Did Athan Kaliakmanis Win Transfer Portal Breakup With Gophers?

Kaliakmanis was selected in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) drops back to pass during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Athan Kaliakmanis was selected with the 223rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders on Saturday. It raises the question of whether or not he won the transfer portal breakup with the Gophers. Let's break it down.

Athan Kaliakmanis is headed to Washington 😎 @aajk_23 | @Commanders pic.twitter.com/WSXCLKUtln

— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) April 25, 2026

Minnesota hasn't produced an NFL Draft pick at quarterback since Craig Curry in 1972. Kaliakmanis played in 23 games with the Gophers before transferring east to Rutgers. He was replaced at Minnesota by Max Brosmer, who started two games for the Vikings last season, but Kaliakmanis is the one who heard his name called in the NFL Draft.

Modern transfer portal rules have certainly complicated the idea of player development from college to the NFL. After two years as a starter in Piscataway, it's pretty clear that Kaliakmanis is far more recognized as a Rutgers player than a Minnesota player.

Minnesota went 8-5 in each of its last two seasons without Kaliakmanis, while Rutgers went 7-6 and 5-7 during the same time frame. Kaliakmanis threw for 5,820 yards, 38 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his two seasons with the Scarlet Knights. Brosmer had similar numbers to Kaliakmanis in 2024, but he lost the head-to-head matchup with a November loss in Piscataway.

The Kaliakmanis-Minnesota transfer portal breakup before the 2024 offseason gave the Gophers the opportunity to pursue Brosmer as a one-year transfer portal rental, which also gave them the opportunity to develop Drake Lindsey and hand him the reins in 2025.

Kaliakmanis had better numbers than Lindsey in 2025, but Lindsey won the head-to-head matchup with a September win at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Gophers now have a more encouraging outlook at the quarterback position heading into 2026, with a young option with 13 games of starting experience. If they tried to fix things with Kaliakmanis, that wouldn't be the case.

Ultimately, the Kaliakmanis-Minnesota breakup feels like a win for both parties. Gophers fans have a lot of opinions on Kaliakmanis, but he went 1-1 against his former team, and he has done something no Minnesota QB has done in more than 50 years. On the other side, Minnesota has a premier talent at the position with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Many people have a lot of different opinions on the transfer portal. The Kaliakmanis situation seems to be one that worked out for both parties. Things clearly weren't going as planned with the Gophers. He developed into an NFL Draft pick at a different school, and Minnesota has an encouraging outlook at the quarterback position.