Former Rutgers Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt Transfers to Kentucky

by:Nick Roush•05/07/24•

RoushKSR

A former Blue Chip recruit from the Commonwealth is coming home. After spending three years at Rutgers, quarterback Gavin Wimsatt is transferring to Kentucky.

Wimsatt announced the move shortly after officially visiting Kentucky on Monday. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

A 6-foot-2, 205-pound athlete from Owensboro, the former Red Devils dual-threat passer was a star on the recruiting scene. A four-star talent, Wimsatt was a consensus top-25 quarterback nationally and ranked as the No. 220 overall player in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

About an hour after making the announcement, UK made the addition official with a brief statement from Mark Stoops.

“We are excited to add Gavin to our program,” Stoops said. “Game experience is extremely valuable at quarterback and this is a unique opportunity to add talent and experience to the room.”

Kentucky recruited the in-state talent out of high school. Instead of staying close to home, he became the first high-profile addition for Greg Schiano in his return to Piscataway. Originally a member of the class of 2022, he finished his graduation requirements early and enrolled at Rutgers in the fall of 2021, shortly after leading Owensboro to a win over rival Daviess County.

Wimsatt preserved his redshirt by appearing in only four games in 2021. He appeared in six games the following season, splitting time with two other Rutgers quarterbacks. He earned the starting job last fall and guided Rutgers to a 7-6 record and a Pinstripe Bowl victory over Miami, the program’s first postseason win since 2014.

Although he recorded plenty of wins as a starter, he did not light box scores on fire. Last fall he completed just 47.8% of his passes for 1,735 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Wimsatt did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 11 touchdowns and 581 non-sack yards (4.9 yards per carry).

Over the spring he was in a quarterback competition with Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis, who previously played for Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca in Minneapolis. The new guy won the battle, leading Wimsatt to look for a new school.

The addition of Wimsatt gives Kentucky three scholarship quarterbacks in Bush Hamdan’s offense, joining Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff and true freshman Cutter Boley. Wimsatt will likely slot into the No. 2 spot behind Vandagriff.

During the spring transfer portal period Kentucky brought in another talented rushing quarterback for an official visit, UCLA’s Collin Schlee. It’s clear Hamdan wants an alternative rushing option at the position and Wimsatt can provide just that, along with plenty of experience playing against Big Ten competition.

Scouting Gavin Wimsatt

KSR’s Adam Luckett evaluated the former Rutgers quarterback’s game.

Gavin Wimsatt (6-3, 225) played in a primarily shotgun offense at Rutgers under offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca in 2023 that included a high volume of RPO actions. A team captain at just 19 years old, Wimsatt struggled with three-level accuracy last season on tape. Looks like he aims the ball on short passes around the line of scrimmage and misfires on slants. Better at pushing the ball downfield showing some good touch and ball placement on throws up the seam and down the sideline. Has velocity to drive the football down the middle. Footwork is erratic and leads to misfires on all three levels. Has pocket awareness and good athleticism allowing him to extend plays. Still raw as a pocket passer. North/south runner on zone read concepts who does a good job of reading blocks and getting downhill. Long strider can extend 15+ gains into 30+ gains in the open field. Can provide a legit threat as a change-of-pace runner with the ability to execute multiple gap scheme runs.