PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers football offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrokka is credited with helping get Ahsan Kaliakmanis to the Scarlet Knights this offseason.
But don't get me wrong. Karaikamanis is here to compete and win against Rutgers.
Kaliakumanis transferred to Rutgers in early January, shortly after the Scarlet Knights defeated Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.
As a sophomore at the University of Minnesota in 2023, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Kalikamanis for the first time since transferring to Rutgers on Tuesday.
“I came here to win, and I'm going to do whatever I can to help this team win,” Kaliakmanis said Tuesday.
“So if I'm going to put my body on the line for my teammates, I'm willing to do it. No matter what role, no matter what the situation, I'll do whatever I can to help this team win.” That’s what I want to do.”
In 2022, Kaliakmanis played well under then-University of Minnesota offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocka. As a freshman, he completed 54.1 percent of his passes for 946 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions.
I came to Rutgers primarily because of Ciarrocka on the staff. Last year, Ciarrocka was instrumental in a dramatic turnaround for Rutgers' offense.
Over the past decade, Rutgers has ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in nearly every important offensive category. In 2023, Ciarrokka, who has made the offense possible, will appear.
“I was very fortunate that they were interested when I was at Portal,” Karaikmanis said.
“You know, the portal can be a scary place. We were very fortunate that a lot of schools were interested, but Coach Ciarrocka and Coach Schiano (head coach Greg Schiano) I'm very grateful that he was interested in me. But yeah, I mean, our relationship is very, very close – that was in Minnesota. Just picking his brain. I think he's a very, very smart coordinator when you look at him. He's a very smart guy, so I trust him.”
This story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire
