Countdown to Kickoff: 40 Days (Peyton Ramsey)

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

#40

There are now 40 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener!Next up,Peyton Ramsey!

Peyton Ramsey

-Height: 6’3”

-Weight: 200 pounds

-Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

-Position: Quarterback

At the time, he was Indiana’s first member of the 2016 recruiting class.

When he finally made it official, he wanted other guys to know that he would be a leader from that very moment. Right after he pledged to IU, he said--

“Being a quarterback and being a leader, it’s my job to bring guys in and find guys that want to come to Indiana and win championships.”

That’s certainly a strong statement from a high school senior, but it goes to show what types of players Coach Wilson is starting to bring in. Rankings don’t matter much to him if you can prove you are a winner, and he can see you making an impact in Bloomington. Ramsey is one of those guys. He was a proven leader and winner playing against stellar competition in high school. With the exposure he gained during his games and camps, he was able to select IU over offers from 8 other schools, including Boston College, Illinois, and Wake Forest to name a few. As a senior, he racked up just under 3,000 total yards of offense, and scored 25 times. While he doesn’t have the arm strength that Sudfeld and likely starter Richard Lagow have, he consistently shows his ability to make snap, sound decisions with the football. For an offense that is based on making quick reads and timing more than anything, Ramsey’s ability to make those quick reads makes him a solid fit in the offense.

With Diamont and Cameron back alongside transfer Richard Lagow, there isn’t much room for Ramsey to make the three deep this season. He will likely redshirt, and work on developing his arm strength so that he can challenge defenses vertically in the coming seasons. If all goes as planned, Lagow will be the starter for the next two seasons, which would leave the battle between Danny Cameron, Austin King and Ramsey down the road. King and Ramsey are similar in build and ability, so the guy that shows he can run the offense better will likely have a better shot out of those two. That is a ways away, but Ramsey is the type of guy who will thrive while developing. He will go silent for a few seasons, and then have a really good shot at becoming the Indiana starting quarterback down the line.

He’s smart, he’s talented, he’s a winner. Most importantly?

He’s now a Hoosier.

Share any memories or expectations you have of Peyton Ramsey as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!