Athan Kaliakmanis ( ; born August 20, 2003) is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Kaliakmanis played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Commanders in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life Kaliakmanis was born on August 20, 2003, and grew up in Antioch, Illinois, later attending Antioch Community High School. In 2021, he was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year after completing 77 of 132 passes for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns to just one interception. He also rushed 40 times for 245 yards and four touchdowns. Kaliakmanis committed to play college football for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota.
College career
Minnesota
Kaliakmanis redshirted as a freshman at Minnesota. As a sophomore, he made his debut against New Mexico State and had his first touchdown against Western Illinois. In the seventh game of the season, Kaliakmanis got his first career start at Penn State after starting quarterback Tanner Morgan went down with a concussion. In his first start he completed 9 of 22 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 45–17 loss. Kaliakmanis got his next chance in a Week 9 matchup against Nebraska after Morgan again went down with an injury in the third quarter. Kaliakmanis went 6-for-12 for 137 yards in a 20–13 win after being down 10–0 at halftime. The next week Kaliakmanis earned his first win as a starter after going 7-for-13 for 64 yards in a 31–3 win over Northwestern. Kaliakmanis got his third start against Iowa, going 7-for-15 for 87 yards and an interception in a 13–10 last-second loss. Kaliakmanis started the season finale against Wisconsin and completed 19 of 29 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown to La'Meke Brockington, as the Golden Gophers won 23–16, and was named the Big Ten Conference co-freshman of the week. Kaliakmanis started in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse and completed seven of nine passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game with a lower leg injury.
Kaliakmanis became the Golden Gophers starting quarterback in 2023.
On November 28, 2023, Kaliakmanis announced that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Rutgers On January 2, 2024, Kaliakmanis announced that he would be transferring to Rutgers University to play for the Scarlet Knights. He joined his brother, Dino, a wide receiver who had also transferred from Minnesota to Rutgers. Career Statistics
NFL Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles 2026 WAS 1 0 0–1 15 33 45.5 186 5.6 48 1 1 60.9 3 16 5.3 9 0 1 9 0 0 Career 1 0 0–1 15 33 45.5 186 5.6 48 1 1 60.9 3 16 5.3 9 0 1 9 0 0
College + Season Team Games Passing Rushing 2021 Minnesota 0 0 — Redshirted 2022 Minnesota 11 5 3−2 60 111 54.1 946 8.5 3 4 127.4 34 140 4.1 1 2023 Minnesota 12 12 5–7 156 294 53.1 1,838 6.3 14 9 115.2 74 94 1.3 2 2024 Rutgers 13 13 7–6 213 395 53.9 2,696 6.8 18 7 122.8 92 251 2.7 3 2025 Rutgers 12 12 5–7 229 368 62.2 3,124 8.5 20 7 147.7 58 3 0.1 2 Career 48 42 20−22 658 1,168 55.8 8,604 7.5 55 27 128.3 258 488 1.9 8
Professional career
Kaliakmanis was selected by the Washington Commanders in the seventh round with the 223rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft, signing his four-year rookie contract on May 8, 2026.
Kaliakmanis made his professional debut on August 14, 2026 during the first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, where he completed 6 out of 10 passes for 87 yards.
On October 4, 2026, with quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota both ruled out with injury, Kaliakmanis received his first regular season NFL snaps in a 13–30 loss against the Indianapolis Colts. He threw his first NFL touchdown in the third quarter, a 47 yard pass to Treylon Burks. Kaliakmanis ended the game completing 15 of his 33 attempted passes, throwing for 186 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Personal life Kaliakmanis is Greek American and was named after Athanasius of Alexandria.
References
External links
Washington Commanders profile Rutgers Scarlet Knights profile Minnesota Golden Gophers profile