The Indiana football program is heading into a critical season in 2023 and that means the spring and summer months will be of the upmost importance. Spring practice got underway on March 4 and will run through April 15.
Indiana is coming off of a 4-8 season in 2022 that followed a 2-10 year in 2021. And, there’s no secret what has stunted the progression of the Indiana football program — the quarterback position.
This spring brought with it the most discussed quarterback battle that Indiana head coach Tom Allen has had since taking over the head coaching role in 2017.
Indiana has three quarterbacks on campus this spring that are vying for the starting spot come this fall. One name that will not be in the mix is Dexter Williams. Williams suffered a gruesome knee injury last year in the season-finale against Purdue. He had taken over the starting spot from Connor Bazelak and brought new life and a dynamic skillset to the Indiana offense.
Now, with Williams expected to miss most — if not all — of the 2023 season and Bazelak transferring elsewhere, it’s up to three youngsters who look to man the Indiana offense.
But, the early signs are telling and it’s a quarterback room that Tom Allen likes early in the spring.
“Obviously they’re gonna make the reads and progressions and we’re gonna be tough on them because we want them to learn how to handle the pressure that they’re gonna be under,” Allen said earlier this month. “But I think because of the of the rawness of everything and the newness of these guys, you just get a chance to see who are they innately when the bullets are flying and when it’s a team period, because that, to me, is what matters.”
The lone signal-caller who saw action for Indiana last year is Brendan Sorsby. His only action came against Penn State, going 3-of-6 for eight yards and one interception.
“The thing about Brendan, even though he is in his second season, he was not here last spring. So it’s his first spring with us, so that’s a big difference,” Allen said of Sorsby. “He’s bigger, he’s got a live arm, he can throw it and run it. I love that component here.”
Of the newcomers, Broc Lowry was part of the 2023 recruiting class and arrives an an early-enrollee. The importance of that is significant, getting a jumpstart on learning the system, playbook and getting in the weight room to get more of a ‘college body’.
Lowry has stood out thus far.
“Broc (Lowry), to me, he’s just a winner,” Allen said. “And he’s just tough, gritty, he makes really good decisions already, even though he’s very young. He’s obviously the youngest of the crew, his first college opportunity in his life this spring coming right out of high school.”
Lowry has the skillset of being able to utilize both his arm and legs — a key skill that the Hoosiers are prioritizing at the position. He ran for 1,728 and 26 touchdowns as a senior in addition to 871 yards and 13 scores as a junior.
“You can see the natural leadership piece, it’s actually showed up in the weight room. Our strength staff noticed it right away, a lot of comments about that. So I think he’s gonna have a chance to be a really special player because of his mindset, but obviously he’s very, very young. ”
The latest addition to the quarterback room came the way of the transfer portal. Indiana landed the commitment of Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson. Jackson was a four-star prospect out of Center Gove (Ind.) high school but settled on the out of state program over the Hoosiers.
Second time around, it was a no-brainer.
“Kind of a similar build — not quite as heavy as Brendan — but live arm, both of those two guys have a really strong arm,” Allen said. “And I think just the ability to run it for all three of them is one of their strengths, without question. And I think it’s sometimes hard to tell right now because there’s so much going on, but when you just see them isolate and make the throws, those two older guys have really, really strong arms.”
“What we liked about him was his athleticism,” Added Allen. “He’s a long athlete, multi-sport guy, basketball, track, all three of those, and just felt like that he could create with his legs, with his arm. He’s a tremendous leader.”
After two straight seasons with a bowl game appearance, it has been two straight years of no postseason play. There is no question that Indiana needs to hit on this quarterback decision.
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