Missouri QB Transfer Connor Bazelak Commits to Indiana
/Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
As soon as Michael Penix and the Indiana Hoosiers decided to part ways, it was clear Indiana needed to land a veteran quarterback from the transfer portal. The roster was left with Jack Tuttle, Donaven McCulley and Dexter Williams. None of those three have significant on-field experience and two of the three were not healthy during the 2021 season. After incoming freshman Josh Hoover de-committed, the need for a quarterback from the portal become critical. New offensive coordinator Walt Bell has found his man as IU secured the commitment of Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak, a two-year starter for the Tigers.
Bazelak played briefly in 2019 as a true freshman, completing 15 of 21 passes. He assumed the starting role in 2020, completing 67.3% of his passes for 2,366 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions in a schedule that featured only SEC opponents. The highlights of that campaign were games against LSU in early October (29-34 for 406 yards with four touchdowns) and a late season 50-48 win over Arkansas where he was 32 of 49 for 380 yards. The Tigers entered 2021 with expectations of winning eight or more games but things never quite came together as the defense struggled mightily all season. Bazelak started all season despite injuring his hamstring early on. He completed 65.3% of his passes for 16 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Standout performances included 34-51 for 294 yards with four touchdowns against Kentucky, 21-30 for 346 yards with three touchdowns against Southeast Missouri, 30-41 for 303 yards in an overtime defeat at Boston College and 22-28 for 218 against Vanderbilt. Bazelak was a team captain for the Tigers and stands 6’3”.
Connor Bazelak was born in Dayton, Ohio and played high school football at a school that ran a triple option offense. Watching his games at Missouri, he had good pocket presence and was mobile enough in the pocket to elude pressure. However, he is definitely not a threat to beat an opponent with his legs. At least, he was not at Missouri. He showed pretty good athleticism in high school and it’s possible Walt Bell will utilize that now that Bazelak’s leg will be fully healthy. Bazelak averaged 6.8 yards per attempt in 2021. For comparisons sake, Michael Penix and Donaven McCulley were both at 5.8 yards per attempt in 2021, and Jack Tuttle averaged 4.9 yards per pass. Missouri did not appear to trust the downfield passing ability of Bazelak all that much as they rarely looked to take long deep shots. Bazelak can throw the ball deep, it’s just not been a strength of his so far in his career. The reasons for optimism surrounding this addition: Bazelak can be an accurate passer and has had success against strong SEC defenses. He has experience playing in big games and nothing he sees in the Big Ten is likely to surprise him. In 2020, he was really good. Bazelak showed excellent pocket presence, accuracy, toughness and put up big numbers against good teams in winning performances. If he was healthy in 2021 or if the Tigers had a competent defense, it’s very possible he keeps the Missouri starting job and is the quarterback of an eight or nine-win team. On the surface, the negatives would be: Bazelak regressed just a bit in 2021. That very well may have been the result of his health but still, it must be mentioned. He wasn’t quite as good in 2021 as he was in 2020. He is capable of throwing it deep but it does not appear to be a strength. Bazelak has not shown the ability to make plays with his legs, something that could be a real problem if IU’s offensive line does not improve a lot.
Connor Bazelak will compete with Jack Tuttle, Donaven McCulley and Dexter Williams for the starting quarterback position. Based on previous production and what they have shown in college, Bazelak should certainly be considered the favorite to land that job. With a new offensive system being put in place and a whole offseason for things to change, it’s impossible to make that call now and time will tell who ends up leading the squad when IU opens against Northwestern. This was a position IU had to address and they have done so with an experienced SEC signal-caller.