Transfer quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis leads Rutgers’ offense in 2024
After spring practices concluded in May, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano announced his starting quarterback for the 2024 season. Athan Kaliakmanis, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound transfer from Minnesota, will be the Scarlet Knights’ starting quarterback this season. Last year’s starter, Gavin Wimsatt, transferred to Kentucky after the spring session.
Kaliakmanis arrived from the transfer portal in January, fresh off a solid sophomore season with the Golden Gophers. He has a strong connection with the Scarlet Knights, playing for offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca when Ciarrocca was the OC at Minnesota in 2022. Also under Ciarrocca in 2022, Kaliakmanis was 60-of-111 passing (54.1 percent) for 946 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Kaliakmanis appeared in 23 games in two seasons with Minnesota, recording 216 completions on 405 attempts for 2,784 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He finished his Golden Gophers career with a 53.3 completion rating and averaged 6.9 yards per attempt, logging a 9-9 career record as a starter.
Kaliakmanis can make every throw on the field, showing off his strong arm. He is not as mobile as Wimsatt, but has better pocket awareness, picking apart Big Ten defenses. The new Scarlet Knight can make throws on the run and is dangerous in the play-action game, which will go perfectly with Ciarrocca’s balanced offense. He does an excellent job taking care of the football, throwing the ball away instead of forcing it down the field.
The Scarlet Knights can have a more balanced offense in 2024 with their strong rushing attack under star running back Kyle Monangai and Kaliakmanis’s ability to control the offense.
Athan Kaliakmanis can have a breakout season in 2024
In 12 games last season, Kaliakmanis completed 156-of-294 passes (53.1 percent) for 1,838 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He finished the 2023 season ranked No. 7 in touchdown passes and No. 8 in passing yards within the Big Ten Conference. Also, he finished No. 10 in the Big Ten with 153.2 passing yards per game. According to 247Sports, Kaliakmanis was the No. 74 ranked quarterback within the NCAA Transfer Portal before committing to the Scarlet Knights.
To open the season last year, the former Minnesota quarterback led a fourth-quarter comeback win against Nebraska. He completed 24 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown and ran six times for 12 yards to capture a 13-10 victory. Also, during Week 9 last season, Kaliakmanis threw for a career-high 292 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-30 loss to Purdue. He finished the 2023 season with a 6-7 (2-4 Big Ten) record and the No. 4 spot in the Western Division.
The Antioch, Illinois native is a high-level Power Five quarterback who can rank high among Big Ten quarterbacks. After beating out Wimsatt during spring practices, Kaliakmanis showed he had clear control of Ciarrocca’s offense and looked comfortable in the pocket.
He has excellent height and has a ton of arm talent to make all the necessary throws. Kaliakmanis offers a quick release with good ball speed and consistency on short to intermediate passes. He can escape pressure, keeping plays alive, and is calm under pressure. Kaliakmanis doesn’t panic with pressure in the pocket, trusting his technique to find the open receiver. He has the physical tools that will allow him to have a breakout season in 2024.
Mike Cavallo
A sportswriter for The League Winners covering all Rutgers athletics. Follow my social media page for all coverage of Rutgers sports. X (Twitter): @M_Cavs55