Countdown to 2019 IUFB Kickoff: 12 Days (Peyton Ramsey)

Written by Nathan Comp

#12

The Hoosier Huddle countdown to kickoff is in its final leg. Under two weeks remain until the Hoosiers kickoff the 2019 season in Indianapolis against the Ball State Cardinals. Today we will highlight incumbent starting quarterback, Peyton Ramsey.

Peyton Ramsey (Redshirt Junior)

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 216 Pounds

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Position: Quarterback

Another summer draws to a close, and with it Indiana fans once again find quarterback Peyton Ramsey in the thick of a quarterback competition. For the third straight year Ramsey is battling for the starting position; a position in which he has ultimately earned the past two seasons. This year, he faces two fellow quarterbacks: the dual threat and strong-armed lefty Mike Penix, along with the highly touted transfer and sneakily athletic right-hander Jack Tuttle. Ramsey ultimately took over the starting job from Richard Lagow in week four of 2017 and beat out Penix and graduate transfer Brandon Dawkins in 2018.

At Ramsey’s best, he has proven himself to be a threat both through the air and on the ground. He holds the school record for highest completion percentage (65.8), is 10th in total offensive yards (4,707), and has tallied six games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown. Arguably his best performance was his first real shot at captaining the Hoosier offense, a road victory in 2017 against ACC foe Virginia. After Lagow got off to a slow start, Ramsey came in to replace him. The offense immediately clicked, allowing Ramsey to throw for two touchdowns and rush for one more in an ultimately victorious effort. Since then, Hoosier fans have really come to know Ramsey as he has started the majority of the games the past two seasons.

The argument against Ramsey is simple. After two 5-7 seasons, many feel the story on him has been written. They feel his ceiling has been reached; he is consistent enough to beat lesser opponents, but limited arm strength to push the ball down the field will never allow for defenses to respect him, thus stalling the Indiana offense and hitting the ceiling at five wins. Others argue that the arm strength knock is simply a result of the prior regime’s play calling. This season should be a telling one to whether or not this is true, as newly hired offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer has a much higher propensity to push the ball downfield, something Mike DeBord rarely did.

No matter what happens in this quarterback competition, expect to see Peyton Ramsey in some form this season. He is the incumbent starter and one of either Penix or Tuttle will have to take the QB1 spot from him.