Former Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis wins starting job at Rutgers

Suddenly, the Gophers football team’s Nov. 9 game at Rutgers has taken on an added twist.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who served as the Gophers starter in 2023 before transferring to Rutgers after the regular season, has won the starting job for the Scarlet Knights, according to multiple media reports. Once coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca settled on Kaliakmanis, Gavin Wimsatt, who started every game for Rutgers last season, entered his name into the transfer portal before Tuesday’s deadline.

Kaliakmanis, who started 17 games in his Gophers career, won the Rutgers job on the strength of a solid performance in the Scarlet Knights’ spring game on Saturday. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 147 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown throw to Naseim Brantley and a 9-yard scoring toss to his brother Dino, also a transfer from Minnesota.

Wimsatt, a former four-star recruit, struggled in 2023 as the starter, completing only 47.8% of his passes for 1,735 yards and nine touchdowns with eight interceptions. Kaliakmanis wasn’t a highly accurate passer with the Gophers, either, completing 53.1% of his passes last year for 1,838 yards and 14 TDs with nine interceptions, but it appears he’ll be an upgrade from Wimsatt.

Kaliakmanis, who has two years of eligibility remaining, has been reunited with Ciarrocca, who recruited him while he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Gophers. When Kaliakmanis committed to Rutgers in January, he said he felt he found the right spot and the right staff to jump-start his career.

“I have a bond with him and trust him,” Kaliakmanis said of Ciarrocca in an interview with Rutgers Wire. “Coach Schiano and I hit it off from the first moment we met. He is transparent and honest. What really stuck out to me about coach Schiano is how he feels about his staff and players and how he goes out of his way to make sure you have all the tools you need to succeed.”