 Kaliakmanis in 2025 | |
| No. 16 – Washington Commanders | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2003-08-20) August 20, 2003 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Antioch Community (Antioch, Illinois) |
| College | |
| NFL draft | 2026: 7th round, 223rd overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Athan Kaliakmanis (/ˈeɪθən ˌkæliəkˈmænɪs/ AY-thən KAL-ee-ək-MAN-iss; born August 20, 2003) is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Kaliakmanis played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Commanders in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life
Kaliakmanis was born on August 20, 2003, and grew up in Antioch, Illinois, later attending Antioch Community High School.[1] In 2021, he was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year after completing 77 of 132 passes for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns to just one interception. He also rushed 40 times for 245 yards and four touchdowns.[2] Kaliakmanis committed to play college football for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota.[3]
College career
Minnesota
Kaliakmanis redshirted as a freshman at Minnesota. As a sophomore, he made his debut against New Mexico State and had his first touchdown against Western Illinois.[4] In the seventh game of the season, Kaliakmanis got his first career start at Penn State after starting quarterback Tanner Morgan went down with a concussion. In his first start he completed 9 of 22 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 45–17 loss.[5] Kaliakmanis got his next chance in a Week 9 matchup against Nebraska after Morgan again went down with an injury in the third quarter. Kaliakmanis went 6-for-12 for 137 yards in a 20–13 win after being down 10–0 at halftime.[6] The next week Kaliakmanis earned his first win as a starter after going 7-for-13 for 64 yards in a 31–3 win over Northwestern.[7] Kaliakmanis got his third start against Iowa, going 7-for-15 for 87 yards and an interception in a 13–10 last-second loss.[8] Kaliakmanis started the season finale against Wisconsin and completed 19 of 29 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown to La'Meke Brockington, as the Golden Gophers won 23–16, and was named the Big Ten Conference co-freshman of the week.[9] Kaliakmanis started in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse and completed seven of nine passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game with a lower leg injury.[10]
Kaliakmanis became the Golden Gophers starting quarterback in 2023.[11]
On November 28, 2023, Kaliakmanis announced that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal.[12]
Rutgers
On January 2, 2024, Kaliakmanis announced that he would be transferring to Rutgers University to play for the Scarlet Knights.[13] He joined his brother, Dino, a wide receiver who had also transferred from Minnesota to Rutgers.[14]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2021 | Minnesota | 0 | 0 | — | Redshirted  | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | Minnesota | 11 | 5 | 3−2 | 60 | 111 | 54.1 | 946 | 8.5 | 3 | 4 | 127.4 | 34 | 140 | 4.1 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 12 | 12 | 5–7 | 156 | 294 | 53.1 | 1,838 | 6.3 | 14 | 9 | 115.2 | 74 | 94 | 1.3 | 2 | |
| 2024 | Rutgers | 13 | 13 | 7–6 | 213 | 395 | 53.9 | 2,696 | 6.8 | 18 | 7 | 122.8 | 92 | 251 | 2.7 | 3 | |
| 2025 | Rutgers | 12 | 12 | 5–7 | 229 | 368 | 62.2 | 3,124 | 8.5 | 20 | 7 | 147.7 | 58 | 3 | 0.1 | 2 | |
| Career | 48 | 42 | 20−22 | 658 | 1,168 | 55.8 | 8,604 | 7.5 | 55 | 27 | 128.3 | 258 | 488 | 1.9 | 8 | ||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 7+1⁄8 in (2.01 m) | 4.92 s | 1.74 s | 2.84 s | 4.33 s | 6.96 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | |
| All values from Pro Day[15] | ||||||||||||
Kaliakmanis was selected by the Washington Commanders in the seventh round with the 223rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft, signing his four-year rookie contract on May 8, 2026.[16][17]
Personal life
Kaliakmanis is Greek American and was named after Athanasius of Alexandria.[14][18]
References
- Brugler, Dane. "Athan Kaliakmanis - The Beast 2026". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- Greder, Andy (May 13, 2021). "Incoming Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis wins Gatorade Player of Year in Illinois". Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Aguliar, Joe (March 27, 2019). "Antioch's Kaliakmanis brothers commit to Minnesota". Daily Herald. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- "Athan Kaliakmanis". Minnesota Golden Gophers University Athletics. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- "Gophers, redshirt freshman QB no match for Penn State in 45-17 loss". Bring Me The Sports on SI. SI.com. October 23, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Johnson, Randy (November 6, 2022). "Redshirt freshman quarterback leads rally as Gophers top Nebraska 20-13". Star-Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Johnson, Randy (November 15, 2022). "Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis needs extra-thick skin as he grows into role". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Johnson, Randy (November 20, 2022). "Iowa kicks late field goal to beat Gophers 13-10, claim Floyd of Rosedale for eighth straight time". Star-Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Johnson, Randy (November 28, 2022). "Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis named Big Ten co-freshman of the week". Star-Tribune. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Stone, Ethan (December 29, 2022). "Athan Kaliakmanis helped off field at Pinstripe Bowl with injury". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Schad, Chris (July 4, 2023). "5 Gophers who could be breakout players in 2023". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- Harrison, Jonathan (November 28, 2023). "Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis announces he will enter transfer portal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- Champion, Brandon (January 2, 2024). "Former 4-star QB transferring from Minnesota to Rutgers". mlive. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- Fonseca, Brian (August 23, 2024). "At Rutgers, Athan Kaliakmanis gets fresh start near family roots. Will he solve RU's QB conundrum?". NJ.com. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
- "Athan Kaliakmanis College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- "Commanders select QB Athan Kaliakmanis with No. 223 overall pick". Commanders.com. April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- Selby, Zach (May 8, 2026). "Commanders sign 2026 draft class". Commanders.com. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- Rouvelas, Marilyn (2002). A Guide to Greek Traditions And Customs in America (PDF) (Second ed.). Bethesda, Maryland: Nea Attiki Press. p. 87. ISBN 09638051-1-8. Retrieved November 13, 2024.