Has AK landed with a new team?

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I haven't seen any info on the Gophers former QB. Do any GopherHolers have the inside scoop?
 




I think the legit list of suitors willing to let him be QB1 from day one without open competition is very small, unless he drops down a level or two from P5.
 


Wouldn't AK want to find a school before the semester starts?
 


It is too bad for the Gophers and him that things didn't pan out with AK. Losing Drew Viotto is a disappointment. Jacob Knuth transferred out because of Drew's progress.
 

hungan1 said:
It is too bad for the Gophers and him that things didn't pan out with AK. Losing Drew Viotto is a disappointment. Jacob Knuth transferred out because of Drew's progress.
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I'm the short term it sucks but I think we'll be in very good shape for the future. As a disclaimer, I felt this way in the preseason before watching Kaliakmanis launching hot potatoes all over the field too. My greatest weakness is my optimism. But we wouldn't be here if we didn't have that, would we?
 



Our recent coaches seem to have blinders on when choosing the starting QBs. Kill overlooked an NFL talent, and Fleck gets starry eyed over AK, which chased off 2 or 3 others that may have been better game day QBs. Fleck should have at least given the other QBs a chance to show their stuff in a real game. Seeing the field and finding the best opportunity in a game is a lot different than having the best mechanics in practice.
 


as I've said before, Athan came into college with less actual game experience than most HS recruits. He missed quite a bit of time due to injuries, and then he had a short Covid season mixed in. as a result, I believe (can't find the numbers) that AK had fewer attempts and completions for his entire HS career than Lindsey had in just his SR year of HS.

in other words, AK was recruited based more on potential than actual results. why was that potential not realized? some of that may be on AK, some of that may be on the OC/QB coaches, and some of that may be on the Gopher coaches for over-estimating his potential based on a smaller sample size.

in the end, it's a relationship that didn't work out. I hope he finds a place that is a better fit for him.
 

WAGopher said:
Our recent coaches seem to have blinders on when choosing the starting QBs. Kill overlooked an NFL talent, and Fleck gets starry eyed over AK, which chased off 2 or 3 others that may have been better game day QBs. Fleck should have at least given the other QBs a chance to show their stuff in a real game. Seeing the field and finding the best opportunity in a game is a lot different than having the best mechanics in practice.
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I’ve never understood his philosophy of keeping starters in during a blowout for or against us. It is a little different than High School when you put subs in. I suppose in some cases he is trying not to burn a redshirt year. However, that is easy to keep track of.
 





Zero chance he gets an FCS scholarship with a team of any renown. Very little chance at FCS with any of the schools say in the playoffs. I’ll predict Southern Illinois.
 

MNSpaniel said:
I’ve never understood his philosophy of keeping starters in during a blowout for or against us. It is a little different than High School when you put subs in. I suppose in some cases he is trying not to burn a redshirt year. However, that is easy to keep track of.
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Northwestern 2023 was a blowout...until it wasn't. That's why. In games that are totally out of hand like some overmatched non-con opponents, multiple QBs have usually gotten in.
 

Boy I hope our problems this year were AK’a fault and not coaching or offensive philosophy. A lot of fellas on this board were pretty sold on AK about 4 months ago and now he doesn’t have the skill to play major college football.

Thankfully we got the offensive minds at the helm to really get it going next year now that we ditched the dead weight.
 

WoodburyTim said:
Boy I hope our problems this year were AK’a fault and not coaching or offensive philosophy. A lot of fellas on this board were pretty sold on AK about 4 months ago and now he doesn’t have the skill to play major college football.

Thankfully we got the offensive minds at the helm to really get it going next year now that we ditched the dead weight.
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It could have been AK… but him just being gone doesn’t mean anything either.


I remember some fans happy Tanner was gone…
 
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If Rutgers adds him they would have zero completion from any other FBS level team the way it looks. There are so many QB'S in the portal who are so much better. Ryan Burns had some convinced he was a great talent. Inaccurate arm and not a good enough athletic ability to be a good runner. His tenure was a waste of time.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Northwestern 2023 was a blowout...until it wasn't. That's why. In games that are totally out of hand like some overmatched non-con opponents, multiple QBs have usually gotten in.
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If you’ve ever played on a good team, you know totally with this guy is talking about you kick the crap out of the other team and by the fourth quarter year yukking it up on the sidelines with your buddies while the young guys continue to kick the shit out of the other team. PJ is completely out of touch with this concept. It’s just another example of him being rather dumb.
 

oldman said:
Division 2 at best for him and his bro
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Some of these takes are a little much. He wasn’t great in 2023 but he did have enough flashes in ‘22 that I think he signs with a G5 program who bets on a fresh start with a new OC.

