Indiana Quarterback Connor Bazelak Enters Transfer Portal
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak announced on Monday that he has entered the transfer portal. Bazelak has two years of remaining eligibility as a graduate transfer.
Bazelak finished his lone season at Indiana with a 55.2 completion percentage, which ranked 14th among Big Ten quarterbacks. He completed 235-of-426 passes for 2,312 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in nine starts.
Bazelak arrived at Indiana before the 2022 season following three years at Missouri. After competing against Jack Tuttle for the starting job all offseason, Bazelak was named the starter for Week 1 against Illinois. Early returns for Bazelak at Indiana were promising when he led a game-winning drive to beat Illinois and sparked similar late-game magic against Western Kentucky to begin 3-0.
But as Bazelak struggled with inaccuracy and turnovers, and Indiana's up-tempo offense hit a wall under first-year coordinator Walt Bell midway through the season. Indiana let prime opportunities for wins against Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers slip away, dooming the Hoosiers' hopes of reaching a bowl game. At times, Indiana's hyper-speed, spread-out style kept defenses on its heels, but it became far too inconsistent with a shaky offensive line and struggling run game.
Bazelak didn't play against Penn State, and he was benched after three three-and-out possessions at Ohio State. When Dexter Williams II went down with an injury against Purdue, Bazelak played the remaining three quarters, but Indiana scored just nine points, six of which came on the final play of the game with the outcome decided.
Indiana's quarterback room has become seriously thin just three days after the conclusion of the 2022 season with Bazelak, Jack Tuttle and Grant Gremel entering the transfer portal. This leaves Williams, whose status for the 2023 season is unknown after suffering a knee injury against Purdue, along with true freshman Brendan Sorsby, walk-on Will Jontz and incoming freshman Broc Lowry as the remaining quarterbacks on the 2023 roster. Indiana coach Tom Allen will likely have to bring in another quarterback through the transfer portal.
Related stories on Indiana football
- GREMEL IN TRANSFER PORTAL: Grant Gremel, a walk-on quarterback at Indiana who started the 2021 Old Oaken Bucket game, entered the transfer portal on Monday. CLICK HERE
- CAMPBELL IN TRANSFER PORTAL: Indiana kicker Charles Campbell entered the transfer portal on Monday after five years as a Hoosier, ending his career with a perfect 73-for-73 mark on extra points and 39-for-51 on field goals. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Several decisions by Indiana football coach Tom Allen and his staff have backfired over the past two seasons, and now that a 4-8 disaster is over, how hard is it going to be to keep Indiana's best players in town? It's Allen's biggest challenge, for sure. CLICK HERE
