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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