IU football's young quarterback room got a bit more crowded — and a bit older — Tuesday night with the addition of Arizona graduate transfer Brandon Dawkins.
Dawkins, who can play immediately for the Hoosiers, announced in February that he would transfer from Arizona for his final year of eligibility and he took visits to both IU and Florida Atlantic. Dawkins told ESPN that IU's significant interest in him helped the school's chances.
"There were other schools, but at the end of the day, Indiana definitely showed that they're interested and they wanted me, they made that clear and apparent," Dawkins told ESPN, which was first to report the news. "I really respect that about them. They weren't going to dance around."
With the graduation of Richard Lagow, who started most games at quarterback for the Hoosiers in the past two seasons, IU Coach Tom Allen has said throughout the spring he would welcome an older transfer for the position if the fit was right.
IU's only quarterback who has taken meaningful snaps in his career is rising sophomore Peyton Ramsey, who started four games in place of Lagow last year. Freshman Nick Tronti, who redshirted last season, and incoming freshman Michael Penix have also been in the mix this spring during practices.
Dawkins is a dual-threat quarterback and picked up more career rushing touchdowns (20) than passing touchdowns (15) in his time with the Wildcats. He started for Arizona during most of the 2016 season and tallied 944 rushing yards to go along with 1,348 passing yards and 18 total touchdowns.
It's unclear when Dawkins will arrive on campus and how quickly he can pick up the Hoosiers' system, but IU's spring game is Saturday, April 14. Ramsey and Penix will likely see most of the snaps in that game.
Jake Thomer
