Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The penultimate position group in our pre-season previews is the quarterbacks. As of publication, Tom Allen has not officially announced a starter for the Hoosiers opener against Ball State. He did say on Thursday an announcement will come next week sometime. For the first time in a long time Indiana has loads depth at the position. Peyton Ramsey returns after starting all 12 games a year ago, while highly touted redshirt freshman Michael Penix has made his way back from an ACL injury after playing in three games last year. The Hoosiers also bring in former four-star recruit Jack Tuttle as a transfer from Utah. EDITORS NOTE: I have listed the quarterbacks in alphabetical order and I will not be giving a prediction on who will start a week from Saturday against Ball State.

Michael Penix, Redshirt Freshman- There has been buzz surrounding Michael Penix from the time he committed and ultimately signed with Indiana as part of the 2018 class. That buzz reached a fever pitch when the freshman came in against Penn State and zinged a long, albeit incomplete, pass over the top. Unfortunately, later in the game Penix tore his ACL.

Penix participated in spring practice and has been full go all fall camp. Fans have been clamoring for Penix to take over the offense for quite some time because of his arm talent. He can zip the ball on a line and make all of the throws needed to win games. While he will need to shake off the rust, Penix’s ceiling is really high. In addition to his arm, Penix has the ability to extend plays with his legs as well.

Penix has become more of a vocal leader. In an interview during Fall Camp he said he is, “a lot better leading vocally. I've become a more vocal leader, pushing the team every single day to come out, compete and do their best and give it all out for the team."

Peyton Ramsey, Redshirt Junior- Ramsey is the “returning starter” as Tom Allen puts it and entered camp with the starting job as his to be taken away. Ramsey is full of grit, a guy you want in the foxhole with you, however he has his physical limitations as his throws lack the zip needed to create explosive plays.

Ramsey has thrown for 4,127 yards and 29 touchdowns in his 21 games. While he is the IU career-leader in completion percentage, Ramsey only averaged 6.4 yards per pass last year while throwing 13 interceptions. Ramsey was named the best running quarterback in the Big Ten by Street & Smith’s preview magazine. He has 580 career rushing yards to go along with seven touchdowns.

After the first two weeks of Fall Camp Ramsey gave a self-evaluation, “I've been good, continuing to progress every single day” he said. “I think I've been consistent, stacking good days on top of good days and having a 1-0 mindset like Coach DeBoer talks about. Whether it be a new play or a new practice, approaching it like I'm going to go dominate the next play and not worrying about anything else. So far I've been good, I've been consistent and I'm happy with where I'm at."

Jack Tuttle, Redshirt Freshman- Tuttle is coming in from Utah and will be immediately eligible. His spring was cut short due to an illness, but has performed well in fall camp. Tuttle bring a solid arm and is a sneaky good runner. He is a former four-star recruit and Elite 11 QB participant. He has all the tools to be a really good quarterback, but lacks any game experience. With his redshirt year already used, I could see Tuttle being used in mop up duty to get important game repetitions. Tuttle’s father, Jay, was a walk-on kicker for IU from 1986-88, and he has already expressed his hatred of Purdue. So, Hoosier fans should easily find a place in their heart for him.

The quarterback has to be able to lead his team and with Tuttle joining the team just this past January, he has to earn his teammates’ trust. “it's always tough adjusting to a new environment and new team” Tuttle explained, “but over the last couple months, I've really become fond of this team. They loved me up, I've loved them up. They're my brothers, my best friends now. I love them."

The Huddle

2019 Indiana Football Positional Preview: Quarterbacks

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