Kirk Ciarrocca is in his third season back as Rutgers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2025. Ciarrocca, who has over 30 years of coaching experience (21 as an offensive coordinator), previously served on head coach Greg Schiano’s staff for three seasons, winning two bowl games from 2008-10. He has been selected as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award and coached 28 players who had their name called in the NFL Draft (six in the first round). Ciarrocca has coached the Big Ten’s leading rusher two of the past three seasons.
• In helping the Scarlet Knights to a second consecutive winning season and bowl berth in 2024, Rutgers averaged 28.9 points per game, the team’s best mark in the Big Ten era and most since 2008. The 376 points scored overall and 4,975 yards of total offense both marked the fourth-most season totals in program history, while the 293 first downs were second. The 175.3 rushing yards per game ranked third in the Big Ten for the team's best placement since joining the league. In addition, the Scarlet Knights converted on third down at a clip of 44 percent, the first time reaching 40 percent since 2008 and best percentage since 2007, while ranking third nationally with just nine turnovers lost.
• In Big Ten-only statistics, Rutgers set team records for total offense (351.2) and rushing yards (149.8) per game. The average of 24.0 points per game was second.
• Rutgers finished with a 2,000-yard passer (QB Athan Kaliakmanis), a 1,000-yard rusher (RB Kyle Monangai) and two 600-yard receivers (WR Dymere Miller and WR Ian Strong) for the first time since 2007, one of just five Big Ten teams to achieve the feat in 2024.
• Kaliakmanis ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 12.7 yards per completion, sixth with 18 passing touchdowns and seventh with 226.7 yards of total offense per game. The fifth player in program history to record 200 or more completions in a season, he threw for 2,696 yards to become first Rutgers quarterback to reach 2,000 yards in a season since 2015.
• Monangai, a draft pick of the Chicago Bears, became the first Scarlet Knight to earn First Team All-Big Ten on offense in both the coaches and media votes after rushing for 1,279 yards, second-most in the conference. Later named Fourth Team All-America by
Phil Steele, he finished with the second-most career rushing yards (3,221) in program history and ranks third with 14 100-yard rushing games, seventh with 3,473 all-purpose yards and seventh with 27 rushing touchdowns. Overall, the running back position group had no fumbles for the season, as RB Antwan Raymond scored eight rushing touchdowns, the most in a season for a Rutgers true freshman in program history and second-most among Power Four true freshmen. He totaled 457 rushing yards overall to lead all Big Ten true freshmen and rank fifth among Power Four players in his class in 2024.
• WR Dymere Miller recorded 59 receptions, the ninth-most in a season in program history, and 757 receiving yards, the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2015. WR Ian Strong scored a receiving touchdown in four straight games, the first Scarlet Knight to achieve the feat since 2010, while WR KJ Duff placed fourth in the league among true freshmen with 425 receiving yards. Duff and Strong each placed in the top 10 of the Big Ten for yards per reception, the first time a pair of Scarlet Knights achieved the feat in the same season in the Big Ten era.
• The offensive line earned a spot on the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll for the first time. The Joe Moore Award annually honors the top offensive line in college football based on toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing. OL Hollin Pierce, an honorable mention All-America selection by
Phil Steele, graded out as the No. 11 tackle nationally, No. 6 in the Power Four and No. 2 in the Big Ten by
Pro Football Focus, also claiming the distinction as the first RU offensive lineman to earn a spot on one of the three All-Big Ten teams.
• In 2023, Rutgers was the most improved team in the Big Ten by total offense (+24.1) on the way to securing the program’s first winning season since 2014 and a victory in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights averaged 168.7 rushing yards per game (fifth in the Big Ten), led by the conference’s leading rusher in Monangai (1,262 yards). Monangai was RU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012, voted Second Team All-Big Ten and rated as the top running back in the Big Ten, best in the Power 5 and No. 5 nationally by
Pro Football Focus. The offense had six games with at least 200 rushing yards.
• QB Gavin Wimsatt set a Rutgers quarterback record with 497 rushing yards, most in the Big Ten and No. 20 nationally among quarterbacks. His 143 rushing yards at Indiana set an RU game high for a quarterback. Wimsatt’s 2,232 yards of total offense ranked 10th most in a season in program history, accounting for 20 touchdowns (11 rushing, nine passing).
• Ciarrocca first arrived at Rutgers as wide receivers coach in 2008 in a room that included eventual first-round pick WR Kenny Britt. The wide receiver had eight 100-yard receiving games to set the program record with 1,371 receiving yards in a season, helping the Scarlet Knights to a victory over NC State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. He would earn All-America honors.
• In 2009, Ciarrocca was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped guide QB Tom Savage to Freshman All-America status after setting the Big East record for most passing yards by a true freshman in a season. The Scarlet Knights went 9-4 and defeated UCF in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
• Others to be drafted in the NFL after being coached by Ciarrocca at RU include OL Anthony Davis (first round) and WR Mohamed Sanu (third round).
• Ciarrocca helped Minnesota to a nine-win season and a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2022. The Golden Gophers had two from the offense earn All-America status in C John Michael Schmitz (first team), a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and second-round draft pick of the New York Giants, and RB Mohamed Ibrahim (second team). All five linemen plus Ibrahim, who led the nation with 20 rushing touchdowns and Big Ten with 1,665 rushing yards, and TE Brevyn Spann-Ford earned All-Big Ten honors. The unit ranked third nationally and first in the Big Ten in both third down conversion percentage (52.1) and time of possession (34:31), while being second in the league in rushing offense (207.3) and least sacks allowed (1.15).
