Athan Kaliakmanis

Antioch and the Gatorade Award

Kaliakmanis grew up in Antioch, Illinois, and NFL.com lists it as his hometown. In 2021 he was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, and signed with the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota and a First Start at Penn State

At Minnesota he redshirted, then got his first start in 2022 at Penn State after the starter, Tanner Morgan, was hurt. He kept the job for one full season as the starter. "I was basically a bust," he later told The Daily Targum. "I wasn't really a good football player at all."

In January 2024 he announced a transfer to Rutgers. His brother, Dino, a wide receiver, moved from Minnesota to Rutgers with him, and so did a familiar coach: Kirk Ciarrocca, the Rutgers offensive coordinator, had held the same job at Minnesota.

Rutgers and 3,124 Yards

In 2024 he won the Rutgers starting job. "Athan clearly won the job," coach Greg Schiano said. Kaliakmanis threw for 2,696 yards that season, the most by a Rutgers quarterback since Gary Nova in 2014. In 2025 he threw for 3,124 yards and became the third Rutgers quarterback to pass 3,000 in a season, according to The Daily Targum. The Commanders' account of his record counts him as one of 13 Rutgers players to reach 3,000 yards and the first since 2007 and 2008 with 2,500 yards in back-to-back seasons.

His two Rutgers seasons left him with 38 touchdown passes and 5,820 yards, both seventh on the school's all-time list, and the program record for passing yards per game at 232.8. Across his college career he started 42 of 48 games. The team won 12 games in those two years, with no win over a ranked opponent and no bowl win.

Pick 223 for the Commanders

On April 25, 2026, the Washington Commanders took him in the seventh round with the 223rd overall pick, the team's last selection of the draft. When general manager Adam Peters called, his answer was "No way." Peters said later that the team "really just loved his arm talent, his moxie, his competitiveness."

Kaliakmanis was clear about the depth chart. "This is not my team," he said after the draft. "This is Jayden Daniels' team." He signed a four-year rookie contract with Washington, but the terms have not been officially reported, and no reputable outlet has published a net worth estimate, so this article gives none. In the preseason he went 11 of 14 for 162 yards at Detroit on August 22, including a 55-yard throw to Nick Nash, and won the third quarterback job over Sam Hartman, who moved to the practice squad.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, October 4, 2026

Washington played the Indianapolis Colts in London on October 4, 2026, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Daniels had already been ruled out with an elbow injury, so Marcus Mariota started. After Washington's second drive, Mariota went down with a knee injury that coach Dan Quinn said looked like an MCL problem. The Associated Press called the man who replaced him the "third-string rookie quarterback."

Early in the third quarter Kaliakmanis threw an interception to linebacker Jaylon Carlies, who returned it to the Washington 20. Later in the quarter he found Treylon Burks over cornerback Sauce Gardner for a 47-yard touchdown, his first in the NFL, which cut the Colts' lead to 17-13. Indianapolis pulled away to win 30-13 in front of 60,907 fans, and Washington fell to 1-3. He finished 15 of 33 for 186 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

"It was surreal, man, it was absolutely surreal," he said afterward. "But I've got to be honest, right now I'm just thinking about the loss. It's not about me. It's about this team." Daniels was expected back at practice that Wednesday, with the Giants next on the schedule, and Mariota's status was undetermined.

Sources

• Commanders select QB Athan Kaliakmanis with No. 223 overall pick
• Athan Kaliakmanis Stats, News and Video - QB | NFL.com
• Who Is Athan Kaliakmanis? Commanders QB Thrust Into Action After Marcus Mariota Injury - Yahoo Sports
• 'I'm beyond grateful': How Athan Kaliakmanis etched his name in Rutgers history - The Daily Targum
• Commanders sign all six draft picks ahead of rookie minicamp - Yahoo Sports
• Tea time as Jonathan Taylor runs for 2 TDs and Colts beat Commanders 30-13 in London
• Instant analysis | Commanders fall to 1-3 following 30-13 loss to Colts