Quarterback, running back among most interesting battles as IU football camp begins

After finishing what in August was considered one of the most promising seasons in Indiana football history with a 2-10 record and 0-9 mark in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers were in need of a program re-set, and they certainly got one.

Of the 38 players who started at least one game on offense or defense for the Hoosiers last season, 17 either ran out of eligibility, transferred, entered the NFL draft or simply moved on from football. At nine of the 22 positions, they will not return a player who started a game last season and at 12 of the 22, they will not return the player who started the season opener against Iowa.

Meanwhile, the Hoosiers added 15 transfers with 12 of those coming from Power 5 conferences. They also brought in 20 freshmen, including four 4-star recruits who could compete for rotation spots or possibly even starting jobs.

That means there could be a number of new faces in the starting lineup, and many of the returning starters aren't necessarily safe in their positions. Preseason camp begins Tuesday, and here are five of the most interesting battles to be decided between then and the season opener at home against Illinois on Sept. 2.

Quarterback

Tom Allen and new offensive coordinator Walt Bell rebuilt the quarterback room after injuries to Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle forced freshman Donaven McCulley and then walk-on Grant Gremel into starting roles.

Though Penix Jr. transferred to Washington after a decorated but injury-riddled four years with the Hoosiers and the talented McCulley moved to wide receiver, the Hoosiers still have much more depth at the position than they did a season ago, opening camp with four healthy scholarship quarterbacks plus a walk-on with experience in Gremel.

The competition for the starting job, however, is down to the healed-up Tuttle and Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak, and it is apparently close heading into August. Bazelak has much more prolific career numbers, throwing for 5,058 yards and 23 touchdowns in three seasons at Missouri as the full-time starter for most of 2020 and 2021. Tuttle started two games at the end of 2020 after Penix tore his ACL and two more in 2021 between Penix's shoulder injury and his own ankle injuries and has thrown for just 819 career yards and four touchdowns.

The addition of Bell means neither quarterback is familiar with the system. However, Tuttle is familiar with his teammates in his fourth season in the program and has made a point of amplifying his leadership this offseason. It was his idea to create a PowerPoint presentation along with linebacker Cam Jones when the players returned to campus in January to give returning and new teammates an idea of what the on- and off-the-field standards would be for the program.

Allen doesn't think either separated himself from the other in the Spring, but said the sooner he can appropriately distinguish one as the starter, the better.

"We'll have a starter named before the opener," Allen said. "But the bottom line is that, once that person is named, he'll be the starter. Not expecting a dual situation, but at the same time, as we saw last year and we learned up close and personal, that things happen, injuries happen, and you'd better have more than one guy that's going to be able to be your starting quarterback in your program. So I feel like we have that with several individuals."

Running Back

The running back room had to be rebuilt almost entirely with starter Stephen Carr running out of eligibility, walk-on backups Davion Ervin-Poindexter and Chris Childers transferring after the season, backup Tim Baldwin Jr. transferring during the season and multi-back David Ellis Jr. opting for a medical hardship waiver last week, ending his college career due to a leg injury while staying on scholarship. Even running backs coach Deland McCullough moved on, taking the same position at Notre Dame, then taking four-star recruit Gi'Bran Payne with him.

The Hoosiers return just three running backs who carried the ball at least once last season with walk-on and former New Palestine star Charlie Spegal leading the way with 19 for 62 yards. However, they did hit the transfer portal, adding Shaun Shivers from Auburn and Josh Henderson from North Carolina. They also added speedy freshman Jaylin Lucas and return redshirt freshmen David Holloman and Trent Howland, so they have five scholarship backs in camp.

Through spring, it appeared that Shivers was in the lead for the starting job. The 5-7, 189-pounder rushed for 1,020 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons at Auburn and also proved he can catch the ball out of the backfield with 22 receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown in 2021. He hasn't been an every-down back before though. Henderson (5-11, 214) and Holloman (6-0, 205) have more conventional builds for the position, Howland (6-3, 235) gives the Hoosiers a much bigger option and Lucas (5-9, 185) might have the most breakaway speed of the group. They could each challenge Shivers or at least be part of a running back rotation.

Outside Wide Receiver

Slot receiver D.J. Matthews returns after earning a medical redshirt following an ACL tear against Western Kentucky last season and junior A.J. Barner is the heir apparent to tight end Peyton Hendershot. However, the two outside wide receiver spots are wide open with Ty Fryfogle now with Hendershot in Dallas Cowboys camp and Miles Marshall having transferred to Miami (Ohio).

North Carolina transfer Emery Simmons, Tennessee transfer Andison Coby and junior college transfer Cam Camper should each have a crack at starting jobs with Camper having posted a particularly impressive spring. McCulley also has a chance to start. The 6-5, 210-pounder from Lawrence North has never played the position before, but the converted quarterback has plenty of speed, and the Hoosiers were thrilled with what they saw from him in the spring.

Junior Jovon Swinton and sophomore Malachi Holt-Bennett could also get at least a look at starting spots. Plus, Bell believes in uptempo offense and has roots in the Air Raid offense, so four-wide receiver sets and extensive rotations at the position aren't out of the question. Redshirt freshman Jacquez Smith and freshman former Lawrence North star Omar Cooper could factor in as well.

Left and Right Guard

The Hoosiers clearly need better offensive line play than they had a year ago when the running game never really got rolling and two quarterbacks suffered serious injuries.

The Hoosiers seem set at tackle with Luke Haggard returning on the left side and Matthew Bedford moving out to right tackle to take over for Caleb Jones who, entered the NFL draft. Dwight Powell is gone at center but Zach Carpenter seems to be the obvious choice to take that position after playing it at Michigan.

The guard positions seem a little more up for grabs. Mike Katic started most of the season on the left side and Allen was happy with what he did in spring, but his spot is not certain. The right guard position is completely open.

Allen suggested the line as a whole is wide open for competition, but had a list of names of players he was impressed with. He mentioned transfer Parker Hanna, returners Tim Weaver, Kahlil Benson, Randy Holtz and freshman Carter Smith as blockers he finds intriguing. Benson in particular had a strong spring and might be the favorite at right guard at the moment, but Allen wants to see if he carried momentum into the summer.

Middle Linebacker

Cam Jones returns for his fifth year as the starter at the Stinger position, assuring the Hoosiers still have a captain in the linebacking corps. However, his close friend and two-time All-Big Ten pick Micah McFadden entered the draft and was taken in the fifth round by the New York Giants, so the Hoosiers are in need of a new Mike linebacker.

As they did everywhere they had an opening, the Hoosiers added transfers in sixth-year senior Bradley Jennings Jr. from Miami (Fla.) and fourth-year junior Jared Casey from Kentucky. Both had strong performances in the Spring, but so did fifth-year senior Aaron Casey, who will wear No. 44 as Indiana's first recipient of the George Taliaferro Award. All three will see playing time, but the competition for the starting job should be a tight one.

Also part of the discussion is four-star recruit Dasan McCullough, who starred as an edge rusher for Bloomington South as a senior when his father Deland returned to Indiana from the Kansas City Chiefs. At Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan., he got work at several other positions including safety and linebacker. When he arrived at IU he was expected to slot in behind Cam Jones at stinger, but the Hoosiers will want to get him on the field immediately so he should be part of the discussion at the Mike.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU looking for starters at QB, RB and middle linebacker to emerge