Indiana football head coach, Tom Allen, along with the leaders of the football program, took the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium on the opening day of the 2022 Big Ten Media Days on July 26.
Anybody questioning the leadership and coaching abilities of Tom Allen after Tuesday’s press conference aren’t listening or paying attention. After last season’s two-win season, Indiana football seemed to instill faith and confidence in Hoosier nation as we are less than 40 days away from kickoff against the Fighting Illini on September 2nd at Memorial Stadium.
You can watch Tom Allen’s press conference HERE and Tiawan Mullen, Cam Jones, and AJ Barner who spoke on the Big Ten Network HERE.
Here’s what was revealed from Tom Allen and the Indiana football program at the Big Ten Media Days:
#5. The QB competition is still up in the air
As expected, one of the main focuses from the media was about the quarterback competition between Connor Bazelak (Missouri transfer) and Jack Tuttle. It seems as though Bazelak will come out on top based on his experience and statistics in the SEC, but Tuttle has the tools to be a strong backup, which he has three years of experience behind the injury-riddled Michael Penix Jr.
Coach Allen loves the competition factor. Over the past four seasons, Penix Jr. has been the clear-cut choice as the starting quarterback every off-season, and that never changed, until he eventually transferred and moved on from the Indiana football program. Allen had many positive things to say about the quarterback competition and how it’s only making the offense and quarterbacks prove themselves every day.
"“…we will go through this process of evaluating our guys – and I will say, by design, we came out of spring football and felt like there wasn’t a clear guy to name, so didn’t do that. But I love the competition piece to the process and to be able to have to prove it ever single day all summer long now into fall camp.”"
Allen did make it clear that a starter will be named before kickoff in Bloomington in September, and once that decision is made as Bazelak or Tuttle, that player will have the starting job unless an injury or some unforeseen circumstance occurs. If any program knows that anything can happen once a season starts, it’s the Hoosiers.