CFB Insider: Gophers May Have Won Offseason QB Lottery… in More Ways Than One

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Max Brosmer, Minnesota Gophers
Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Gophers ripped off another victory on Saturday night and P.J. Fleck has his team rolling. There was no letdown following a victory against a ranked USC team, and the Gophers now enter a well-deserved bye week, with optimism high. Something seems different about this team, and that’s because there is something very different. And it’s at quarterback.

Max Brosmer has been the difference for the Minnesota Gophers

For years, the Minnesota Gophers have struggled to play complete football games. Unless they were able to stuff it down their opponents’ throats, they couldn’t move the ball with any consistency. But not in 2024. Not with Max Brosmer under center. In fact, the Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. has already dubbed Minnesota as one of his “Winners” of the QB transfer portal.

New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer has led the Gophers offense on a game-winning touchdown drive in two consecutive weeks. It hasn’t been perfect, but so far, Brosmer is showing why the Gophers’ staff was so excited about him, completing 68 percent of his passes and accounting for 12 touchdowns.

Sam Khan Jr. on Max Brosmer (The Athletic)

It has been evident through seven games that Brosmer brings something the Gophers haven’t had since maybe Adam Weber. He is a complete quarterback with an ability to scan the field, make reads, and control an offense. Darius Taylor remains effective out of the backfield, but this isn’t the typical Gophers team that simply can’t move the ball down the field.

Related: What We Learned About the Minnesota Gophers in Nail-Biting Victory Over UCLA

Fleck has struggled to find this sort of quarterback during his time coaching Minnesota. After watching Brosmer succeed at such a high level this season, it would be hard to envision going back to what used to be normal. And all we need to do to see the difference in QB competence is look east across the Big Ten to Rutgers University.

Athan Kaliakmanis looking a lot like Athan Kaliakmanis

That’s where you will find Athan Kaliakmanis, who played in 23 games for P.J. Fleck prior to entering the transfer portal and becoming a Scarlet Knight. The Greek Rifle left the program before the 2023 bowl game, then chose to go back to his old offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca, who ditched Minnesota (for the 2nd time) one year prior.

The results have been middling at best, and he looked awful on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers. After a strong start, two straight Big Ten opponents have eaten him alive. Because of that, Khan Jr. listed the former Gopher turned Knight as neither a winner or loser. For now, he sits in purgatory as “incomplete”.

Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis had a nice start to the year, but his last two games have been clunkers, completing just 39.1 percent of his passes for 289 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions in losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights scored a combined 14 points in the two defeats.

Sam Khan Jr. on Athan Kaliakmanis (The Athletic)

Related: Gophers Teammate Steps in to Help Koi Perich Answer Question About Refs vs USC

The Scarlet Knights quarterback gets an incomplete assessment from Khan Jr., but it’s not surprising to see him having similar struggles against familiar opponents. Kaliakmanis never completed more than 54% of his passes as a Gopher, and it was those teams that were forced to be entirely one dimensional.

Fleck takes his team to face off against Kaliakmanis and Rutgers on November 9th in New Jersey. There’s a good chance the former Gophers signal caller will struggle in that contest too.

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