Athan Kaliakmanis's time as Minnesota's starting quarterback has come to an end. The third-year quarterback out of Antioch, Illinois announced on X on Tuesday afternoon that he will be entering the transfer portal with the intention of using his final two years of eligibility elsewhere.
"I would like to start by thanking God for giving me the ability to play this amazing game that I love so much," Kaliakmanis said in his announcement on X. "I want to thank my family for their unconditional love and support. TO my teammates and brothers, playing with you has been the honor of all honors. I love you and will miss you immensely. I always had your back and you had mine. The most difficult part of my decision was to leave you.
Thank you to the Minnesota coaching staff who believed in me before I ever stepped foot on this campus. I cannot fully express my gratitude to you. To all the Gophers fans, I am so thankful to have been a part of this university and this incredible, passionate community, where all of you welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. Minnesota will always be an important place in my life and one that I believe has helped me grow immensely both as a player and a man for the last three years.
After several days of discussion with my family, I am announcing my intention to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left."
In his first season as Minnesota's full-time starting quarterback, Kaliakmanis struggled with his consistency, completing 53.1% of his passes for 1,838 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He threw nine interceptions on the year as well while posting a quarterback rating of 115.2.
Quarterback was expected to be a position that the Gophers were going to address in the transfer portal this offseason whether Kaliakmanis was going to return or not. On Monday, the Gophers extended an offer to New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer, and are expected to be active at the position in the portal beyond Brosmer as well.
With Kaliakmanis's departure from the program, the Gophers currently have two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in redshirt senior Cole Kramer and true freshman Drew Viotto. Kramer with one year of eligibility remaining will have a tough decision of his own to make in the upcoming days or weeks as well. Beyond Kramer and Viotto, P.J. Fleck and his staff also hold a commitment from 2024 Arkansas quarterback Drake Lindsey
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