is starting to turn things around a bit under Greg Schiano. Will they pose a threat to Iowa in the Hawkeyes’ first away game?

Finally, a road game. After starting off the 2022 season with the first three games at home, the Hawkeyes start their Big Ten slate in Piscataway, N.J., against Rutgers.

After a disastrous era under former head coach Chris Ash, last year the Scarlet Knights really started to make some progress under now-Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano. The Ash era included an 8-33 overall record, a 3-27 mark in Big Ten play and three of his four seasons were winless conference campaigns. Now, Rutgers is starting to become somewhat respectable again with Schiano back at the helm.

While 5-7 overall and 3-8 in Big Ten games aren’t the most glamorous records in the world, they are miles better than previous years for a Scarlet Knights program that has really struggled to adjust to the Big Ten. They still weren’t that good, but certainly don’t appear close to as bad as the squad that lost 78-0 at home against Michigan in 2016.

While 2021 was one of the more respectable years in program history, Rutgers lost some key players on offense. Wide receiver Bo Melton and running back Isiah Pacheco both were selected in the 2022 NFL draft and will be big losses for the Scarlet Knights.

Schiano is starting to build something in North Jersey, bringing in two four-star recruits in the 2022 recruiting class, but it is yet to be seen whether or not they can take another step forward this coming season. Here are the opposing players to watch during Iowa’s first away game of the season against Rutgers.

What did Greg Schiano say about the quarterbacks after the Rutgers football spring game?

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano comments on the play of Noah Vedral, Gavin Wimsatt and Evan Simon.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Quarterbacks. Quarterback. Quarterbacks.

That was the overwhelming focus of Friday night’s spring game for most Rutgers football fans. It was all about the quarterback position, namely incumbent starter Noah Vedral and Gavin Wimsatt, a former four-star recruit who played in four games last year. Evan Simon, who flashed in limited snaps last season, is the third quarterback in the competition.

Given the struggles at the position over the last few years, there is the hope that this offseason will finally find some stability for Rutgers. Behind what appears to be an improved offensive line and some good incoming talent at wide receiver, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson have done a nice job this offseason upgrading the talent around the quarterback position.

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Now it is up to the quarterbacks to take that next step. They showed some potential on Friday night during the annual spring game.

“I think it was very similar to what I thought all spring,” Schiano said after the game. “I thought it was really good at times and then inconsistent at times.”

Vedral was 5-for-8 for 80 yards with a touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive (he also had two carries for 23 yards). The much-hyped Wimsatt was 9-for-16 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception as well as 10 rushing yards on two carries.

It was Simon who threw the most passes on Friday night. The former three-star recruit was 12-of-19 for 109 yards but was sacked three times.

The stat line summed up the performances accurately. Vedral was solid and steady but didn’t have the flashes of some of the other quarterbacks (although his touchdown pass to Taj Harris was beautiful).

 

Wimsatt showed the most potential, but also had a poor interception in the first half and a couple of reads that he would like to have back. Simon showed off a big arm on a couple of throws and took what the defense gave him, but he also struggled with his pocket composure.

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An interesting summer awaits for Rutgers’ quarterbacks.

“We need to have a great summer. And you know, the hard thing about spring is you’re on, you’re off, you’re on, you’re off. These guys in the summertime, they throw with each other every day on their own, and that’s really where the formulation of the chemistry I think occurs,” Schiano said.

“No coaches, just them, running the show. We’ll take a little jump here into recruiting and some other things. But I really am excited about this group going into the training camp part of our preparation, because they are young and they are hungry and they have got a lot to learn but they are really trying to learn it. That’s exciting for a coach.”

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Rutgers Noah Vedral’s status is uncertain, but some optimism about starting quarterback’s availability

Rutgers football quarterback Noah Vedral is progressing following a game-ending injury on Saturday.

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There seems to be some optimism for Rutgers football quarterback Noah Vedral to be available for Saturday’s game at Indiana though nothing is set in stone.

Vedral was knocked out of last Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, marking a second-straight week where he has been taken off the field injured.

When discussing injured players, head coach Greg Schiano on Monday posited that he doesn’t know if certain players will be available on Saturday. Saying “but if they play it will be on limited practice, so that worries me,” he was then asked about the status of Vedral.

“I think Noah is going to progress during the week. I think he’ll be available – I can’t tell you that for sure,” Schiano told reporters before being asked about the plan for starting quarterback on Saturday.

“Right now, we’re in the midst of game planning so we’re game planning generically,” Schiano said.

“Then I think that play calls will get funneled to whoever it we think will be the starter. Again, there’s no science to it because Noah may be fine and then I think we have a broader base plan. Noah really understands the offense by far the best and then the experience level drops there.”

