Jack Tuttle Takes Center Stage for Hoosiers

Jack Tuttle (14) launches a pass Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Redshirt sophomore Jack Tuttle has walked a long and winding road on his path to becoming the starting quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was a quarterback at Mission Hills High School in California and was named the San Diego Section Player of the Year, earning a spot in the 2017 Elite 11 Finals. Tuttle was a four-star prospect that chose to play for the University of Utah but he quickly decided the Salt Lake City school was not a good fit for him and he transferred to Bloomington. Prior to the 2019 season, Tuttle became very ill with mononucleosis. The illness set him back and made him a clear third on the depth chart behind Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix. Tuttle was able to play sparingly in five games, throwing only 11 passes all season. He kept working hard and according to coaches, improved dramatically during the 15 additional practices prior to the Gator Bowl. The improvement has continued during fall camp and into the season.

“I think the consistency has really helped,” Tom Allen told the media on Monday when asked about Jack Tuttle. “I think we got four practices in back in the spring before everything was stopped, but then we came back with the system not changing. That has been a big benefit for him and his development. I think he was consistent across the board and our staff was impressed and thought he was playing at a level that we brought him here to play at.”

Tom Allen knows it will be a challenge as IU travels to battle Wisconsin but he believes Tuttle will be ready.

“This is why he came here. He was a highly-recruited player out of high school and has a lot of arm talent. He just needs to understand that he has a lot of talent around him. You only get those opportunities when they are presented and this situation has presented itself to him and he needs to take it on,” Allen said.

The next challenge for Indiana’s offense is a stiff one. The Wisconsin Badgers have only played three games but they surrendered only seven points to Illinois, 11 points to Michigan and 17 against Northwestern. The Fighting Illini were held to only 87 yards passing in the opener, Michigan had only 172 passing yards and Northwestern was held to 239 yards through the air. While the opponent will be tough and the stakes for Indiana are incredibly high, the coaches have faith in Tuttle’s ability to lead this squad.

“Jack Tuttle is a special player, too. I know that he has not played a lot here, but he has a big-time arm and has tremendous football instincts and football IQ. He is extremely bright but his greatest quality is his work ethic. Same with Dexter Williams II, who is now our backup quarterback. We recruited these guys to come here and they have dreams, too. When the opportunity presents itself, you step up and seize those moments. That is what great teams do.”