• In 2019, Ciarrocca helped Minnesota to an 11-2 record with seven Big Ten wins and a final
Associated Press ranking of No. 10. He was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, which is presented annually to the best assistant coach in college football, as the Golden Gophers joined LSU and Alabama and the only schools in the nation to produce two 1,000-yard receivers (WR Tyler Johnson and WR Rashod Bateman) and a 1,000-yard rusher (RB Rodney Smith). Minnesota averaged 432 yards per game (fourth most in school history in the modern era) and 34.1 points per game (third most in school history in the modern era). The unit rushed for 25 touchdowns and threw for 31, which was the first time in school history that the program reached both of those numbers in the same season. Bateman would later be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft after being voted the Big Ten's Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year in 2019.
• Also in 2019, QB Tanner Morgan set school single-season records in passing yards (3,253), touchdown passes (30), completion percentage (66.0), passing yards per game (250.2), touchdown-interception ratio (4.28) and passing efficiency rating (178.7). The performance led to being a finalist for the Manning Award and a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.
• Ciarrocca worked on the West Virginia staff as an analyst in 2021 and as offensive coordinator for Penn State in 2020. The Nittany Lions placed second in the conference in total offense (430.3), third in scoring (29.8), fourth in passing (256.0) and fifth in rushing (174.3) during the pandemic-shortened season. WR Jahan Dotson led the Big Ten in receiving yards (884) and receiving touchdowns (8) on the way to becoming a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
• Ciarrocca originally came to Minnesota and the Big Ten in 2017 after serving as the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan from 2013-16. The Broncos went 13-1 and finished No. 15 in the AP Poll in 2016, as they averaged 41.6 points per game (ninth most in the nation) and set program records in points (582), total yards (6,737) and touchdowns (75) for the second consecutive season, also leading the nation with only eight turnovers surrendered that season.
• Ciarrocca’s offense included MAC Offensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American WR Corey Davis. Davis was the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and is the all-time leader in FBS history in career yards (5,285) and 100-yard games (27). He is also the only player at the level to amass at least 300 catches, 5,000 yards and over 50 touchdowns.
• Ciarrocca also coached the quarterbacks and mentored QB Zach Terrell, who ended his career as the William V. Campbell Trophy winner after not having any Power Five offers out of high school. In 2016, Terrell passed for 33 touchdowns and threw only four interceptions. In 2015, he finished the season ranked seventh in the country and second in the MAC in quarterback efficiency (162.3).
• In 2015, Ciarrocca coached a dynamic running game led by RB Jamauri Bogan, who was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and Bahamas Bowl MVP after amassing 1,503 yards on the ground. It was the first time since 2008-09 that Western Michigan had 1,000-yard rushers in back-to-back seasons after RB Jarvion Franklin totaled 1,551 yards in 2014.
• Ciarrocca’s offense also featured the most prolific receiving duo in the country in over a decade. The duo of WR Daniel Braverman and Davis were the first receiving pairing since 2002 to total more than 1,400 and 1,300 yards in the same year (Davis recorded 1,436 yards, while Braverman had 1,371). Braverman and Davis were each named to the All-MAC team in 2015. Braverman finished second in the FBS nationally in receptions (108), eighth in receiving yards (1,371) and eighth in receiving touchdowns (12). Davis was fifth in the country in receiving yards (1,436) and receiving touchdowns (13), while placing 12th in receptions (90).
• Ciarrocca was instrumental in the development of first-round pick and Super Bowl-winning QB Joe Flacco during his six seasons (2002-07) at Delaware. That included winning the national championship in 2003. Ciarrocca's Blue Hen 2007 offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring, total offense, passing offense, third down conversion and red zone scoring. He had a pair of quarterbacks drafted into the NFL during his first stint with the Blue Hens, with QB Andy Hall joining Flacco at the next level.
• Ciarrocca's coaching career began at his alma mater, Temple, where he assisted the offensive staff and served as the on-campus recruiting coordinator from 1990-91.
• Ciarrocca stayed on the East Coast, working with Western Connecticut State as the passing game coordinator in 1992, at Delaware Valley College, also as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks and receivers coach, in 1993. He returned to Western Connecticut State as the offensive coordinator for two seasons before heading to coach in the Ivy League for seven seasons. He first coached the wide receivers at Princeton from 1996-99 and then did the same at Penn from 2000-02, where the Quakers boasted the top-ranked passing offense and claimed the 2000 Ivy League championship.
• Ciarrocca is a 1990 graduate of Temple University after starting college as a defensive back at Juniata College and suffering a career-ending injury.
Hometown: Lewisberry, Pa.
Alma Mater: Temple, 1990
Wife: Kim
Children: Daughter, Colby; Son, Cade
2023-present: Rutgers (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2022: Minnesota (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2021: West Virginia (offensive analyst)
2020: Penn State (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2017-19: Minnesota (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2013-16: Western Michigan (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2012: Delaware (running backs)
2011: Richmond (quarterbacks)
2009-10: Rutgers (co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2008: Rutgers (wide receivers)
2002-07: Delaware (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks)
2000-01: Penn (wide receivers)
1996-99: Princeton (wide receivers)
1994-95: Western Connecticut State (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receivers)
1993: Delaware Valley (passing game coordinator/wide receivers)
1992: Western Connecticut State (passing game coordinator/wide receivers)
1990-91: Temple (graduate assistant)
