Rutgers football: Assessing the Knights’ 2018 quarterback options
Artur Sitkowski
Sitkowksi surprised many when he decommitted from Miami and chose Rutgers instead. Although at the same time, his hometown of Old Bridge, N.J. is nearby to the Piscataway/New Brunswick area, where the Rutgers campus is located. He will probably be the most talked about quarterback entering the 2018 season because he is a former 4-star recruit and the No. 9 ranked pro-style quarterback in his class.
Amidst the hype, he does have a fair shot at earning a No. 1 job. He saw plenty of game action in the Rutgers Spring Game and displayed the deep-ball potential he has in his arsenal–proven by two long touchdown completions to sophomore Bo Melton, including one in which Melton had a defender draped all over him. In the game, Sitkowski threw a total of three touchdown passes.
Sitkowski finished the game with 280 passing yards, but he also made some rookie mistakes. For instance, he was picked off by starting defensive back K.J. Gray, who ball hawked Sitkowski’s pass on a downfield throw.
Sitkowski has great size for a quarterback. He is taller than the other quarterbacks on the roster at 6-foot-5 and weighs 215 pounds. From what I saw in the Spring Game, he stands tall in the pocket and has good footwork.
Sitkowski can provide an aspect of the passing game that has been absent in recent years–long ball playmaking ability. This also had to do with the fact that Rutgers hasn’t had a true primary receiver for a few years, but Sitkowski’s three touchdown connections with the young Melton has the prospects of a great duo in the future.
The last time Rutgers trusted a true freshman quarterback as the starting signal caller was in 2010 when Gary Nova started five games and split the duties with Chas Dodd. Eventually, Nova evolved into the starter for the next three seasons afterward.
Perhaps the throwback look into Nova’s time at Rutgers serves to foreshadow the possibility of Sitkowski being the quarterback of the future. He has the size, the intangibles and the abilities to handle the pressures of being a Big Ten quarterback, but he still has much to prove once summer camp rolls around.
Conclusion
Needless to say, the quarterback position needs a major upgrade if Rutgers wants to mobilize a multi-dimensional offense come 2018. Whether that’s someone already on the roster who steps up their game or a newcomer like Sitkowski that proves his worth, the Scarlet Knights will have to name a QB1.
Next: Rutgers 2018 season preview
The decision as to who will be the next Rutgers starting quarterback will have to wait until the summer once camp commences. For the time being though, it looks to be a three-way dance for the top spot.