Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano apparently did not want to wait until the summer to announce his starting quarterback.
Schiano has decided on Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis as his QB1 for 2024, according to reports. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first with the news.
Kaliakmanis beat out Gavin Wimsatt, who started all 13 games for the Scarlet Knights in 2023 and will now enter the NCAA transfer portal, per Thamel.
Wimsatt, who skipped his final season of high school to enroll at Rutgers in 2021, threw for 1,735 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2023 while adding 11 rushing scores. However, he struggled with accuracy throughout his three seasons On the Banks.
Kaliakmanis, meanwhile, came out of the portal this offseason to join the RU program. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound signal caller started 17 games and appeared in 23 over his two seasons at Minnesota.
In 2023, Kaliakmanis completed 156-of-294 passes for 1,838 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns.
After redshirting his first season in 2021, Kaliakmanis played in 11 games with five starts two years ago, throwing for 946 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
With Kaliakmanis now solidified as the starter, redshirt freshman Ajani Sheppard and highly-regarded incoming freshman AJ Surace will battle it out for the backup quarterback job.
Rutgers (7-6) is coming off its first winning season and bowl victory in nine years.