Rutgers has announced the acquisition of a transfer quarterback, a former four-star recruit who began his collegiate career at Alabama. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound player from Georgia has two years of eligibility left. He will compete with redshirt sophomore AJ Surace, who is expected to return to Rutgers next fall, for the starting quarterback position during the upcoming offseason.
Surace, the son of Princeton coach Bob Surace, had been viewed as the potential frontrunner for the starting role after spending time as a backup. Despite only playing 34 snaps in three appearances over the past two seasons, he will now face competition from the new transfer. “I don”t rule out anything as far as “is there going to be something that we do in the portal with a quarterback?” Maybe. I don”t know. We are always looking, but I am confident. AJ has worked really hard. But there will be a competition,” stated a source familiar with the situation.
The newcomer, Lonergan, aligns with the profile of Kaliakmanis, another former four-star quarterback who transferred to Rutgers after a lackluster stint at Minnesota. Over two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, Kaliakmanis achieved 5,820 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 57.9% of his passes across 25 starts, establishing himself among the program”s all-time greats.
Initially, Lonergan joined Alabama, where he was the 12th-ranked quarterback prospect in the 2023 class, according to sources. However, he saw minimal action in his two years at Tuscaloosa, completing 7 of 8 passes for 35 yards in just 33 snaps over three games, as per ProFootballFocus. Prior to the 2025 season, he transferred to Boston College, where he reunited with Bill O”Brien, who was the offensive coordinator at Alabama during his recruitment.
During his single season with the Eagles, the Georgia native recorded 2,025 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, achieving a completion rate of 66.9%. Additionally, he rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown while fumbling the ball four times on 22 non-sack attempts. Most of his offensive production came in three games against Fordham, Michigan State, and Georgia Tech. In a challenging four-game stretch against California, Pittsburgh, Clemson, and Notre Dame, he failed to throw a touchdown and threw three interceptions, resulting in him being benched at times in favor of backup Grayson James.
Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca aims to maximize Lonergan“s potential, similar to how he developed Kaliakmanis. Meanwhile, Surace will benefit from his familiarity with Ciarrocca”s system, having spent the past two years learning it. Regardless of who secures the starting role, Rutgers will possess solid depth at the quarterback position moving forward.
Brian Fonseca serves as the Rutgers athletics beat reporter for NJ Advance Media, primarily covering the Scarlet Knights” football and men”s basketball programs, along with the school”s Olympic sports.
