5/21/2022 football Edit

Tuttle and Bazelak compete in an offseason quarterback battle

Kevin Vera • TheHoosier

Staff Writer

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As spring practices wrap up in Bloomington the question still stands on who will be the next Indiana quarterback. The race for the starting role is wide open with six different names on the roster.

After the quarterback position was derailed by injuries back in 2021 the Hoosiers are in search of a new face at the quarterback position.

As the teams finished up the spring season, Indiana heads into the summer still unsure of who will take over the starting role but is in the middle of picking its next man under center.

Jan 2, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Jack Tuttle (14) against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Just a season ago Indiana was led by Michael Penix Jr. but now the former Indiana quarterback finds himself in a new home at the University of Washington. All four seasons that Penix played at Indiana were riddled with injuries with his final season at Indiana coming to an end during the week five matchup against Penn State. Penix suffered a separated left shoulder which not only ended his season but his career at Indiana.

Now, the Hoosiers will bring in six different quarterbacks entering the 2022 season all of whom are looking for that QB one role but the race is coming down to two specific guys in that quarterback room.

Indiana announced earlier this year the commitment of quarterback Connor Bazelak from the University of Missouri. The former four-star recruit saw three games of action back in 2019 but in his two full seasons at Missouri, Bazelak threw for 5,058 yards and 25 total touchdowns during his time at Missouri. Bazelak also received SEC freshman of the year back in his first season with the Tigers in 2020.

Bazelak’s highlight of his collegiate career so far came back on Oct. 10, 2020, when the Missouri Tigers faced off against LSU. Bazelak threw for 406 yards and four touchdowns against the Tigers while also finishing the game with an 85.3 completion percentage making it the second highest completion percentage in Missouri history. A 94.2 quarterback rating is the highest rating Bazelak has received in any game of his career after he pulled off the 45-41 win. All of this came in only his second career start.

Bazelak has seen some time under pocket during spring practices and head coach Tom Allen has liked what he's seen from the Missouri transfer.

“He brings a ton of experience, threw for a whole bunch of yards and touchdowns in the SEC, and had a lot of success at Missouri. That experience is invaluable just the poise he brings you can see it in the scrimmage situations during practice. He just brings in a kinda real calm confidence to the huddle.” Allen said.

Nov 26, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Connor Bazelak (8) throws a pass during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium. (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports) (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)

On the other hand, Indiana could see a familiar face at the start of the new season. Senior Jack Tuttle saw limited action last season due to his year ending during the opening drive against Ohio State back on Oct. 30. Tuttle came back three weeks later from the injury against Rutgers having 10 passing attempts on the year but then was shut down for the rest of the season. In six games last year Tuttle threw for 423 yards with 2 touchdowns on the year while having a quarterback rating of 26.6.

The most action Indiana has seen from Tuttle goes back to Oct. 16 2021 just this past season. Tuttle totaled 188 yards, completing 28-of-52 passes. Tuttle did not record a touchdown on the day and threw two interceptions against the Spartans in the week six matchup.

Although Tuttle was unable to finish out the 2021 season as the starting quarterback, Tuttle has shown Allen his determination and leadership to the team.

“Jack has worked his tail off, he's very driven. He was one of the first guys to come see me after the season was over and has really taken a ton of ownership and leadership role at a high level.” Allen said. "I love it. He's really determined to help this team in whatever way possible and he wants to be the guy, there's no doubt.”

Whoever earns the starting role will have to work with a new offensive scheme. Indiana announced the acquisition of former University of Massachusetts head coach Walt Bell earlier this year. Bell will take over as the offensive coordinator while also being the quarterback's coach for the Hoosiers. Bell has had experience in the past being both the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach while taking on the same role at Arkansas State University, University of Maryland, and Florida State University.

With the new offense now in the new hands of Bell and Allen, Allen is looking for the eventual starting quarterback to put points on the board for Indiana.

“Bottom line is we have to find a way to score points, that's the bottom line. There are different variables, different styles of offense, and different schemes but at the end of the day in today's game, the way the rules are structured you just see across the country people score a lot of points. You have to be able to match that to me.” Allen said. “That's the bottom line. For us to be able to be in that position to be able to do that at our best that's the goal… So whoever can do that the best and help us score points, to me is going to be that guy.”

The race between the two Indiana quarterbacks still holds on tight in competition but Allen is sure that this competitiveness will bring out the best in both players.

“It's a highly competitive situation right now. I got several guys in that room that are competing to be that guy and haven't named the starter yet because we gotta have a guy separate themselves…Competition makes us who we are…The more competition the better. I want those guys to go into this whole summer with that mindset that they gotta find a way to separate themselves.”