Rutgers football added a high-level Power Five quarterback in former Golden Gopher Athan Kaliakmanis this offseason during the transfer portal.
Kaliakmanis has two years of eligibility remaining and will add immediate competition to Rutgers’ quarterback situation for the 2024 season. In high school, he was a three-star recruit out of Antioch, Illinois.
Hehas a connection with the Scarlet Knights, playing for offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca when Ciarrocca was the OC at Minnesota in 2022.
In 12 games this season, Kaliakmanis completed 156-of-294 passes (53.1 percent) for 1,838 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Also, under Ciarrocca in 2022, Kaliakmanis was 60-of-111 passing (54.1 percent) for 946 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
As for the Scarlet Knights, current starting quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 138-of-289 passes (47.8 percent) for 1,735 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Will head coach Greg Schiano consider a quarterback change with the addition of Kaliakmanis to their 2024 roster?
Film Study
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-handed quarterback is your standard Big Ten quarterback. His style of play is a bit reminiscent of former Big Ten and four-time NFL Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins.
Kaliakmanis can make every throw on the field, showing off his strong arm. He is not as mobile as starting quarterback Gavin Wimsatt but has better pocket awareness when feeling the pressure from opposing defenses.
The new Scarlet Knight can make throws on the run and is dangerous in the play-action game. He does an excellent job taking care of the football, throwing the ball away instead of forcing it down the field.
Kaliakmanis, like Wimsatt, needs to work on his accuracy as he develops into a Power Five quarterback. When spring practices arrive this year, look for Kaliakmanis and Wimsatt to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/film-analysis-athan-kaliakmanis-start-050124151.html
Author : Rutgers Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-13 05:01:24
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