Rutgers football spring game: 5 takeaways including QB battle and running back depth

PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football concluded spring practices Saturday with its annual Scarlet-White Game at SHI Stadium, a chance for the Scarlet Knights to show progress they’ve made over the course of the last month.

The Scarlet Team won 30-24, but the final score in a spring game isn't all that important.

What is, important, however is seeing who made a case to make an impact once the season starts.

"The spring game is not always a great indicator of all that’s transpired," coach Greg Schiano said. "We have 14 practices where it is really ultra-competitive. Then the spring game is I would say more for the fans, for the young players to get used to used to playing in the stadium with some fans. Some guys, today that was by the far the biggest crowd they’ve ever played in front of. It’s great to do that when it doesn’t count."

Most of Rutgers' experienced, impact players on both sides of the ball didn’t play Saturday, including running back Kyle Monangai and Monmouth transfer wide receiver Dymere Miller.

But several players made some good impressions.

Here are five takeaways:

1. The quarterback battle

Incumbent starter Gavin Wimsatt, playing for the Scarlet team, finished 8-of-16 for 76 yards with one touchdown – a 3-yard pass to Nasir Montgomery at the end of the second quarter.

Wimsatt also had five rushes for 64 yards (including a 37-yard scamper) and two scores. That’s where Wimsatt’s biggest strength as a quarterback comes in.

"I think it went well," Wimsatt said. "I think there's obviously things you can clean up. But overall I thought it was good. With our room and competition, iron sharpens iron."

Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis had a strong showing. He finished 10-of-17 for 147 yards with two scores. Kaliakmanis was overall pretty accurate and made some nice throws.

Kaliakmanis had a beautiful 42-yard pass to Naseim Brantley at the end of the quarter, perfectly hitting Brantley in stride.

He also threw a a nine-yard TD pass to his brother Dino, a wide receiver and fellow Minnesota transfer.

Saturday’s performance by both players won’t determine who wins the starting job, but both quarterbacks showed their strengths. Kaliakmanis was stronger in the passing game, but Wimsatt’s ability to take off and run brings something important to the offense.

"The spring was awesome," Kaliakmanis said. "It was extremely fun. Seeing the improvements from Day One to Day 15 it's really cool to see and see how everyone's developed."

2. Kenny Fletcher’s making a smooth transition to tight end

Rutgers is optimistic about what Fletcher can do at tight end – particularly with his ability in the passing game – and he showed why on Saturday.

The converted defensive end had two catches for 46 yards.

Fletcher was a wide receiver at Delran High School and had 34 catches for 383 yards as a senior. So he can be a weapon in the offense, and Saturday’s performance showed a glimpse of that.

3. Depth at running back is strong

Monangai, the Big Ten’s leading rusher from last season, was out most of the spring with a minor injury so he didn’t play on Saturday.

Sam Brown also didn't play Saturday.

But that gave chances to a pair of true freshman early enrollees.

Edd Guerrier, from Port Charlotte, Florida, had 13 rushes for 77 yards with one touchdown – a seven-yard run in the second quarter.

Gabe Winowich, who played his high school senior season at Notre Dame in Trenton, had 13 carries for 48 yards.

With Monangai, Brown, Ja’shon Benjamin, Guerrier and Winowich, as well as newcomer Antwan Raymond, Rutgers has quality depth in the running back room.

Schiano made it clear that Monangai and Brown will form Rutgers' 1-2 punch, but there's no denying there's some young talent behind them.

"Edd's going to be a real fine back," Schiano said. "But these are young kids, they're learning their way."

MORE This unit was a strength for Rutgers football last season, but can it improve in 2024?

4. Good debut for Naseim Brantley

If Brantley plays the way he did Saturday once the season begins, the Scarlet Knights will have a good weapon at wide receiver.

Brantley had four catches for 73 yards with one touchdown.

After being forced to sit out last season due to eligibility issues, Brantley has a chance to make a big impact in 2024.

"He's working really hard," Schiano said. "He's in a room that's all of a sudden become a pretty deep room. We have a lot of talented receivers at all different ages, and Naseim is one of those. So it's going to be tremendous competition when we get into summer training and into training camp."

5. Spring awards

Rutgers announced its annual spring awards at halftime. The awards honor three players for their performances throughout spring practices.

• Mark Mills Second Effort Award: OL Kobe Asamoah

  • This award is given to the offensive player who showed the most improvement throughout the offseason and spring. Asamoah started five games at right guard last season and played in 12 total games.

• Douglas A. Smith Second Effort Award: CB Al-Shadee Salaam

  • This award is given to the defensive player who showed the most improvement in the spring. Salaam moved from running back to cornerback late last season and has made solid strides.

• Frank R. Burns Award: DB Timmy Award

  • This award goes to the player who showed extraordinary mental and physical toughness in the spring. Ward joined the program in 2022 after originally working as an equipment manager. He is a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with in high school.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football spring game 2024 takeaways, result