Coming out of high school, there were not many quarterbacks better than Jack Tuttle.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback was a four-star quarterback, rated as the nation’s fourth best pro-style quarterback and earned a place in the 2017 Elite 11 Finals all while throwing for over 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns and completed close to 70 percent of his passes.
He surprised everyone when he committed to Utah over offers from the likes of Alabama, Southern California, Nebraska and LSU. He surprised even more people when he opted to transfer out of Utah for Indiana, where his father, Jay was a walk-on kicker for Bill Mallory. Despite the bumpy road to Bloomington, the Indiana coaching staff is thrilled to have the redshirt sophomore on the roster.
Indiana first-year offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan told the media this week that Tuttle has a great relationship with his teammates, including starting quarterback Michael Penix.
“I am proud of the room we have and the relationships among the players,” Sheridan said.
All that is nice, but how is the quarterback progressing on the field?
“Jack is making improvements and has come miles since he first got here," Sheridan added. "He has gained the trust and confidence of his teammates and continues to get better. His knowledge and comfortability with his teammates and his ability to communicate with them is where he has really improved."
Head coach Tom Allen has mentioned several times during fall camp that Tuttle has been throwing the ball well and has impressed.
A season ago, Tuttle entered Indiana in the spring of 2019 and found himself on the outside looking in of a quarterback battle between Penix and Peyton Ramsey. Sheridan acknowledges Tuttle was playing catch-up immediately.
“For Jack, obviously, last year in training camp, it was becoming a two-man competition and the reps diminished and he continued to work,” Sheridan said.
However, as the season wore on and Penix was lost for the season and Ramsey became the starter, Tuttle moved to second on the depth chart.
And, despite only throwing for 34 yards on 6-of-11 passing in five games, Tuttle made the most of his opportunities and reps in practice, including the Gator Bowl practices.
“The banked reps he did get over the season and the bowl practices and modified spring benefitted him because he’s gotten more reps and gotten better," Sheridan said. "Typically, the third string quarterback doesn’t get many reps, and that’s where he kind of fell. He just got here and was learning last year."
This season, the offense belongs solely to Penix, but if Tuttle and the coaching staff learned anything last year, it is the next man has to be ready at a moment’s notice.
And Penix has noticed a change in Tuttle, telling the media his teammate exudes confidence.
“I’ve seen a lot of progress out of Jack. I’ve seen a lot of confidence. He can make every throw on the field," Penix said. "His understanding of the offense and why we do everything. That’s one thing me and him connect with. We always talk and make sure we are on the same page. Jack is a great player for us, he can make all the throws, and I’m definitely glad to have him."
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
