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PISCATAWAY – It’s been a while since Rutgers football headed into an offseason with so much promise and potential surrounding its offense.
The Scarlet Knights in 2024 were the most productive they’ve been in years, boasting a talented group of wide receivers, improved offensive line, deep stable of running backs and a quarterback who brought much-needed stability to the position.
So the task this offseason was clear: Build on that productivity and capitalize on the weapons Rutgers is bringing back.
And that starts with Athan Kaliakmanis, who’s preparing for his second season as QB1.
“We’re just continually trying to grow every day,” offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said Saturday following Rutgers’ second spring practice. “Incremental improvement. That’s really what it’s about. He’s done a great job of being intentional every day and giving himself an opportunity for maximum growth every day.”
The numbers Kaliakmanis posted last season were impressive. The Minnesota transfer completed 213 of his 395 pass attempts (53.9 percent) for 2,696 yards, becoming the first Scarlet Knights quarterback to hit the 2,000-yard mark since 2015. He was also the fifth player in the program’s history to complete at least 200 passes.
Collectively the Scarlet Knights’ offense averaged 28.9 points per game, the highest mark since 2008.
For team whose offense had been stagnant and unproductive, last season’s jump in scoring offered signs of growth in Ciarrocca’s second season leading the unit.
But there still was room for improvement. That’s what Kaliakmanis has been studying off the field and now working on during spring practices.
“I learned a lot throughout the season,” Kaliakmanis said. “I watched all the games back from start to finish. There’s a lot of things I want back. There’s a lot of things I feel like were my fault. I’m really hard on myself so when I watch those clips I think about those plays. I just watch them over and over again because I know the situation’s going to come up again. A lot of situational stuff I felt like I could’ve done way better at.”
While Rutgers does have ample continuity from last season, its offense did lose some key pieces. That starts with running back Kyle Monangai, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing season as he climbed the program’s record books. Wide receiver Dymere Miller, who caught 59 passes for 757 yards and four touchdowns, also moved on, and so did stalwart left tackle Hollin Pierce.
Replacing them won’t be easy, though coach Greg Schiano and Ciarrocca have addressed that in the offseason.
They brought in North Texas transfer wideout DT Sheffield, who caught 66 passes for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and Florida Atlantic transfer running back CJ Campbell Jr., who rushed for 844 yards and 11 TDs last season, while also catching 40 passes for 466 yards and one touchdown.
Kaliakmanis sees similarities between Sheffield and Miller.
“I think they’re similar, they’re both fast,” Kaliakmanis said. “They’re both really, really fast. DT can run and DT’s got really good hands. That’s only going to develop more and more as the spring goes on like I did with Dymere. He’s willing to work. He’s eager to work. Whenever I ask him to do something, he’s there.”
Pierce’s replacement is still unclear at this point – Schiano said Tyler Needham has been working at left tackle in the spring. Still, the Scarlet Knights have some time to figure that position out.
Right now, Ciarrocca’s trying to identify how to maximize his personnel.
“A good example was last year in training camp we noticed that Dymere was really good at outside breaking routes and then these short crosse,” Ciarrocca said. “He just had a really natural ability with them. As training camp was winding down we started to look at more ways to use him in those types of patterns. Your offense is always evolving and it’s evolving around your personnel. My philosophy’s never going to change but your offense evolves.”
How it continues to evolve heading into the season remains to be seen.
But the Scarlet Knights have plenty to build on – a luxury that had been mostly elusive in previous seasons.
Kaliakmanis is running the show on the field. The work he’s putting in this spring should pay off in the fall.
“You’ve got to be mentally right when you hit the field,” Kaliakmanis said. “That’s something I worked on with a lot of football stuff too. Just getting smarter, understanding the system more. You never know it well enough, which is something Coach Ciarrocca speaks about and instills in us quarterbacks.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football offense building on best season in years
Continue reading...
The Scarlet Knights in 2024 were the most productive they’ve been in years, boasting a talented group of wide receivers, improved offensive line, deep stable of running backs and a quarterback who brought much-needed stability to the position.
So the task this offseason was clear: Build on that productivity and capitalize on the weapons Rutgers is bringing back.
And that starts with Athan Kaliakmanis, who’s preparing for his second season as QB1.
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“We’re just continually trying to grow every day,” offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said Saturday following Rutgers’ second spring practice. “Incremental improvement. That’s really what it’s about. He’s done a great job of being intentional every day and giving himself an opportunity for maximum growth every day.”
The numbers Kaliakmanis posted last season were impressive. The Minnesota transfer completed 213 of his 395 pass attempts (53.9 percent) for 2,696 yards, becoming the first Scarlet Knights quarterback to hit the 2,000-yard mark since 2015. He was also the fifth player in the program’s history to complete at least 200 passes.
Collectively the Scarlet Knights’ offense averaged 28.9 points per game, the highest mark since 2008.
For team whose offense had been stagnant and unproductive, last season’s jump in scoring offered signs of growth in Ciarrocca’s second season leading the unit.
But there still was room for improvement. That’s what Kaliakmanis has been studying off the field and now working on during spring practices.
“I learned a lot throughout the season,” Kaliakmanis said. “I watched all the games back from start to finish. There’s a lot of things I want back. There’s a lot of things I feel like were my fault. I’m really hard on myself so when I watch those clips I think about those plays. I just watch them over and over again because I know the situation’s going to come up again. A lot of situational stuff I felt like I could’ve done way better at.”
While Rutgers does have ample continuity from last season, its offense did lose some key pieces. That starts with running back Kyle Monangai, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing season as he climbed the program’s record books. Wide receiver Dymere Miller, who caught 59 passes for 757 yards and four touchdowns, also moved on, and so did stalwart left tackle Hollin Pierce.
Replacing them won’t be easy, though coach Greg Schiano and Ciarrocca have addressed that in the offseason.
They brought in North Texas transfer wideout DT Sheffield, who caught 66 passes for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and Florida Atlantic transfer running back CJ Campbell Jr., who rushed for 844 yards and 11 TDs last season, while also catching 40 passes for 466 yards and one touchdown.
Kaliakmanis sees similarities between Sheffield and Miller.
“I think they’re similar, they’re both fast,” Kaliakmanis said. “They’re both really, really fast. DT can run and DT’s got really good hands. That’s only going to develop more and more as the spring goes on like I did with Dymere. He’s willing to work. He’s eager to work. Whenever I ask him to do something, he’s there.”
Pierce’s replacement is still unclear at this point – Schiano said Tyler Needham has been working at left tackle in the spring. Still, the Scarlet Knights have some time to figure that position out.
Right now, Ciarrocca’s trying to identify how to maximize his personnel.
“A good example was last year in training camp we noticed that Dymere was really good at outside breaking routes and then these short crosse,” Ciarrocca said. “He just had a really natural ability with them. As training camp was winding down we started to look at more ways to use him in those types of patterns. Your offense is always evolving and it’s evolving around your personnel. My philosophy’s never going to change but your offense evolves.”
How it continues to evolve heading into the season remains to be seen.
But the Scarlet Knights have plenty to build on – a luxury that had been mostly elusive in previous seasons.
Kaliakmanis is running the show on the field. The work he’s putting in this spring should pay off in the fall.
“You’ve got to be mentally right when you hit the field,” Kaliakmanis said. “That’s something I worked on with a lot of football stuff too. Just getting smarter, understanding the system more. You never know it well enough, which is something Coach Ciarrocca speaks about and instills in us quarterbacks.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football offense building on best season in years
Continue reading...
