David Woods

Indiana University apparently will be down to a third-string quarterback for Saturday's homecoming football game against eighth-ranked Michigan State.

No. 2 quarterback Chris Covington, a freshman, was scheduled to be the starter and was listed as such on the depth chart released Tuesday. His mother, Sheneesha Edwards, said her son would not play but did not elaborate.

That would elevate another freshman, Zander Diamont, into the starting role. The Hoosiers intended to redshirt him, but those plans changed when Nate Sudfeld separated his left shoulder in last week's 45-29 loss at Iowa. Sudfeld will be sidelined for the rest of the season and is to have surgery Thursday.

IU declined to respond to questions about injuries. On his radio show Wednesday night, coach Kevin Wilson joked that there was "a big question" about who the starting quarterback would be but declined to give any hints.

"I will say this. We've had a heck of a week of practice," Wilson said.

Covington, 18, had a knee injury in his senior high school season and missed some practices last month, also with a knee injury. He was not made available to the media after the Iowa game or during this week.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday that there was so little film available of Covington that the staff was watching tape from his Chicago high school games.

The 6-1, 175-pound Diamont, 19, Los Angeles, is the son of soap opera star Don Diamont. On Twitter, the quarterback favorited tweets stating that he would start.

"All signs point to him playing," said Angelo Gasca, who was Diamont's coach at Venice High School.

At a Monday news conference, Wilson indicated the Hoosiers would use both and Diamont and Covington. Diamont would be the second first-year quarterback ever to start for Indiana, following Tre Roberson in 2011.

"But Zander is a good player, throws well, runs well," Wilson said Monday. "He's a smaller guy. You've got two freshmen, so you've just got to be careful of what you ask those guys. When you have freshmen, you have some mistakes, and they are going to be challenged, but the defense is going to do everything they can to make his role uncomfortable."

Diamont enrolled at IU in January so he could participate in spring practice. He was honored as the Los Angeles City Player of the Year and by the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as its high school Athlete of the Year. Gasca said Venice features a "quarterback-friendly offense" similar to that of Indiana's.

Last year Diamont passed for 3,501 yards and 47 touchdowns. He set career records in both categories at a school that produced J.P. Losman and other major college QBs. Losman was the nation's No. 3-rated quarterback coming out of high school, starred at Tulane and was selected 22nd by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Indiana's offensive coordinator, Kevin Johns, has said Diamont has "a little Johnny Manziel in him." Gasca concurred.

"He can make plays," Gasca said. "That's what what I like about him."

There are three Indiana quarterbacks behind Diamont: Nate Boudreau, a third-year walk-on, and two more freshmen, Danny Cameron and Zeke Cooper. Cameron is the son of former Indiana coach Cam Cameron.

A year ago at this time, the Hoosiers had three quarterbacks who had started college games: Sudfeld, Roberson and Cam Coffman. Roberson transferred to Illinois State and Coffman to Wyoming.

Michigan State (5-1, 2-0) is the defending Big Ten champion and in contention for one of four spots in the College Football Playoff. Indiana (3-3, 0-2) has alternated wins and losses.

Call Star reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidWoods007.