Athan Kaliakmanis Proves Again vs UCLA that Minnesota Gophers Made the Right Decision
By Eric Strack,
1 days ago
Athan Kaliakmanis was supposed to be the next step in PJ Fleck’s program. The quarterback who was supposed to take the reigns from Tanner Morgan and launch the Minnesota Gophers into another tier of the college football world.
Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition. Instead, Kaliakmanis struggled to take the job from Tanner Morgan, who ended up sticking around for six years of eligibility. Even after taking over as full time starter, Athan stumbled and fumbled away just about every chance he got at Minnesota.
So, when he and the Gophers parted ways after the 2023 regular season, both sides were ready to move on. Kaliakmanis reunited with Kirk Ciarrocca at Rutgers , where he wound up winning the starting job. PJ Fleck & Co landed top FCS transfer portal QB, Max Brosmer.
Ex-Gophers QB (now Rutgers QB) Athan Kaliakmanis vs UCLA
Rutgers vs UCLA looked a lot like what we got used to in Dinkytown, with Athan Kaliakmanis. He had a few throws that looked really good, and he made a play here and there. But at the end of the day, the kid is a one or two read quarterback who gets flustered far too often under pressure and struggles mightily with his accuracy.
We saw all of that unfold a bunch of times vs the Bruins, a game in which he finished 18-of-30 (60%) for 287 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. He also ran in a tush push touchdown. Just when you think he might have figured something out, Athan would make a bad throw to kill a drive or… interception to ice the game.
It has been an up and down 2024 season for Athan Kaliakmanis, in his new home out east. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights caught some late preseason steam and carried that into a hot 3-0 non-conference start. Throw in a conference win vs new Big Ten opponent Washington, in their conference opener… Athan & Co were riding high at 4-0.
But… things have not gone as well, since . In their fifth game, Rutgers lost a 14-7 nailbiter vs Nebraska, moving them to 4-1. They followed that up by getting their asses stomped 42-7 by Wisconsin, at home in New Jersey. After a tight 35-32 loss (again at home) vs UCLA, the Scarlet Knights have dropped to 4-3, with no end in sight.
As the fall has gone on, Kaliakmanis’ numbers have looked more and more familiar. After his performance vs UCLA, Athan is 104-of-195 (53.3%) for 1,337 yards, 8 TD and 5 INT, though the Rutgers coaching staff has been able to keep his interception numbers down… at least for now.
Minnesota Gophers new QB Max Brosmer vs UCLA
Last weekend, the Golden Gophers found a way to comeback in Pasadena vs the UCLA Bruins, in large part due to the poise and accuracy of their new QB. Max completed 26-of-37 passes (70.3%) at the Rose Bowl last Saturday, racking up 193 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
The final drive showed everything that has made the new Minnesota Gophers quarterback so impressive. He meticulously picked through the UCLA secondary before throwing an impressive touchdown on third-and-goal.
Brosmer had to go through four reads, as the pocket collapsed on him, before he hitting his running back Darius Taylor, who was leaking out to the left, after there was nobody in the backfield for him to block.
Without Max Brosmer, it’s difficult to think about where the 2024 Minnesota Gophers would be. Yes, his quarterback play has been great. He’s 143-of-210 on the season, good for 68.1% completion percentage.
Max Brosmer is the most accurate QB in University of Minnesota history
That’s higher than any other QB in Minnesota Gophers history who has ever thrown for more than 1,000 yards in their career. And it’s not even close. Tanner Morgan has the second highest, at 62.2, during his Gophers career.
I think it’s safe to say the Minnesota Gophers did the right thing, when they let Athan Kaliakmanis walk. In all likelihood, Fleck should have moved on sooner. It is now clear, with Max Brosmer under center, what a good quarterback looks like.
The sad thing with Max, is that he can only play here for one season. Nonetheless, he now has the Gophers back on track, at 4-3. Unlike the Scarlet Knights, they’ve won two straight Big Ten games, one against an 11th ranked USC team. How far can they go? Hopefully further than Kaliakmanis and Rutgers can drop.
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