Rutgers football: Most Impactful Portal Acquisitions for 2024

Rutgers football added six players via the NCAA transfer portal.

Since the NCAA Transfer Portal opened in December 2023 (Fall) and April 2024 (Spring), Rutgers football received six impactful acquisitions that will help boost their program for the upcoming season.

The Scarlet Knights added four offensive, one defensive, and one special teams prospect to their 2024 roster. The most notable transfer is quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who beat out last year’s starting quarterback Gavin Wimsatt during spring practices. Rutgers football’s head coach Greg Schiano elected to go with the former Minnesota quarterback for the 2024 season. Below are the six notable portal acquisitions for the Scarlet Knights in 2024.

Rutgers Football Notable Transfer Portal Additions

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis

Since 2022-2023, Kaliakmanis played 23 games and made 17 starts at quarterback for Minnesota. In 2023, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback completed 156-of-294 passes for 1,838 yards. He threw 14 touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with 11.8 yards per completion and 10th with 161.0 yards of total offense per game. Kaliakmanis finished his Golden Gophers’ career with 2,784 yards on 216 completions (405 attempts) with 17 touchdowns.

Kaliakmanis has a connection with the Scarlet Knights, playing for offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca when Ciarrocca was the OC at Minnesota in 2022. While playing under Ciarrocca in 2022, Kaliakmanis was 60-of-111 passing (54.1 percent) for 946 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.

Wide Receiver Dino Kaliakmanis

On January 2, Rutgers football added Athan’s brother, Dino Kaliakmanis, to their 2024 roster. The three-star recruit adds depth to Rutgers’ wide receiver core and can be a playmaker this upcoming season. Unlike his brother, Dino didn’t see much action during his two seasons with Minnesota.

Since 2022-2023, he appeared in five games for the Golden Gophers and hasn’t recorded a collegiate catch. While attending Antioch High School in Antioch, Illinois, Kaliakmanis recorded 12 catches for 294 yards with two touchdowns as a junior.

Wide Receiver Dymere Miller

Rutgers football added a dynamic wide receiver via the transfer portal when former Monmouth wide receiver Dymere Miller committed to the Scarlet Knight in mid-December. Miller put together a tremendous final season at Monmouth in 2023, recording 90 receptions for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns. During his four seasons at Monmouth, Miller logged 169 catches for 2,408 yards with 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver played at an elite level in the FSC, leading the FCS in receiving yards and receiving yards per game with 117.5 this past season.

Offensive Lineman Shedrick Rhodes Jr.

In May, Rutgers football added transfer offensive lineman Shedrick Rhodes Jr. to their roster heading into the 2024 season. The 6-foot-6, 322-pound offensive lineman from Ohio, can be a potential starter at a position that needs veteran experience for Rutgers. Schiano added a potential high-level right tackle in Rhodes, totaling 708 snaps across 12 games at tackle for Ohio University.

He is a versatile lineman who occasionally filled in at right guard (81 snaps across three games, including one start) with the Bobcats. Across 399 pass-blocking snaps, he is credited with giving up just one sack along with two quarterback hits, 18 hurries, and 21 pressures, according to PFF.

Defensive Lineman Malcolm Ray

Rutgers football added former Florida State defensive tackle Malcolm Ray to bolster their interior defense. Ray is the only defensive player the Scarlet Knights recruited via the transfer portal. The 6-foot-2, 292-pound defensive tackle from Miami Gardens, Florida, played four seasons with the Seminoles from 2020 to 2023. Ray appeared in 42 games with Florida State, recording 57 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. In his final season with the Seminoles, Ray recorded a PFF defense grade of 58.9, a rush defense grade of 60.0, a tackling grade of 56.3, and a pass rush grade of 55.4 in 2023, according to Rivals. Ray joins Rutgers football with one year of eligibility remaining.

Long Snapper Austin Riggs

Rutgers football improved their special teams through the transfer portal when long snapper Austin Riggs committed in January. Riggs played in 40 games the past four seasons for BYU (2020-23), appearing in two bowl games for the Cougars. In 2o23, Riggs played in all 12 games for BYU, serving as their primary long snapper. For his efforts last season, he was named Fourth Team All-Big 12 by the highly respected Phil Steele.