december 2022 commitapalooza

The transfer churn rolls along as Michigan has landed its Alan Bowman replacement in Indiana reserve QB Jack Tuttle:

Once upon a time, Tuttle was a high level QB recruit. He was a 4* and in the top 200 nationally, hailing from Mission Hills HS in San Marcos, CA. Tuttle enrolled at Utah and did not see the field as a true freshman, sitting behind starting QB Tyler Huntley. He opted to transfer from the Utes after just one season, picking Indiana and Tom Allen. Tuttle sat behind Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr. in 2019, attempting only 11 passes that season. Ramsey transferred to Northwestern after the season ended, so Tuttle became the primary backup to Penix, a role that got you some playing time because of Penix's well documented injury problems.

Penix bit the dust against Maryland in 2020, so Tuttle came in to finish the year, closing it out against the Terps and then quarterbacking IU to a gritty win over Wisconsin. He came up short in the Outback Bowl against Ole Miss, but Tuttle was playing with a separated shoulder. Over those games in 2020 Tuttle was 44/72 (61.1%) for 5.0 Y/A, 2 TD to 1 INT. The 2021 season was a similar story, with Penix starting the year then getting injured, forcing Tuttle to step up, before injury whacked Tuttle again. Penix was hurt against Penn State, so Tuttle got the start against MSU, a game that Indiana nearly won. He then started against OSU, led the Hoosiers for a TD on their opening drive and then got hurt again, leading to IU starting Donaven McCulley, a true freshman ATH (now WR), at QB against Michigan. Tuttle returned a month later to play a little against Rutgers but was terrible and after that, his season was officially over. His statline that season was much uglier, 45/87 (51.7%) for 4.9 Y/A, 2 TD to 5 INT. 

Tuttle entered 2022 hoping to be Indiana's starter, but he was beaten out in training camp by Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak. Tuttle got a chance to start against PSU in November and was doing pretty well, 9/12 for 82 yards and a TD but he was sacked four times (remember IU's OL?) and the last of those sacks broke him. Boom, injured again. In total, he exits his Indiana career with a statline of 57.1% completion, 5.0 Y/A, 5 TD to 6 INT. He is not a mobile QB, 79 career rushing yards on 50 attempts. 14 of those carries are sacks, but his career long rush is just 15 yards. 

Tuttle comes to Michigan with one year remaining of eligibility (five years in college, 2018 redshirt used but 2020 COVID-shirt still usable), and is more or less just a body to have on the depth chart. With Cade McNamara exiting, Michigan is a bit thin at QB. JJ McCarthy will be the 2023 starter, Davis Warren is in line to be the backup, but after that there is Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji, both of which were project QBs and are just one year in, and then recruit Kendrick Bell, also a project who may not even stick at QB. Michigan needed another player with at least a little bit of NCAA experience and Tuttle fits that. You don't want him to ever see the field, but if he does, maybe he could be okay if you gave him an ounce of protection for once in his career? I suppose that's a long way of saying I don't think this adding Tuttle is a major difference from what Alan Bowman was this season. 

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