To say Owensboro fans were ecstatic when hometown star announced last spring that he would be moving from Rutgers to Kentucky is an understatement. “I got so many texts,” a cheerful Wimsatt adds. “It’s definitely the most texts I’ve ever received in one day. I can’t even tell you how many. Probably the bulk of people in Owensboro are Kentucky fans. Wimsatt may have the most intriguing recruiting narrative of any football player who will wear UK blue and white in 2024.
Gavin Wimsatt, a formidable dual threat quarterback in high school, led the Owensboro Red Devils to the Kentucky Class 5A playoff semifinals as a sophomore in 2019 and the 5A state playoffs as a junior the following year.
In doing so, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound signal caller became a national-level recruit, receiving scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, TCU, and West Virginia, among others. For Kentucky, ace recruiter Vince Marrow oversaw the Wildcats’ pursuit of Wimsatt. When “The Big Dawg” goes all in on an in-state talent, he usually comes out on top. In an unexpected twist, the recruiter who formed the strongest bond with Wimsatt was then-Rutgers offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson.
Finally, Wimsatt surprised the recruiting world by joining a rebuilding Rutgers club that was in the middle of eight consecutive losing seasons.
Adding to the mystery of Wimsatt’s recruiting, Rutgers enticed the Owensboro star into early college entry in the middle of his high school senior season with a “six-figure” NIL deal, according to reports.
So, after playing three games for Owensboro in 2021, Wimsatt traveled north to New Jersey to begin his college career early. He went on to play four games for the Scarlet Knights that year, becoming one of the few players to play both high school and collegiate football in the same season.
“Gavin had the opportunity to go to college and begin the next phase,” Owensboro head coach Jay Fallin stated last week. “Sure, we wished we could have coached him longer and spent more time with him. But we were delighted for him to have the opportunity, and we wholeheartedly supported him.”
Wimsatt’s trip to New Jersey did not go quite as anticipated. Gleeson, Wimsatt’s patron, was fired midway through the 2022 season. Wimsatt remained with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, however, and started every game at quarterback last season.
The good news was that Wimsatt led Rutgers (7-6) to its first winning season since 2014, including a 31-24 victory against Miami Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, Wimsatt completed only 47.8% of his throws last season and threw nearly as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (nine). Wimsatt completed only 46.6 percent of his throws over his entire Rutgers career.
Kirk Ciarrocca, who succeeded Gleeson as Rutgers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, was originally from Minnesota. Athan Kaliakmanis, a former Golden Gophers quarterback, joined the former Minnesota offensive coordinator at Rutgers this past offseason.
Wimsatt lost out in a spring-practice duel with the Minnesota transfer for the Rutgers starting quarterback job. As spring practice came to an end, Schiano declared that Kaliakmanis, who has a 53.3 percent career completion rate and is not exactly a precise passer, will be the Scarlet Knights’ starting quarterback in 2024.
Last month, during Big Ten media days, Schiano stated that consideration for Wimsatt was one of the reasons he named a starter.
“I wanted Gavin to have the opportunity — I had no idea what he was going to do — but I wanted him to have the opportunity to go somewhere else, if he wanted to do that,” Schiano told CNN. “He believed in us even when we had few outcomes to show him. Great family, great kid. But things didn’t work out at Rutgers.”
When Wimsatt chose to enter his name into the transfer portal, the flagship university in his native state was quick to respond. “I thought it was great,” Wimsatt recalls of the UK contacting him. “I was all ears.”
Kentucky was replacing former Boise State assistant Bush Hamdan as offensive coordinator for the fourth consecutive season. Brock Vandagriff, a Georgia transfer, was also just placed in Lexington as Mark Stoops’ presumptive 2024 quarterback.
Nonetheless, on his second round of recruiting, Wimsatt was more receptive to what UK was selling. Following this season, Wimsatt, 20, will have one season of college eligibility remaining.
“I think I fit well in the offense here that Coach Hamdan wants to play,” according to Wimsatt. “I think I can contribute.”
If Vandagriff is indeed named UK’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season, it will be intriguing to see if the Wildcats’ offensive staff can find a way to incorporate Wimsatt into their game plan as well.
During two early UK practices that were open to the media, Wimsatt — who scored 11 rushing touchdowns last season at Rutgers — showed off his dynamic playmaking ability with the ball. In the second open practice, he also connected on a couple of long passes to former Franklin County star Fred Farrier. There’s speculation that the redshirt junior QB could become Kentucky’s versatile weapon, similar to the NFL’s Taysom Hill or, from a previous era, Kordell Stewart. “I think we’re going to use (Wimsatt) in a lot of Wildcat formation-type situations,” Hamdan said during UK media day. “He’s a big, talented player. When you see him at practice, you’ll see just how dynamic he is. So, it’s a bit of a wait-and-see on how that role will evolve.”
As for the excitement in Owensboro about Wimsatt returning to Kentucky, Fallin shares a story that illustrates how highly regarded the quarterback is in his hometown. On October 21st, when Wimsatt rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns to lead Rutgers to a 31-14 victory over Indiana in Bloomington, Fallin recalls, “We attended the game, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I saw dozens and dozens of people from Owensboro there. They weren’t there to watch IU — they were there for Gavin.”
“He’s an absolutely great kid. As polite, kind, and conscientious as anyone you’ll ever meet. Just a fun kid to be around. That’s why people here are so excited that he’s now playing closer to home at the University of Kentucky.”
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