Who is Gavin Wimsatt? 10 things to know about Rutgers’ starting quarterback

Patrick Lanni
For the first time in quite some time, Rutgers enters training camp with its quarterback situation publicly settled.
Head coach Greg Schiano announced Wednesday that redshirt sophomore Gavin Wimsatt will be the starter at the position for their season opener against Northwestern in September.
Here are 10 things to know about Wimsatt:
He is a star from the South
Wimsatt is a native of Owensboro, Kentucky, where he starred for the local high school. He was a local legend even before that. Via former NJ Advance Media reporter James Kratch:
True story: Wimsatt was so talented that a renegade league attempted to launch itself around him. Wimsatt had graduated to playing Pop Warner and a few locals wanted to start a competitor league. Recruiting the grade-school Wimsatt became a top priority — like the USFL stealing Herschel Walker from the NFL. Wimsatt’s family said no. There was no need to carve a new path. One way or another, the kid was destined for big things athletically.
Wimsatt was a standout baseball player as a kid, and starred for Owensboro’s basketball team as a freshman, a double-double threat from the start. He joined the track team last spring and quickly won a region triple-jump title. But it always came back to football.
He was highly-touted as a recruit
On the football field, Wimsatt was a standout. A four-star prospect slotted as the 23rd-best quarterback in the 2021 class on the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wimsatt became the second-highest ranked QB recruit to commit to the Scarlet Knights in program history, behind Tom Savage. He selected Rutgers over reported offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and more.
His arrival was national news
Wimsatt made headlines in September of 2021 when he elected to reclassify, skipping his senior season of high school to enroll early at Rutgers. Following in the footsteps of friend and fellow highly-rated quarterback Quinn Ewers, Wimsatt joined the program in early September, made a stunning debut against Illinois in October, and flashed his potential in a cameo at the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest.
Schiano admitted Wednesday that the move was not entirely beneficial to Wimsatt’s development.
“He plays three high school games, gets here the first week of the regular season, you’re not learning. It’s probably the worst way to learn, in retrospect, because you’re learning bits and pieces but you’re not understanding the basis of it,” Schiano said. “We did things to get him into special meetings, but the reality is you’re getting ready for a game that week. ... The one thing he has is that he has experience living away from home, being a college student. He has that behind him and now can focus on being a Big Ten quarterback.”
He made a grand entrance
Wimsatt’s first college snap came in a humungous spot: Rutgers faced a fourth-and-five late in the third quarter of a tight game against Illinois in Champaign. Starter Noah Vedral left the game due to an injury, putting Wimsatt in a tough spot on the road.
He responded by completing a 13-yard pass to Bo Melton, converting the fourth-down and continuing what would become the game-winning drive in a 20-14 win.
“That was a beautiful job,’’ Schiano said at the time. “He came in and avoided the rush and then put one right on Bo’s chin. So a big-time play in a clutch situation.’’
His decision ruffled some feathers back home
Part of Wimsatt’s decision to leave the Bluegrass State early, a Rutgers source told NJ Advance Media’s Steve Politi back in 2021, is that Wimsatt faced what had become an untenable situation after jilting in-state school Kentucky to pick the Scarlet Knights. While Wimsatt’s decision was largely supported in his hometown and his team was a serious state title contender, he did draw considerable criticism and vitriol from UK fans, particularly on social media.
Jeff Reese, who was Wimsatt’s offensive coordinator at Owensboro, admitted to NJ Advance Media last year that there were people in town who were not on board with Wimsatt’s choice initially, given that he picked the Scarlet Knights over Kentucky. Some members of Big Blue Nation were “pretty upset,” Reese said. But those feelings came from a desire to “see Kentucky good,” Reese said, and the dust has since settled.
“Once they got over that issue and were like, ‘OK, this is what Gavin wants and thinks is best for him,’ people were, like, ‘Give me a Rutgers T-shirt and let’s go watch the game,’” Reese said. “I think they’re over that.”
He gained experience last season, but dealt with injury
Wimsatt appeared in Rutgers’ first three games last season — including his first career start against Wagner — before suffering a lower-body injury that kept him out for three games. He recovered in time to feature in the final five games of the season, but between his inexperience and the lingering injury, he put together a rough statline: 757 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions on 65-of-145 passing — the 44.8% completion rate was the second-lowest among the 146 FBS quarterbacks who threw at least 125 pass attempts this season, per ProFootballFocus — to go with 156 rushing yards on 21 non-sack carries.
He is a dual-threat
Wimsatt’s injury limited part of his game. The quarterback flashed some of his running ability early on in the season, namely with a 48-yard run in a season-opening win over Boston College, but was unable to use his legs effectively in the final five games of the season after the injury. Because the injury came on a running play and in an effort to avoid that being repeated, a major focus for Wimsatt this offseason with first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca has been learning when and how to properly slide when he runs the ball.
He has worked with many offensive coaches in a short time
Ciarrocca will be the third play-caller Wimsatt will play under in as many seasons at Rutgers. He featured for offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson — who played a major part in bringing him to Piscataway — for a season-and-a-half. After he was fired midway through last season, Wimsatt played under interim offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile. Now, this fall, he will play for Ciarrocca, an elite teacher who the Scarlet Knights hope can unlock Wimsatt’s potential.
He has garnered some NIL attention, for better or worse
In the immediate aftermath of Wimsatt’s announcement that he was enrolling early at Rutgers, a report from Kentucky Sports Radio indicated he was expected to sign a six-figure name, image and likeness deal. Two of Wimsatt’s high school coaches told NJ Advance Media last year that they had no knowledge of the deal, and Wimsatt said that NIL “really didn’t have a part in my reasoning in coming here.
Wimsatt has inked deals with a number of local enterprises. He has revealed deals with two local New Brunswick businesses — Miller Rentals and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) — and has partaken in promotional deals with events like Special Olympics New Jersey and Eric LeGrand’s “A Walk to Believe” charity event.
How to pronounce his name
It seems simple enough — WHIM-SAT — but Wimsatt does not sound how it is spelled. He pronounces his name — which can be heard on an audio file located on his roster page — as WHIM-SIT. A mental note for TV announcers across the Big Ten Network, CBS, NBC and Peacock to make.