Breaking: Indiana QB Jack Tuttle Enters Transfer Portal for 2023, Will Stay at IU Through Season
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle wants to play college football in 2023, and he knows that can't be at Indiana. The redshirt senior, who lost the starting job to Connor Bazelak at the start of the season entered the NCAA transfer portal on Monday morning.
But unlike most other transfers, he's staying at Indiana throughout the 2022 season and still hopes to help the Hoosiers win some football games this year. It's an odd decision, entering the portal now while staying in school, but a lot of the reasoning behind the timing has to do with school schedules and giving himself the best opportunity to find a new home in 2023 without leaving his teammates this year.
"I love my teammates and I'm not going to leave them in the season,'' Tuttle told HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew on Monday morning in an exclusive interview. "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.
"I love my teammates, I really do. I love Bloomington, and I love my school, but that's really it. There's a lot that kind of goes into it. I have one full year left to play the great game of football in college, and maybe in my life. I have been extremely loyal to IU for the past four years, and I'm going to remain loyal to IU through the end of this season. But by being in the portal now, I'm giving myself the time to find the best place for next year and my final season.''
Tuttle, who was elected as a team captain this year by the players, is currently in the MBA program at the prestigious Kelley School of Business at Indiana. They are on the quarter system, and one ends this week. Another one starts in a few weeks and run into February.
Because his potential new school might be on the semester system and start in January, he cannot be dual enrolled at two different schools and be on scholarship. So he has worked very hard with the NCAA and the Indiana compliance department to come up with a solution. This way, he can stay at Indiana and finish out the season, but then transfer without sitting out at the end of the year.
"Getting into (the academics and scholarship ramifications of the trasnfer) is difficult situation,'' Tuttle said. "A lot of schools are on the semester system, and some are on the quarter system. Our graduate program for Kelley, one of the quarters ends in the middle of the season, and the next one ends in February. That gets in the way It gets in the way of another school that might start in January.
"We've worked with compliance and the NCAA with the best way to figure that out. The easiest way to do that would be to leave when this quarter ends in the middle of the season, but that's not what I do. I'm not leaving my team in the middle of the season. So we've worked it out where I can be here throughout the rest of the season and then be somewhere else in January. I'm glad we got all of that worked out.''
Tuttle has been at Indiana for four seasons now. He transferred to Indiana after one year at Utah, and after sitting out a year, he learned the system while sitting behind starters Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey. He became the starter last year after Penix injured his shoulder, but them Tuttle missed time himself with an ankle injury as Indiana's season disintegrated without him and Penix availab.e
In January, Tuttle looked to be the starter coming into the season. Indiana recruited Connor Bazelak out of the transfer portal and the former Missouri starter competed with Tuttle all spring and summer.
Tuttle took the majority of No. 1 reps in camp and thought he was going to be the starting quarterback heading into the season. But Indiana coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell instead announced that Bazelak would start just prior to the season opener.
Indiana is 3-4 thus far, and Bazelak has played every snap at center. He's thrown for 1,889 yards, with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
"Obviously, I didn't agree with the decision coming into the season, and that was tough for me. But I'm not going to bail on my team when things get tough,'' Tuttle said. "I love these guys, I really do. It's exciting to be a leader on this team, and we're going to keep rolling on the field.
"It means a lot to me, being a captain. It's not something we take lightly around here. It was an honor for me. Since January, when we started back up to get things going, C4 (Cam Jones), (AJ) Barner, Monster (Devon Matthews), Tiawan (Mullen), we really got started make everyone more accountable, and I think we've done that. It's extremely difficult. I stated before that I didn't agree with the decision at all. It was tough for me right away. I just needed to take a second to control what I could control. and come back and tell the boys I'm going to be here for you and I'm not going anywhere. You've got to stick it out and grind through the adversity, and I'm going to do that for my boys.''
Tuttle said he still prepares as a starter every week and takes his captain role seriously, helping all of his teammates every day. That includes Bazelak, whom he calls 'a good kid.
"That's all I want to do, is stay prepared for my team every week and help them succeed every Saturday,'' Tuttle said. "When I see my guys take things from the practice field to the game field, I love it. I'm so proud of them. A lot of people think it's going to be weird, and maybe some of the process is weird at first (being with Bazelak all day). But at the end of the day, all we can control is what we can control, and it's all about helping your teammates. I'm not going to come into the facility moping, and I'm going to help Connor, too. He's a teammate, too.'
"First and foremost, I don't look at myself as the backup. I performed through fall camp and spring ball, and I still look at myself as the starter going to work every week. My confidence is still extremely high, and that plays a huge role in playing at a high level and being ready to go if the opportunity presents itself. I still perceive it that I'm that guy, and it helps with what I believe.''
Tuttle already has a finance degree from Kelley, and looks forward to finishing his MBA program while looking for a new school. He has one year of eligibility remaining, and he does not have to sit out a year.
"The old Kelley MBA program, that's a tough one for sure, right,'' Tuttle said of his academic challenges in Bloomington. "It's great, the faculty is great. I'm working on my MBA with an emphasis in finance. My undergrad, I got supply chain with a business analytics background so I really wanted to go into the graduate program and dip my toe in every single area of business for when I need to get a job someday.
"Football, it does end for everyone. Maybe not Tom Brady, I'll take that back. I wanted to be prepared for whatever life throws at me. I'm extremely blessed to be in the MBA program and I'm super grateful for everyone who's helped me. It's been a challenge, and it's a great accomplishment to get it done. I'm going to keep working to get that done and graduate.''
For Tuttle, it's all about finishing the 2022 season strong with his teammates and best friends. The San Marcos, Calif., native who's played in 14 games at Indiana and led the Hoosiers to a huge win at Wisconsin to close out a 6-1 regular season in 2020, said he's loved his time here in Bloomington, and he'll see it through to the end.
"My teammates, I appreciate you guys. I frickin' love you guys. I appreciate Hoosier Nation and I appreciate everyone supporting me,'' Tuttle said. "I'll always appreciate being a Hoosier.''
