Offensive Potential Has Rourke Feeling the Love
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kurtis Rourke is not the man. Not yet, anyway. He is an Indiana quarterback, but not the quarterback, not the starter, not the guy chosen to lead what could be an explosive attack under new coach Curt Cignetti, new offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan and new quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.
That has to be earned, and you’d better believe this Ohio University transfer is pumped about the opportunity.
“I love the way the coaches coach; I love their mentality,” Rourke says. “I love the playbook and the design they have, but it’s the way they call it that stands out. The way Coach Shanahan and Coach Tino think about things and how the drive is going to be, how they’re a step ahead. It puts defenses on their toes.”
Rourke’s impressive Ohio experience and numbers -- 8,479 career all-purpose yards with 61 touchdowns over five seasons -- don’t guarantee Hoosier success. That requires work by all parties concerned -- receivers, running backs, tight ends and the offensive line as well as by Rourke himself.
While he has the edge in winning the starting quarterback job, that will be determined by what happens this summer and in fall camp.
“My goal is to improve every practice,” he says. “That comes a lot with what you do off the field in between practices. The emphasis this spring was to get control of the offense, get control of the team. Once you’re able to run that, you’ll have the confidence to be able to play.”
Control means mastering the playbook to know what every player is doing on every play.
“I have to continue to learn the whole offense and have it as my own,” Rourke says. “I’m also working on my footwork. I need to get quicker feet. That’s a big emphasis this summer so I can move quicker, not only in running the ball, but also in the pocket.”
Rourke was once the No. 1 Canadian high school prospect according to 247Sports, and a top-65 quarterback recruit by ESPN after throwing for 4,250 yards and 63 touchdowns in his career.
At Ohio University, he went 21-11 as a starter. He threw for 7,576 yards and 50 touchdowns with a 66.1 career completion percentage. In 2022, he was the Mid-American Conference offensive player of the year. Last season, he was second-team All-MAC.
Rourke had plenty of options after entering the transfer portal last December. IU intrigued him for multiple reasons, including the fact Cignetti has never had a losing record as a head coach.
“A lot of things went into it,” Rourke says about his decision to join the Hoosiers. “The offense impressed me. The coaching staff and the mentality they have was a big part. That they came here to win is something that drew me.
“Coach Cignetti is a confident guy. He should be. He has the resume for that. Being able to hear that, the ability to rebuild and win in year one says a lot about who he is.”
Cignetti is all about accountability and doing the right things, the winning things, all the time.
Every coach talks about that, but few follow it through as well as Cignetti, who has a 13-year record of 119-35 as a head coach, plus a successful four-year run as Alabama wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
“He doesn’t say much,” Rourke says, “but when he does, you want to make sure you’re listening and taking it seriously.
“His resume is crazy. He’s won everywhere he’s been, so if he says something, make sure you take it to heart because it’s most likely true. He’s great to learn from and have as a head coach. He’s brought the whole team with him.”
Rourke works closely with Sunseri, a former three-year starting quarterback at Pitt (8,590 career passing yards) whose track record of impressive quarterback development (three-straight conference players of the year averaging 3,400 passing yards and 32 TD passes) leaves a big impression.
“I hold myself to a high standard,” Rourke says. “He’s instilled that in me. He’s a great coach. He’s one of the most knowledgeable coaches I’ve been around. He constantly works on every little thing because each thing comes together.
“As a quarterback, so much goes into it. You can’t be complacent. What I admire about him is he doesn’t let us get complacent. He helps the whole quarterback room grow.”
Growth includes leadership. Perhaps no position in any sport requires so big a burden. With a roster that includes more than 20 college transfers plus some enroll-early prep players, Rourke had plenty of adjust-to-a-new-environment company.
“Someone had to take the lead and figure out how were we going to learn together,” he says. “In January, I tried the best I could. A lot of others also got together to get a head start on the offense. One of the best things we were able to do was all learn together. That brought us a lot closer.”
As far as last week’s spring game, unofficial stats showed Rourke throwing for nearly 150 yards and a touchdown to receiver Andison Coby on seven drives with the first-team offense.
He was at his best on the game-winning, 15-play, 75-yard final drive. He completed eight-straight passes at one point -- including three to tight end Zach Horton and three to receiver Elijah Sarratt -- to set up the 3-yard touchdown toss to Coby.
That suggests a poise and maturity crucial to Big Ten success.
“We had flashes of good plays and finishing drives,” Rourke says. “That starts with me. Get ready for the next play and have that next-play mentality and finish a good drive. It’s confidence building for myself and the whole offense. We’ll continue to push that into the summer.”
Tight ends played a big role in the spring game passing attack. That wasn’t by accident. The Hoosiers aim to stress defenses with multiple pass-catching options.
“Our offense is built to love tight ends as much as running backs and wide receivers,” Rourke says. “It’s about taking what the defense gives us. In our offense, the tight ends will be open.”
Shanahan figures to fully utilize a strong running back group highlighted by Justice Ellison, Ty Son Lawton and Kaelon Black. They all have good speed and strong receiver skills.
“We have one of the deepest running back rooms in the country,” Rourke says. “We have a lot of guys who can make plays.
“As a quarterback, you want to be able to throw, but running effectively opens up the pass. Having running backs who can make plays on their own helps the whole offense.”
Work remains.
Rourke nearly threw a pick-six in the spring game, but cornerback Kobee Minor dropped the interception. He also had a Cignetti-ordered intentional grounding penalty while being chased by defensive end Mikail Kamara.
As far as the other quarterbacks, Tayven Jackson threw for around 170 yards, with 105 coming on two completions to Coby. He completed his first eight passes.
“I was trying to figure out if our No. 2 offense was that good or our No. 2 defense was that bad,” Cignetti says. “I think I know the answer. I think the freshman corner got exposed a little bit. But Tayven made some nice throws, and Andison made a play or two.”
Freshman quarterback Tyler Cherry played in two possessions with the third-team offense and completed one pass for 8 yards.
“There's a healthy competition there heading into summer and fall camp,” Cignetti says. “Competition is a great thing. We need more competition at all positions.”