At 25, Michigan football quarterback Jack Tuttle getting his long-awaited shot

Posted by Admin October 9, 2024 Football

In a moment of total transparency, standing in front of a semicircle of reporters in Schembechler Hall for the first time since his spring 2023 arrival, Michigan football quarterback Jack Tuttle admitted none of this was expected.

Not a seventh year of eligibility. Not a starting job. Heck, as recently as this spring, not even throwing a football.

“When I came to Michigan, I kind of sold out my career for the university,” Tuttle said Tuesday evening. “I didn’t think I had another year, right? I came here for coach (Kirk) Campbell, coach (Sherrone) Moore, coach (Jim) Harbaugh, coach (Mike) Hart, and came here to be the backup to J.J.

“And that’s what happened, and blessed to get granted another year, right? So as soon as I found that out, bent on coming back and trying to get an opportunity and get healthy and play for the University of Michigan.”

Tuttle is 25. He was in the same high school class as quarterbacks like Justin Fields, now trying to reinvent himself on his second NFL team, and Trevor Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract over the summer. Tuttle wasn’t quite the five-star prospects they were, but he was a four-star, top-175 player in the nation who was the consensus No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2018.

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But to be here, now, after a “not great experience” at Utah, then an entire four-year collegiate career at Indiana University where he graduated from the Kelley School of Business, but was so injured he earned not one, but two medical redshirts, he’s not sure he can put it into words.

“I have had several injuries over the course of my career,” Tuttle said. “It’s just a blessing to throw a football again.”

Tuttle’s time

This is now the third story of a quarterback who overcame the odds in U-M’s room this year. First, it was Davis Warren, the leukemia survivor and former walk-on. Then, it was Alex Orji, the guy everybody wanted to recruit as an “athlete” but only Jim Harbaugh promised him the chance to compete as a Power Five starting QB.

Now, it’s Tuttle, the oldest player on the roster who was already in college when the current freshmen were in seventh grade.

“I don’t feel like a lot older, and then you meet a guy that’s seven years younger than you has different language,” Tuttle laughed. “Or says something and you’re like, ‘What does that mean?’”

Whether he can relate or not, once it became clear U-M wasn’t going to dip into the transfer portal for a QB, Tuttle emerged as a real candidate for playing time with the deepest knowledge of the system and the most college experience.

It wasn’t a ton, and it wasn’t all that impressive, but Tuttle was 119 of 199 passing (59.9%) in six years prior to 2024 for six touchdowns and six interceptions, compared the rest of the room which had attempted just 20 total passes combined. Tuttle said he felt “lucky” just to be granted another year to compete, but as coaches made note of in the spring, he wasn’t ready to play at the time.

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The graduate student, who missed time last year after he sustained an injury to his UCL, was largely kept out of spring practice. He hadn’t even gotten as much as scout team reps until the week before the Washington game, when he finally began throwing with the ones.

“It should have been simple and easy, and that’s how it went for a long while,” Tuttle said of his journey back. “But everyone’s body is different, right? It just took more time than I really wanted it to. It happened, and I’m thankful for it.”

Though there was no timeline or guarantee, coaches hoped he could return. After all, he impressed in limited time last season, when he completed 15 of 17 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown.

After the game Saturday, then again on Monday evening on “Inside Michigan Football,” head coach Sherrone Moore called Tuttle the guy who “gives us the best chance to win” and implied the plan is for Tuttle to lead the way the rest of the season.

“He only practiced for a week and a half, really, to get him back was a huge boost for us,” he said Monday. “We’ll continue to get better and build stuff around him to make him better and make our team better and let other guys be playmakers.”

Here goes nothing

To go from Indiana backup, to insurance policy behind McCarthy to thinking his collegiate career is over to now the man fans are hoping can save the Wolverines’ season?

That’s a lot to handle. But Tuttle, has leaned on his faith to get him here, and he plans on doing so the rest of the way.

“I don’t think I’d be here today without my faith, personally,” he said. “Lot of moments in the last nine months where it was challenging mentally. … maybe it was some divine intervention with me being able to throw again, so I’m just lucky. Lucky to be here.”

There’s reason for Michigan to have faith in him, too. That’s not to say they should expect him to be McCarthy, or ask him to throw the ball 30 times per game, but Tuttle knows this attack inside and out. He’s now been in the QB room with Campbell for two seasons in a row and has the arm strength to make throws all over the field, the mobility to extend plays at times, and the knowledge to know the right read at the right time.

The question is if he can put it all together, when the stakes are highest, with so little practice. On Saturday at Washington, the flashes were there, when he led three consecutive scoring drives (two which ended in touchdowns) as he completed seven of his first nine attempts for 78 yards and a touchdown. However, the limitations were clear, too, when he completed 3 of 9 passes for 20 yards and two turnovers the rest of the day.

“Couple plays, two, three plays I wish I could have back that I feel could’ve won us the game,” he said. “I take responsibility for my mistakes and I’m going to be better for it.”

As Moore said, they feel Tuttle can be the guy to get the ball to playmakers; something sorely missing outside of Colston Loveland, as nobody else on the team has even 75 receiving yards or multiple touchdowns.

The No. 24 Wolverines (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) also have the benefit of a bye week to get a few weeks of install for Tuttle to work with the starters ahead of the team’s third ranked showdown of the year at No. 23 Illinois (4-1, 2-1 Big Ten).

From Salt Lake to Bloomington to Ann Arbor, Tuttle’s played a lot of places. From Brian Johnson to Kalen DeBoer, to Nick Sheridan to Walt Bell to Campbell; Tuttle’s played for a lot of coaches. He got a chance to start a pair of games in 2021, but had never been named a starter.

That is, until he was eligible to rent a car.

“Looking back, it feels like 20 years ago,” Tuttle reflected. “But I’m here now, so what a blessing.”