Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen was one of seven head coaches to speak Tuesday in Indianapolis at Big Ten Media Days, and while many coaches answered questions centered mainly on N.I.L. and the incoming additions of USC and UCLA to the league, Allen offered some real insight into the pending quarterback competition that will commence with the start of fall camp next week.
Penix Jr. Out
Injury-riddled Michael Penix Jr., who has shown flashes of tremendous talent over the years, transferred in late December to Washington after having been named the starter prior to the 2019 season. Indiana’s problem wasn’t that Penix was ineffective, but that he struggled to stay on the field. His slow start and eventual season-ending injury last year (his fourth in four seasons) exasperated the clear need for the Hoosiers to find stability at quarterback.
Their hope was that their answer could be found in-house, as a former highly touted prospect and Utah transfer in Jack Tuttle was seemingly waiting in the wings.
Tuttle Shows Mixed Results, Then Injured
The eighth pro-style quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class according to 247Sports, Tuttle ranked ahead of names like Zach Wilson, Brock Purdy, Devin Leary, Cam Rising, Michael Penix Jr., Will Levis, Sam Hartman, Kaleb Eleby, Ben Bryant, Clayton Tune, and Davis Brin.
Tuttle had a perfect opportunity to begin his tenure as starter with a bang by knocking off undefeated and #10 Michigan St at home, but a subpar performance (28/52, 188, 0-2) against one of the nation’s worst pass defenses likely cost his team the upset victory. The Hoosiers lost 20-15 despite holding the edge in both yards and first downs.
The following week, Tuttle was able to lead an opening-drive touchdown on national television in prime time against Ohio St, but he was injured on his touchdown throw to current Dallas Cowboy Peyton Hendershot.
While it may seem unfair because he was injured, this caused Tuttle to relinquish his grip on the starting job under center, giving way to true freshman and a fellow former blue chip prospect in Donaven McCulley.
In Steps McCulley
McCulley was the second ranked player for the state of Indiana in the 2021 recruiting class according to 247Sports, but he was thrown to the wolves against the Buckeyes and it seemed to stunt the progression in his short career to this point. While he went on to start 4 games at quarterback for the Hoosiers last season, McCulley completed just 42.7% of his passes and rushed for 135 yds (2.1 ypc).
Indiana had actually begun last season ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Hoosiers failed to win a single Big Ten game and shuffled through quarterbacks at an alarming rate.
Gremel Provides Nice Stopgap
Their final game against Purdue saw IU toss yet another young QB into the fire, this time in the form of walk-on Grant Gremel. Gremel was serviceable (18/30, 147, 0-1), but Purdue ran away with the game 44-7 as former walk-on QB Aidan O’Connell tossed four touchdowns.
This is undoubtedly the most crucial season to date in Allen’s tenure, but he’s had a pretty rough stretch of bad luck at the quarterback position. It’s also important to note that his 26 wins in his first five years at the helm are the most in the history of Indiana football.
Allen’s energetic personality certainly makes him a favorite amongst the media, but he’s also made the necessary changes to his staff and roster following last season.
Change at OC
While naming Walt Bell as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach may seem like an underwhelming choice considering his previous two stops as UMASS head coach and Florida St offensive coordinator, but Bell is still a young and talented mind with a proven track record beyond just recent history.
Bell’s naming as offensive coordinator in early December left one lingering question for the offense as it turned it’s attention towards 2022:
Who will start at quarterback?
New Tiger Blood
A month later, the vision became a bit more clear, as former Missouri starting quarterback and 2020 SEC Co-Freshman of the Year Connor Bazelak arrived in Bloomington.
“Bottom Line is that once that person is named, he’ll be the starter. (I’m) not expecting a dual-situation. At the same time, as we saw last year and learned up close and personal that things happen, injuries happen, and you better have more than one guy that is is going to be able to be your starting quarterback … I feel like we have that with several individuals” Allen told Big Ten media on Tuesday.
While it seems as though Allen hasn’t completely closed to door on Tuttle for now, he’s indicated to be moving on from McCulley as the future at the position in the typical sense.
“(McCulley) has played for us at the quarterback position, (we) have moved him to receiver, but yes, we’ll still be able to have packages for him and that opportunity is because of his skill set that he brings to our football team and it’s all about getting your best players on the field.”
Indiana opens it’s season Friday, September 2 at 8 pm on FS1 when it plays host to Illinois.
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