The Gophers had a tough year, and now their starting quarterback is leaving the school.
Sophomore Athan Kaliakmanis posted to X (formerly Twitter) that he was entering the transfer portal and would not be back to the University of Minnesota.
"After several days of discussion with my family, I am announcing my intention to enter the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility left," Kaliakmanis wrote.
He started by thanking the University and the coaching staff for welcoming him to the school and team, saying Minnesota will always be an important piece of his life.
The Gophers are 5-7 and despite being under .500, are waiting to hear what bowl game they're heading to thanks to a high academic ranking and not enough 6-win teams to fill all the bowl slots.
Kaliakmanis took over midway through the 2022 season when senior Tanner Morgan was hurt. As a freshman, Kaliakmanis showed poise and a big arm, leading Minnesota to a season-ending win over Wisconsin and a Pinstripe Bowl win over Syracuse.
That came with bigger expectations in 2023 and those expectations were not met. Kaliakmanis showed flashes, but ultimately had a disappointing year. He completed 156 passes, a 53% completion rate, for 1,838 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
"Inconsistent. I love him. I love him as a person. I thought he did a lot of great things this year," Fleck said after Saturday's loss to Wisconsin. "I thought a lot of things that as a Big Ten quarterback, he knows you've got to get better at."
Certainly Fleck and the Gopher staff will be looking for a new QB in the transfer portal which is part of the college football world in 2023. But losing Kaliakmanis, who they were very high on when he committed to the U, is a big loss.
"This is another indictment of failure by Fleck. They were touting this guy a lot behind the scenes the last couple years," said WCCO host Chad Hartman. "As much as they were devoted by Tanner Morgan, wait until you see Athan. This was going to be the year. Did he get better? Did you feel like he was better at the end of the year? I did not."
Part of the reason Kaliakmanis might be leaving are rumors the Gophers have already found another quarterback. Reports from inside the college football recruiting world say Minnesota has a legitimate shot to land the top passer in FCS football Max Brosmer. A junior at New Hampshire this season, Brosmer will be a graduate transfer and announced Monday on X that he has received a scholarship offer from the Gophers.
Brosmer passed for 3,464 yards and 29 touchdowns, which rank first and second nationally. He completed 64.2% of his passes with five interceptions. He also rushed 57 times for 126 yards and five TDs.
As for the upcoming bowl game, the Gopher backup QB is Cole Kramer who has thrown exactly one pass this season and is known as more of a runner. That leaves Kramer and 2024 commit Drake Lindsey as the other two scholarship quarterbacks currently on the roster.
Kramer has been rumored as leaving the school following the bowl game and Tuesday afternoon, another QB, Drew Viotto, announced he's entering the transfer portal.
The Big Ten is changing greatly in 2024 with the entrance of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA to the conference, and the Gophers will also have a new man under center as they enter the new era of football.