PJ Fleck: Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis 'gotta make a huge jump'

Kaliakmanis owns some of the worst passing stats among qualified quarterbacks in Division I.

There are 104 quarterbacks in Division I football who can be found on the NCAA's passing efficiency leaders and Minnesota's Athan Kaliakmanis ranks 92nd with an 115.3 rating.

Of those same 104 qualified passers, Kaliakmanis's completion percentage (52.6%) ranks 99th. Bottom line: The redshirt sophomore's first full season as the starting quarterback has been filled with growing pains and his head coach wants to see some "huge jumps" in some areas. 

"I think he's better in a lot of areas. I think he's gotta continue to get better in a lot of areas. I think there's some areas that he's been maintained where it's gotta make a huge jump, but I wouldn't sit there and say well, 'OK he's gotten worse in this.' I think everything has gotten maintained or better," Fleck said. 

"Now the level of that can be argued, but that's our job is to be able to make that better on a daily basis. His commitment level, his maturity, his preparation, his leadership has all gotten better. Some guys get it quicker, some guys take a little longer. Whatever it is, time is your friend and your enemy at the same time, especially when you're talking in season. But I've seen tremendous growth from him."

In 2022 as a redshirt freshman, Kaliakmanis completed 60-of-111 attempts (54.1%) for 946 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. His completion percentage has dropped this year and his yards per attempt has fallen from 8.5 in 2022 to 6.3 in 2023 and his rating has also dropped from 127.4 to 115.3 year over year. 

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (8) drops back to throw the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium.  / Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The statistical regression is cause for concern because Minnesota made an effort to put weapons around him by signing receivers Corey Crooms and Elijah Mitchell via the transfer portal while also returning Daniel Jackson, Brevyn Spann-Ford and Chris Autman-Bell. 

"When you play against some of the really, really, really, really good football teams, top 1, top 2 teams in the country, it exposes what you're not good at very quickly," Fleck said, noting that Kaliakmanis has had to face some stiff competition. 

The question now is if Kaliakmanis will have to battle for the starting job in 2024 or be handed the keys to the car. Minnesota's backup QB this year has been Cole Kramer, who is in his final year of eligibility. Behind Kramer is freshman Drew Viotto, who was a 3-star recruit who played high school football with Gophers freshman running back Darius Taylor. And then there's freshman Max Shikenjanski from Stillwater High School in Minnesota. 

Right now, the 2024 job belongs to Kaliakmanis unless Viotto or Shikenjanski win the starting role outright. The only other possibility is a QB from the transfer portal, so it certainly seems like there's very little chance Kaliakmanis loses the job.