As Schiano noted, Vedral is by far the most accomplished quarterback on the Rutgers roster, with Cole Snyder and Evan Simon the likely call should the established starter be unable to play.

He is 144-of-236 for 1,493 passing yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also has 239 rushing yards.

Five things we learned as Rutgers beat Illinois

Rutgers is back to grinding out result, a hard-fought 20-14 win at Illinois snapping a four-game losing streak for the Scarlet Knights. The win over the Illini is the first Big Ten win of the season for Rutgers. With the victory, Rutgers improved to …

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Rutgers is back to grinding out result, a hard-fought 20-14 win at Illinois snapping a four-game losing streak for the Scarlet Knights. The win over the Illini is the first Big Ten win of the season for Rutgers.

With the victory, Rutgers improved to 4-4 (1-4 Big Ten) on the year. Illinois is now 3-6 (2-3 Big Ten).

Rutgers looked better and improved after last weekend’s bye week. Two weeks ago in a 21-7 loss at Northwestern, the Scarlet Knights looked lethargic and were simply worn down throughout the game.

This game, the Scarlet Knights came out with energy and were physically impressive at the line of scrimmage.

Rutgers outgained Illinois 338 yards to 197 yards. They had the ball an impressive 35:08, wearing down Illinois.

It was an impressive win for Rutgers, considering that the Illini were flying high after a nine-overtime win last week at Penn State.

 

Watch: Rutgers gets big play in touchdown drive against No. 11 Michigan State

Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral with an impressive throw and third-and-long on opening touchdown drive.

Rutgers took a 7-0 lead over No. 11 Michigan State with 6:51 left in the first quarter. The nine-play, 72-yard drive was keyed by a big third-down play by quarterback Noah Vedral and wide receiver Aron Cruickshank.

Rutgers took over the ball on their own 28-yard line after the special teams unit snuffed out a fake field goal attempt. The drive got off to a rough start, with a one-yard run by Isaih Pacheco followed up by a sack of Vedral. Facing a third-and-19, quarterback Noah Vedral escaped a collapsing pocket, rolled to his left, threw across his body, and laced a tight pass along the sideline.

There, Cruickshank kept his foot in-bounds for a 19-yard catch. The drive ended six plays later when Johnny Langan found Cruickshank for a four-yard touchdown pass and an early lead for Rutgers.

 

It was a strong first series from Vedral who was 2-for-2 for 30 yards and ran four times for 35 yards.

Rutgers came into the game 3-2 following losses at Michigan and to Ohio State in the past two weeks. Michigan State is 5-0 in their second season under head coach Mel Tucker.

Stinging loss but Rutgers football earned some respect: Five things learned from Michigan loss

Rutgers football had the chance to beat No. 19 Michigan on the road but just fell short of the upset.

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Rutgers football came down to earth on Saturday, a 20-13 loss at No. 19 Michigan. But it was a strong and impressive performance from the Scarlet Knights on the road in the Big Ten.

There is no reason for any Rutgers player (or coach) to hang their heads after this one.

It was a tremendous second half from Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights were down 20-3 at halftime but made it a one-possession game and very nearly tied the game. The response on both sides of the ball showed a team that is close to competing with some of the upper echelon programs in the Big Ten.

This game, despite the loss, is a testament to what head coach Greg Schiano is building at Rutgers. With time and more talent, this program is heading in the right direction.

With the loss, Rutgers is now 3-1 (0-1, Big Ten). Michigan improves to 4-0 (1-0, Big Ten) but must feel a bit relieved to emerge from ‘The Big House’ with a win. The Wolverines were flat in the second half and Rutgers, but for some miscues and mistakes, could have forced overtime or perhaps even had the win.

Watch: Noah Vedral throws a beautiful touchdown pass to Aaron Young

Rutgers football got a third quarter touchdown off a beautiful pass from Noah Vedral to Aaron Young.

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Rutgers made it a game in the third quarter, a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Noah Vedral to running back Aaron Young giving the Scarlet Knights some much-needed momentum. The drive stunned No. 19 Michigan, who had run rampant over the visitors till that point.

The touchdown pass from Vedral to Young came at 6:30 in the third quarter, making it a 20-10 lead for Michigan. Rutgers marched 12 plays, rolling 91 yards, and used 5:31 of the clock. It was an impressive response from the Scarlet Knights as they took the first possession after halftime after a rough first half.

Rutgers would then force Michigan into a three-and-out and then took their next possession 58 yards o 12 plays, capped off by a 25-yard field goal by Valentino Ambrosio.

 

While the focus of the second half was the response of the Rutgers offense, it was the Scarlet Knights defense that quietly carried the momentum their way. They forced Michigan into three-and-outs on the Wolverines first four possessions of the second half.