Meet the Coaches: Walt Bell, Indiana Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach
Editor's Note: Indiana has five new football coaches this year, including two new coordinators. In our five-part ''Meet the Coaches'' series, we'll introduce you to all of them, starting with new offensive coordinator Walt Bell.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Something had to give after Indiana finished last in the Big Ten in yards per game and second-to-last in points per game in 2021, and major changes on the offensive side of the ball had to be made. That started with the man in charge of calling plays when Walt Bell was hired in December as Indiana's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing the fired Nick Sheridan.
Bell started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Memphis in 2007 and made stops at Power 5 schools such as Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Maryland and Florida State along the way. After 12 seasons as an offensive position coach or coordinator, Bell got his first shot to be a head coach in 2019.
Bell served head coach at the University of Massachusetts for three seasons, finishing with a 2-23 record. Bell was fired with three games left in the 2021 campaign after a 1-8 start to the season.
Indiana became the right fit for Bell after initial conversations with head coach Tom Allen revealed similarities in the way the two approach football and also what is important off the field.
"(Tom Allen) is a world-class man and about all of the right things," Bell said. "Hopefully I can help score points and help do the job and do it in a way that satisfies him and the way he wants the program run."
During Bell's introductory press conference on Dec. 12, Bell said his No. 1 offensive philosophy, no matter which level of football he is coaching, is the ability to effectively run the ball. In Bell's mind, this starts with creating advantageous matchups where his players can "dent" the defense.
And once a productive run game is established, Bell's second philosophy is a quick, efficient, well-protected pass game that can create explosive plays. When choosing the right guy for the job, he said it all comes down to evaluating winnable tools. Bell defines this as a quarterback who is a great distributor, can extend plays, wins third downs with his feet and runs situationally.
While Bell has coached a wide range of skill-sets at quarterback at eight different schools, Indiana represents the first time he will truly pick the player he wants under center.
And at Indiana, there is no shortage of options. After talented but oft-injured quarterback Michael Penix Jr. transferred to Washington in the offseason, a true quarterback battle developed, and Bell said this competition has brought the best out of everyone.
Bell and Allen will evaluate and choose from a group of signal-callers that includes Jack Tuttle, a redshirt senior transfer from Utah who has started four games for Indiana in the last two seasons, Connor Bazelak, a redshirt junior transfer from Missouri who has started 20 games across three seasons and threw for 2,548 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season, and Donaven McCulley, a sophomore who had to start four games as a true freshman after injuries to Penix and Tuttle.
Jack Tuttle is in a battle for the starting quarterback job at Indiana. (USA TODAY Sports)
Other quarterbacks on campus include Dexter Williams, a redshirt sophomore who missed all of 2021 with a torn ACL, and Grant Gremel, a redshirt junior who started the 2021 season finale at Purdue.
Throughout Bell's evaluation process this spring, he said McCulley is an unbelievable athlete, he recognized Tuttle's reliability, said Bazelak and Williams both have strong arm talent and noticed that Gremel does the right thing with the ball.
Outside of the quarterback position, there is plenty of evaluation left for Bell, too. Stephen Carr, Indiana's leading rusher in 2021, graduated and backups Tim Baldwin Jr., Chris Childers and Davion Ervin-Poindexter each entered the transfer portal.
And as for weapons on the outside, Ty Fryfogle entered the 2022 NFL Draft and Miles Marshall transferred, leaving D.J. Matthews, who is coming off a torn ACL, as the only receiver with significant experience.
This leaves Bell in a position with plenty of newcomers to evaluate as spring football nears an end.
"To me, that is what spring really is," Bell said. "Trying to identify what ultimately is going to allow us to be at our best on game day on Saturday in the fall."
Related stories on Indiana football
- POWER INDEX RANKINGS: ESPN released its football power rankings, and Indiana is deep down in the middle of the pack. Here are the rankings from No. 1 to No. 131. CLICK HERE
- SHERIDAN OPENS UP ABOUT FIRING: For the first time since he was fired in December, former Indiana offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan sat down for a lengthy interview about what went wrong last season and what led to his firing after two years at the helm. He's now reunited with former boss Kalen DeBoer in Washington. "When you go 2-10, no one can say they did a good job, and that includes me,'' Sheridan said Sunday in Seattle. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA 2022 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: Indiana's 2022 football season starts on Friday, Sept. 2, with a home games under the lights against conference rival Illinois. Here is the Hoosiers' complete schedule. CLICK HERE