That doesn’t mean he starts or sees the field. He might have to take another step down to start again. But someone in FBS will take him for 2024
 

Panthadad2 said:
Northwestern 2023 was a blowout...until it wasn't. That's why. In games that are totally out of hand like some overmatched non-con opponents, multiple QBs have usually gotten in.
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That’s one goofy game that I will put on the coaches as much as players. So could go with the losses then. We all see the games. Especially at QB back to Morgan & Mo days. They should have been out of the game long ago but kept them in late. I have never seen under Fleck multiple QBs getting in for any significant time other than injury or kneel down time. Unless your referring to the annual Spring Scrimmage.
 

I’m amazed at the inside track some on this board seem to have (seriously). So I’ll ask the question that’s been rolling around in my head…. Dad seems to be heavily invested in the boys‘ football careers. Is there some insistance from Dad that the boys go together as a pair? I saw the trip to Rutgers was both of them. Is that possibly playing into any interest (or lack of) in AK?

He wasn’t the answer for the Goph’s and I’d agree that he probably isn’t a top-tier P5 starter talent. But he isn’t terrible and seems like a young guy who any number of G5 schools would have been showing interest in by now.
 
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Section209 said:
I’m amazed at the inside track some on this board seem to have (seriously). So I’ll ask the question that’s been rolling around in my head…. Dad seems to be heavily invested in the boys‘ football careers. Is there some instance from Dad that the boys go together as a pair? I saw the trip to Rutgers was both of them. Is that possibly playing into any interest (or lack of) in AK?

He wasn’t the answer for the Goph’s and I’d agree that he probably isn’t a top-tier P5 starter talent. But he isn’t terrible and seems like a young guy who any number of G5 schools would have been showing interest in by now.
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I think the dad is a good guy and both of these kids are obviously on the younger side of their age.

Athan missed about a year of senior ball and he's still a kid at heart so dad's involvement seems appropriate considering the cut-throat nature of today's college football.

Whether they both go to the same place or not is TBD. Whether the WR gets a PWO, or a scholarship, or no offer is also TBD, but I would assume they would enroll at the same college whether the brother still plays or not.

I don't know the dad, but I don't think he's overly outspoken, abrasive, or too much into his kids business. He's a dad doing what he thinks is best and the boys seem to agree.
 

Gopherchase said:
If you’ve ever played on a good team, you know totally with this guy is talking about you kick the crap out of the other team and by the fourth quarter year yukking it up on the sidelines with your buddies while the young guys continue to kick the shit out of the other team. PJ is completely out of touch with this concept. It’s just another example of him being rather dumb.
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I've played on a good team. Stop it. Go back and look at the stats in the non-con blowouts the past few years.
 

Dano564 said:
I think the dad is a good guy and both of these kids are obviously on the younger side of their age.

Athan missed about a year of senior ball and he's still a kid at heart so dad's involvement seems appropriate considering the cut-throat nature of today's college football.

Whether they both go to the same place or not is TBD. Whether the WR gets a PWO, or a scholarship, or no offer is also TBD, but I would assume they would enroll at the same college whether the brother still plays or not.

I don't know the dad, but I don't think he's overly outspoken, abrasive, or too much into his kids business. He's a dad doing what he thinks is best and the boys seem to agree.
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They are all under the belief that Greg Harbaugh is not the correct person to develop AK into the best QB he can be.

They might be correct.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
as I've said before, Athan came into college with less actual game experience than most HS recruits. He missed quite a bit of time due to injuries, and then he had a short Covid season mixed in. as a result, I believe (can't find the numbers) that AK had fewer attempts and completions for his entire HS career than Lindsey had in just his SR year of HS.

in other words, AK was recruited based more on potential than actual results. why was that potential not realized? some of that may be on AK, some of that may be on the OC/QB coaches, and some of that may be on the Gopher coaches for over-estimating his potential based on a smaller sample size.

in the end, it's a relationship that didn't work out. I hope he finds a place that is a better fit for him.
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Did he win Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year based on potential or performance?
 

Dakota2 said:
Did he win Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year based on potential or performance?
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2022 Wisconsin game was quite a good performance.

Something happened. Don't know if it was spring, summer, fall or some cominbation of all. If it was a special QB private coaching or if it Greg Harbaugh. But something definitely broke.
 

MNSpaniel said:
That’s one goofy game that I will put on the coaches as much as players. So could go with the losses then. We all see the games. Especially at QB back to Morgan & Mo days. They should have been out of the game long ago but kept them in late. I have never seen under Fleck multiple QBs getting in for any significant time other than injury or kneel down time. Unless your referring to the annual Spring Scrimmage.
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You guys are never satisfied. Why do you think the Northwestern comeback was, at the time, a total anomaly and a first under a Fleck coached team? Because he routinely stepped on other team's throats in blowouts by not letting up (other than keeping the ball on the ground).
 

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