Freshman QB aims to make impact

A fresh coat of snow blanketed the field at Memorial Stadium. It was better suited for a snowball fight than a football game.

Inside the stadium sat Zander Diamont, the Los Angeles native who left behind beaches and boardwalk to play football more than 2,000 miles away in Bloomington.

The three-star quarterback prospect said he always wanted to do something different for college. Diamont, an experienced snowboarder, said the weather in Indiana was irrelevant in the decision-making process.

“I wanted that Big Ten college, university pride,” he said. “I wanted all that.”

Diamont said he felt the presence of those traits at IU when he arrived in Bloomington on a visit, and he knew it was where he wanted to be. He said the distance from home won’t be a problem for him, adding that he’s not really a “homesick kind of guy.”

The recently-enrolled freshman found reassurance in the move from California to Indiana from IU sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld, a native of Modesto, Calif.
Diamont said he frequently talks with Sudfeld, who told him that he will adjust to the weather in the Midwest.

“I’ll have to grow accustomed to throwing in the cold a little bit,” Diamont said. “That’ll be new, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

By enrolling at IU, he joined an already cluttered quarterback competition. Sudfeld and redshirt sophomore Tre Roberson split time under center in 2013.

IU Coach Kevin Wilson announced Jan. 15 that junior quarterback Cameron Coffman, who started for the Hoosiers in 2012 after Roberson suffered a season-ending knee injury, will transfer from IU.

With Coffman out of the picture for the Hoosiers’ 2014 season, Diamont could be in the running for IU’s third-string quarterback, or he could take a redshirt season because of the depth in front of him.

“It’s not my call,” he said, “and I’m not looking to make the call.”

He said the decision is up to the coaching staff but that his ability to gain weight could affect the outcome.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds by national recruiting websites, Diamont said he played at 168 pounds during his senior season but is currently down to 163. He said his goal is to add upwards of 10 to 15 pounds in the offseason in order to be competitive as a quarterback at the collegiate level.

This isn’t the first time IU Coach Kevin Wilson has coached a quarterback in Bloomington who needed to gain weight in order to play in college.

Wilson said Roberson weighed 163 pounds when he arrived at camp.

Wilson said the Hoosiers are getting a good player, even though Diamont will have to get bigger and stronger to play in the Big Ten.

“He’s got a big arm, (he) can throw it,” Wilson said, adding that Diamont can “move a little bit.”

Despite being buried in IU’s depth chart behind two proven quarterbacks, Diamont said he can worry about only himself.

“If you get caught up in the day-to-day of what the other guy next to you is doing ... then you’re going to lose yourself in that and it’s going to hurt you,” he said. “I think just focusing on what you do and kind of taking care of what you can control is the way to handle it.”

Despite the return of IU’s quarterback tandem, which led to the Hoosiers being No. 17 in the nation in passing yards per game, Wilson said it was important for IU to sign Diamont.

“Even though we’ve had some offensive success ... it’s kind of nice to have these guys here,” Wilson said on Jan. 9 when the team introduced its six mid-year enrollees, all of whom play on the offensive side of the ball.

The Hoosiers didn’t sign a quarterback last year, creating a need for IU to restock on quarterback talent for the future. By the time Sudfeld and Roberson exhaust their eligibility, Diamont will be a rising junior with two years of experience in the Hoosier program.

In the meantime, he said he isn’t discouraged by the competition, and he believes it will bring out the best in him.  

“I think I can play with anybody,” Diamont said. “Cam Newton can walk in the room and I’m gonna be like ‘I can play with Cam Newton,’ regardless of whether or not I can. That’s just my mentality and I think that I take that in every aspect of my life.”

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