Rutgers Football quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist
Rutgers Football’s top signal-caller has been recognized in the nation’s preseason awards.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watchlist, which is awarded to the nation’s top senior quarterback.
[On3 Deal: Get The Knight Report right now for just $1]
Kaliakmanis’ 2024 season
Kaliakmanis helped lead the Scarlet Knights to their second straight winning season after transferring in from Minnesota, where he reunited with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.
The Antioch, Illinois native started all 13 games and threw for 2,696 yards, the most for a Rutgers quarterback since Gary Nova‘s 2014 senior year and sixth-most in a season in program history. Kaliakmanis’ 18 passing touchdowns also tied for the fifth-most in a season with Nove’s 2013 campaign, Mike McMahon (2000), and Ryan Hart (2003).
Kaliakmanis also helped lead the Scarlet Knights to one of their best offensive seasons in over a decade, as the offense averaged 28.9 points per game, the most since 2008. The team’s turnaround in the second half of the season was largely thanks to the opening up of the passing game. In the final five games, Rutgers averaged 34 points per game, and scored 41 points twice.
He was the first Scarlet Knights signal-caller to throw for over 2,000 yards since 2015, and was the only player in the Big Ten to attempt all of his team’s pass attempts.
What he’s saying
“Just confidence in the scheme and guys, we put in a lot of work together this offseason, and I think we’re all more confident in each other. When I talk to receivers, we have expectations for each other. I’ll keep that between us, but we have expectations for each other.”
“Being with Coach Ciarrocca for another year is awesome. I’m excited for it, and excited for the first day. We’re staying here and present, not focused on tomorrow, so I’m going to go in there, eat lunch, watch some film, and think about the mistakes I made and how to correct them.”
“I tell people all the time, it doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, I’m looking to take bits out of your game because I know you got something I don’t have. You’re at this level for a reason, so I’m taking bits out of everybody’s game.”
“AJ [Surace] has gotten a lot better, and so have Rocco [Rainone] and Sean [Ashenfelder]. If I see something that I don’t have in my game that they do well, I want to implement it in mine and ask them questions. That’s just how we all talk, we compete with each other, not against each other.”
– Kaliakmanis on the first day of training camp
“I feel like the season left a bad taste in our mouths. We want to be better. It’s never enough. Standard’s the standard, and the standard is high at Rutgers, and we feel like we just have to be better. We’ve been working really hard this offseason, getting together – all of us – and just working and being the best that we could possibly be.”
“Honestly, when we [Kaliakmanis and Ciarrocca] communicate, we’re honest with each other. Whether that’s in the film room, whether that’s on the field, I’m always asking questions, because I want to pick his brain. He’s so knowledgeable about the game. So when we’re in the film room, I’m asking questions. When we’re on the field, I’m asking questions. I think that’s what helped me become on the same page as him.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of playing with a lot of great running backs in college. I have to say our running back room is like it never lost a beat. We got CJ [Campbell Jr.], we got Benji [Ja’shon Benjamin], we got Antwan [Raymond]. These guys could really play, and you saw a peek of it in the bowl game with the two younger backs. I mean, they could really play. And that’s every position. We’ve lost some people at different positions, but we’ve had guys that had to get a lot of experience. A lot of younger guys that were thrown into the fire, so we’re ready, man. We’re ready to go.“
“[The defense is] complex. It’s a bunch of different looks, but they’re working really hard and they’re showing a lot of problems, that can create problems for offenses. Coach [Robb] Smith has done an incredible job and so has Coach [Greg Schiano], but I’d have to say, they’re just doing really well. The players have really bought into it. Getting a new coaching staff, sometimes you’re unsure, but man, they’re ready to go.
– Kaliakmanis at the Big Ten Media Days with the Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine
💬 Wondering what other Rutgers fans are saying?
Head to The Round Table and jump into the discussion →
