What makes Gavin Wimsatt ready to take over as Rutgers football's QB? He explains at camp

PISCATAWAY – There’s no uncertainty anymore for Gavin Wimsatt, no questioning his role or his place on the depth chart.
Wimsatt is Rutgers football’s starting quarterback.
Coach Greg Schiano made that proclamation ahead of training camp, extinguishing any doubts and eliminating a quarterback competition in the weeks ahead of the Scarlet Knights’ opener against Northwestern.
As Wimsatt begins his third year in the program, he has no doubt either.
He’s more confident, more prepared than he’s ever been.
“I would say much more confident, especially with what I see and what I’m doing out on the field," Wimsatt said following Rutgers’ first practice of camp Thursday at the Marco Battaglia Practice Complex. “Obviously, that’s thanks to my coaches and my teammates. Not only do my coaches teach me, but my teammates keep me accountable as well. We keep each other accountable and that definitely helps.”
Looking and sounding more and more like a Big Ten quarterback, Wimsatt is embracing the chance to take the reins of the offense and accepting the challenge of trying to jumpstart an offense that ranked among the lowest in the nation last season.
How Gavin Wimsatt can take next step for Rutgers football's offense
Wimsatt’s raw skills, particularly his arm strength, have been apparent. But the two areas he needed to improve the most were just as clear – his accuracy and decision-making.
The Owensboro, Kentucky native last season was 65-of-145 passing for 757 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games, six of them starts. His completion percentage of 44.8 needs to improve.
Part of that was correcting his mechanics while working with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca, whom Wimsatt said “really gets the best out of you.”
“We worked on plenty of stuff,” Wimsatt said. “Really, just staying more compact, not really getting too wide with my base or with my feet. Just keeping consistent because I used to get really wide with my feet, especially when I’m moving around in the pocket. That gets really inconsistent and the ball goes up and down. So he really helped with my mechanics.”
And Ciarrocca also helped Wimsatt with processing what he’s seeing across the line of scrimmage.
“Just being decisive and being confident,” Wimsatt said. “Trusting what I see and just really being intentional with everything I do, every rep I get.”
Every improvement that Wimsatt can make is paramount for Rutgers, which needs an offense that averaged just 11.7 points in Big Ten competition last season to become far more productive. The Scarlet Knights’ defense is solid and returns ample experience and talent, but the offense needs to catch up – or at least come close.
Rutgers bolstered its offense by bringing in transfer wide receivers Jaquae Jackson and Naseim Brantley, as well as tight end Shawn Bowman.
“Our whole wide receiver and tight ends room improved a lot over the summer,” Wimsatt said. “I’m excited to see what those two groups have.”
Much of the offense's success will also come to an offensive line that's been inconsistent − Schiano said Thursday he's hopeful that Rutgers will have a consistent starting five that plays together without having to rotate.
Still, Wimsatt’s role is solidified. He’s the starter. Schiano said Wimsatt earned it – now it’s up to Wimsatt to keep earning it.
It’s been a progression for Wimsatt since he arrived at Rutgers. Now he’s QB1. Schiano wants to see that steady progression continue in camp.
“Being a leader, No. 1,” Schiano said. “Taking command of the offense – making it his offense, knowing it inside and out, being able to problem solve. I remember Kirk saying at the beginning, ‘When we go to play a game, I want him to be the coach on the field.’ So learning that level of expertise and what he’s doing, and then obviously the physical skills then take over.”
Day One notes
Schiano overall liked what he saw from his time for the first practice. "Kind of hit the ground running and they did a really good job. I was pleased." ...Schiano said that according to tests conducted by director of sports performance Jay Butler, this current team is the strongest they've had physically. ...Rutgers this past weekend held a CPR and AED course that was attended by about 100 youth coaches from New York and New Jersey. Rutgers Public Safety and Emergency Services ran the course, which is expected to be held again in the spring.