There is a strong chance Rutgers’ quarterback of the future will become the Scarlet Knights’ present almost immediately.
Four-star 2022 recruit Gavin Wimsatt will sign his national letter of intent during December’s early signing period if all goes to plan. He will then likely enroll early in January, participate in spring practice in March and April and, if Greg Schiano’s past tendencies and the ways of modern college football are indicators, win the starting job during training camp in August and start the 2022 season opener at Boston College on Sept. 3.
Start with the Schiano piece. The coach had no qualms about rolling with a true freshman quarterback during his first tenure at Rutgers. In fact, it was standard operating procedure. Mike Teel, who redshirted his first year on campus, was the exception.
Ryan Cubit and Ryan Hart both played significant snaps as true freshmen, the latter allowing Teel to have a developmental year. Then when Teel graduated after the most prolific passing career in school history, Schiano threw Tom Savage -- who was the Scarlet Knights’ highest-rated quarterback commit ever until Wimsatt’s pledge on Friday -- right into the fire. Schiano also played Chas Dodd and Gary Nova as true freshmen.
That does not mean Wimsatt will have an unbreakable hold on the job. Schiano played musical quarterbacks constantly during his first stint at Rutgers. And while we have not seen that yet during his second tour -- he made it quite clear last season injury was the only way he would sit Noah Vedral down -- he has indicated his overall philosophy remains the same.
“The whole thing that I learned over the years is you can’t be afraid to make a decision, but then you can’t be afraid to change it if you feel it wasn’t the right one,” Schiano said prior to the 2020 season opener.
“And I’m comfortable doing that. Early on you say, ‘I made this decision, I have to stick with it.’ Well, that’s not true. You make a decision with the information you have at the time and if it’s right, you stick with it and if you don’t think it’s right, you change it.”
There is also the question of what options Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson would have to make a change. Rutgers currently has five scholarship quarterbacks on its roster -- Vedral, Artur Sitkowski, Johnny Langan, Cole Snyder and Evan Simon -- and they all will have remaining eligibility after this season. But given the anticipated NCAA rule change to allow for a one-time free transfer and the rise of the transfer portal, it is tough to imagine all five will still be around a year from now when Wimsatt arrives.
“It’s hard to be a backup in college football with the portal,” Gleeson said in February. “Everyone wants to play. So the idea of carrying four, five, six scholarship quarterbacks on your roster, I think those days are over.”
Wimsatt may be the best quarterback on campus from the moment he moves into his dorm, based on who stays and goes. And Rutgers does not figure to be a terribly attractive destination for a starting-caliber passer who is in the portal next offseason because of the star recruit’s arrival.
Add it all up, and Wimsatt is a very good bet to be the Scarlet Knights’ Week 1 starter in 2022.
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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com.
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Why Rutgers QB commit Gavin Wimsatt may start immediately: Greg Schiano’s track record and the transfer portal - NJ.com
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