People around Bloomington are going to have to confirm this, but the chances are highly likely that Tom Allen could be heard celebrating from his office on Wednesday morning.

Indiana received the news it had been waiting on all offseason — the NCAA’s decision on transfer quarterback Jack Tuttle’s waiver. After a lengthy wait, the Hoosiers finally learned that the former four-star prospect will be immediately eligible for the 2019 season and still has all four years of his career remaining.

That’s a huge win for Indiana, for Allen and for incoming offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer. Hearing a few exuberant shouts from the football offices are certainly understandable.

Suddenly, Indiana’s quarterback room has gone from a depleted, young group to one with some serious talent and much-needed depth. Now, returning starter Peyton Ramsey has some serious competition for the coveted No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

Tuttle is the highest-ranked quarterback ever to step foot in Bloomington. Convincing him to follow in his family’s footsteps and play at Indiana after leaving Utah was a victory by itself, even if he was forced to miss the 2019 season. Now that he’s eligible, he’ll have a chance to step on the field immediately for the Hoosiers.

Little tape exists of Tuttle outside of his high school days, but make no mistake about his talent level. After all, he was a four-star prospect and was ranked as the eighth-best pro-style quarterback in the 2018 class for a reason. Tuttle gets the ball out of his hands quickly, can thread the need in tight coverage and has the arm to get the ball down the field.

In a sentence, Tuttle is capable of making all the throws. He has the potential to thrive in DeBoer’s system, too.

DeBoer takes a balanced approach to the offense and wants Indiana to establish a solid rushing attack to open things up down the field. When opportunities come, he’ll want the ball in the hands of playmakers like Nick Westbrook and Whop Philyor. Tuttle is a good decision-maker who creates ways to get the football to his primary targets. Tuttle is also comfortable out of the shotgun, something else Indiana will utilize in the fall.

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Perhaps the only major knock on Tuttle is his speed and ability to pick up yards with his feet. He’s not a guy capable of scrambling for 10 yards to move the chains like Ramsey or Penix is, at least not on a regular basis. With a backfield loaded with Stevie Scott, Sampson James and Cole Gest, the Hoosiers shouldn’t need as much production on the ground from the quarterback.

Obviously Tuttle doesn’t have the same experience as Ramsey, who’s appeared in 20 games in his career with over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air over the last two seasons. He’s not going to relinquish the starting job without a fight.

There’s still a lot of spring, summer and fall left before Indiana has to make a decision on a starter for 2019.

But Tuttle’s eligibility gives DeBoer and the Hoosiers some options and allows Indiana to experiment offensively, if necessary. IU could roll with a two-quarterback system or utilize different guys for different situations. That wasn’t really an option before.

Tuttle’s immediate eligibility doesn’t lock him into the starting job this fall. Considering his skillset, it would be surprising if DeBoer didn’t utilize the former four-star quarterback in some capacity.

For now, though, Indiana has options under center. It has the depth it desperately needed and the talent that can help the program start setting its sights on bowl eligibility again. If nothing else, Tuttle’s eligibility provides Ramsey and Penix with excellent competition until the season kicks off.

That’s reason enough for Allen and everyone else in Bloomington to celebrate.