Indiana QB Connor Bazelak Discusses Manning Passing Academy Experience
Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak competed at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. over the weekend.
While there, Bazelak served as a camp counselor, play caller and coach for young football players. He also competed against his collegiate peers in a number of competitions, and perhaps most importantly, Bazelak spent the weekend absorbing advice from some of football's greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Archie Manning is the executive director of the camp, while Peyton, Eli and Cooper Manning serve as senior associate directors.
"The Mannings are great," Bazelak said in a conversation with Indiana football radio analyst Rhett Lewis. "I'm super grateful for this opportunity and experience just to be able to get coached by the Mannings and interact with them at night and kind of just pick their brains. It's so much help for the season and offseason as a leader and getting the guys right."
Bazelak was one of 45 college quarterbacks to receive an invite to the event, and Houston quarterback Clayton Tune won the Nike Air it Out Challenge.
Bazelak joined four other Big Ten quarterbacks at the camp, including Purdue's Aidan O'Connell, Iowa's Spencer Petras, Ohio State's CJ Stroud and Penn State's Sean Clifford. Other notable quarterbacks include reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama, Georgia's Stetson Bennett, Mississippi State's Will Rogers, Wake Forest's Sam Hartman, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler, Kentucky's Will Levis and Virginia's Brennan Armstrong, among others.
"It's great, I had fun with the guys," Bazelak said. "It was great getting to know the other quarterbacks and compete with them to see where you kind of stack up watching the other guys throw. It's also just building connections. You play against a lot of these guys, you see them after the game, and it's great to continue to build those relationships."
Bazelak transferred to Indiana this offseason after spending his first three collegiate seasons at Missouri. In 2019, he appeared in three games for the Tigers, including his first career start in the season finale at Arkansas when he completed 7-of-9 passes for 80 yards. Bazelak tore his ACL in the first half against Arkansas and took a redshirt year for the 2019 season.
In 2020, Bazelak was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year by the coaches after throwing for 2,366 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions. He completed 67.3 percent of passes that year and also rushed for two touchdowns.
In 2021, Bazelak started 11 games for Mizzou, throwing for over 300 yards three times. Overall, he threw for 2,548 yards, completing 246-of-377 attempts with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Bazelak is now competing for the starting quarterback position at Indiana with Jack Tuttle, who has appeared in 14 games with four starts in four seasons as a Hoosier. Sophomore Donaven McCulley, who appeared in seven games at quarterback for Indiana in 2021, is reportedly moving to wide receiver ahead of the 2022 season.
Indiana opens its season on Friday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. ET against Illinois.
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