Rutgers quarterback AJ Surace ready for spring, QB competition

Rutgers Football will trot out a new starting quarterback this season after two years with Athan Kaliakmanis running the show.

Junior AJ Surace, Kaliakmanis’ backup the last two seasons, hopes to be the one to come away victorious in the competition. It all starts with the Scarlet Knights’ spring practices fully underway. He will be primarily competing with incoming Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan, who mapped out his own journey and preparation as well.

It’s a new type of approach for Surace, with his first crack at the starting gig. He saw a competition between Kaliakmanis and Gavin Wimsatt as a true freshman — won by the former in the spring — and the senior was entrenched as the starter in 2025.

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Getting the reps

“I think my preparation has really just changed by just learning from things that guys like Athan have done, and how can I add this to my routine?” Surace told reporters after practice on Saturday. “You’re kind of constantly changing things and developing your routine to try to go out there and be your best.”

The rising junior has three games under his belt, all coming in 2025. His most extensive experience came in a dominant win over FCS Norfolk State, where he threw his first two touchdown passes.

After losing a starter with 48 games of Big Ten experience under his belt in Kaliakmanis, there will be an adjustment with the new signal-caller.

“AJ’s had a really good winter,” said offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarroca. “He’s a really hard worker, very conscientious young man, but he’s had a really good winter. Just like Dylan and Sean [Ashenfelder], he needs repetitions out there to learn and grow from. He needs those experiences that we need to have so we can put them away back in our memory and be able to draw on them as the season approaches.”

Even though the reps and experience on the field may not be there just yet, Surace is approaching this part of the season in a similar fashion to his former teammate and starting quarterback from the previous two years.

“Every day I’m just approaching it, trying to get a little bit better, trying to grow in the meetings, and take that onto the field, and keep building camaraderie with the guys, and just keep stacking days and getting a little bit better,” he said.

With Kaliakmanis now onto the draft process, he has been around the facility and kept in touch with his younger counterpart. His biggest piece of advice? A staple of his daily routine: Staying in the present.

“Just taking it day by day, focusing on building camaraderie with the guys,” echoed Surace. “And not letting your mind go to what’s going on in the past and the future and with other guys, and really just focused on making the best out of your reps and being the best you can be.”

The competition

Both Surace and Lonergan have an advantage in the early days of the quarterback battle when it comes to experience.

Surace enters his third year in Ciarrocca’s offense, one that the fourth-year coordinator himself said is “very difficult” for those without experience. Even with the time put in, Surace has not gotten complacent in terms of that understanding.

“I think every day, when you think you’ve got it, it’s got you,” he said. “So, you’re constantly trying to master things and go over it until you can’t get it wrong. I feel confident, and I’m happy with where I’m at, but there’s still a lot more to get better with, and keep growing.”

Lonergan, on the other hand, was the Eagles’ primary starter in 2025, but does not have the same reps under Ciarrocca over his career. Surace also noted he felt that he has “a good understanding of what Coach Ciarrocca wants out of the offense,” and the vibe around the team as a whole is high.

The two battling it out for the starting role have also built their own relationship so far, since Lonergan arrived from the transfer portal in the winter.

“It’s been good,” said Surace with a smile. “On and off the field, I think we’re similar. We’re competing with each other, pushing each other to get better, and it’s been fun.”

When the time does come for the final decision to be made, the edge will go to the superior of the two in those practice reps.

“It’s going to be based on their performance out there on the practice field,” said Ciarrocca. “Doing this as long as I have, it becomes apparent at some point. You certainly hope that it’s the case, that it becomes apparent. When that time comes, Coach [Schiano] and I will sit down and talk about it, and ultimately he’ll make that decision. He’ll want my input, but he’s going to make that decision with it. It’ll play itself out. I’m not in any hurry or anything like that.”

It may not appear that a decision will be reached in the spring — unlike in 2024 — but Ciarrocca does have an ideal benchmark following the month-long camp.

“They both need a lot of experiences right now,” he added. “So I’m hopeful that we can end spring ball with both of them in a good position that, when we get to training camp, let’s go and see where we’re at. Who knows? Maybe it’ll play out differently. I don’t control that.”

The third-year quarterback didn’t see a change in approach with Lonergan — or any other quarterback — being added to the fold.

“There’s always competition within the room,” said Surace. “Between everybody, I think as a whole room, we’re constantly competing with each other. So, I mean, it really didn’t change much for me. It’s just still about getting a little bit better and trying to be the best I can be.”