With Tuttle Heading to the Portal After the Season, the Door is Opening for Dexter Williams
/Written by: Zach Greene (@zachegreene)
Back-up quarterback Jack Tuttle announced Monday that he was entering the transfer portal, but not until after the season. This is rare and while he will still be the back-up option at quarterback, it does open the door for dual-threat quarterback Dexter Williams.
“The biggest thing for me is continuing to clean up his pocket fundamentals and throwing base.” Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell said of Williams. “Those are little things that we get a chance to do every single day. He’s getting to refine his skills. He’s gonna be a really good football player. As the reps get smaller you got to make the most of the concentrated periods. If he prepares every day and studies every day, he’s going to be a guy that has a chance to be a really good player when called upon.”
Meanwhile, Tuttle’s decision to stay centered around his love for the program and its players.
"I love my teammates and I'm not going to leave them in the season,'' said Tuttle to Sports Illustrated Editor Tom Brew on Monday. "I know there are a ton of other people in the NCAA who leave in the middle of the season and I'm not going to do that. Nor will I let this be a distraction or affect how I prepare and lead the team. This just gives me the best chance to play next year and be in the best spot.”
Last year was supposed to be Williams’ development year, but he suffered a torn ACL which set his development back a year.
Williams comes from Mount De Sales Academy in Macron, Georgia where he was an all-state selection and led his team to their first regional championship game in 23 years. His junior and senior seasons, he padded the stat sheet with over 5,000 passing yards and 61 touchdowns. He was the No.21 ranked dual-threat QB according to 247 Sports. He was former IU offensive coordinator Kalen Deboer’s only quarterback recruit.
Walt Bell and Dexter know that he needs to work on to become the player he wants to be.
“He’s awesome. He’s super talented. Got a cannon. He’s great in the locker room. Supportive and couldn’t say enough good things about him.” Starting Quarterback Connor Bazelak said on Monday.
Dexter Williams is a people have had their eyes on to take over the starting quarterback job. If it’s not now, it could be soon. We’ll see how the program does on Saturday against Rutgers, but if they don’t pull out a win in Jersey then Williams is someone whom they might call on to boost the morale of the program.