One analyst thinks IU football duo Kurtis Rourke, Donaven McCulley could be one of the most ‘productive QB-receiver combinations in the Big Ten’

Curt Cignetti has almost completely revamped the IU Football offense heading into the 2024 season. He’s added impact transfers at almost every position and is installing a more pass-heavy offense that will showcase the talented playmakers he has on the roster.

Of the additions, none will have a bigger impact on the outcome of the season than former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke.

With an extremely talented wide receiver group, Rourke has all the potential to wind up in the spotlight during the 2024 season. However, one name in the wide receiver room seems to be standing out amongst the rest.

Senior wide receiver Donaven McCulley burst onto the scene in 2023 and his return was a major addition for Cignetti and his offense.

“If we’re going to see the best version of Donaven McCulley, then it’s going to be a guy who’s not just an occasional highlight waiting to happen. But perhaps a volume target within this offense that consistently puts the football in the end zone,” Big Ten analyst and former Iowa football player Anthony Herron said during an IU Football preview. “Rourke to McCulley could potentially be one of the more productive QB-receiver combinations in the Big Ten.”

McCulley led Indiana in all three major receiving stats after catching 48 passes, for 644 yards and six touchdowns in 2023. Most of his production came in the final stretch of the season where he established himself as the number one option on offense.

The 6-foot-5 former quarterback turned receiver averaged 5.6 catches, and 84 receiving yards while reeling in five touchdowns over the final five games. With a new pass-focused offense and an established quarterback, the sky is the limit for McCulley in 2024.

One of the biggest reasons Cignetti was chosen to be the head coach of IU Football was his ability to develop and get the most out of his quarterbacks. His resume with the position speaks for itself.

Kurtis Rourke will be Cignetti’s third QB in three years and will have high expectations after the success of the last two

© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

In 2022, his first season in the FBS, his quarterback Todd Centeio was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in his first season with James Madison. Centeio had spent three years with Temple, and two with Colorado State before playing under Cignetti. In his only season with Cignetti, he set career highs in passing yards per game (269.7), passing touchdowns (25), rushing touchdowns (7), and only threw five interceptions on the season.

In 2023, Jordan McCloud was the quarterback after transferring from Arizona. He went on to win Sun Belt Player of the Year, throwing for 3,657 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns, while adding eight rushing touchdowns.

The biggest difference between Cignetti’s previous two quarterbacks and Rourke is his prior success. Both McCloud and Centeio had not seen much success before Cignetti, while Rourke was extremely successful at Ohio. Not only was he the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, but he has thrown 50 career touchdowns and has led his team to a 16-6 record over the past two years.

“He’s been able to have systems that suit his talent at his previous spots. Kurtis Rourke is the anticipated starter at QB. He’s going to be more of a pocket quarterback. He is a very accurate passer, he’s got a pretty big arm, he’s got a family lineage that has played the position at a high level before,” Herron said.

“But Curt Cignetti has also had multi-dimensional talents, dual-threat types of quarterbacks before, but he’ll be able to have an offensive system with Mike Shanahan that suits the skillset of Kurtis Rourke and what he’ll be able to do as a signal caller. … He’s gonna be more geared toward precision than pure on physicality.”

Cignetti has adjusted his schemes from year to year to fit the players on the roster. It’s part of the reason he has been so successful as a head coach. With a pocket passer in Rourke, there will likely be fewer designed runs from the quarterback than in years past.

That does not mean the offense won’t be aggressive. With weapons like McCulley, Elijah Sarratt, and many more, IU Football will look to attack defenses downfield.

RELATED: ‘I just got to keep on working every day’: From Division II to Indiana football WR Elijah Sarratt has relied on his ‘work’ to get him here

After averaging just 212.8 passing yards per game in 2023, the IU Football offense will look to push the ball downfield more and utilize the talented weapons that make up the roster.

“We can tell from his demeanor, Curt Cignetti is an attack mentality sort of guy. So that’ll be the DNA on each side of the football, Herron said. “They’re going to attack.”

SEE ALSO: Curt Cignetti’s first year with IU Football ‘feels like a bit of a question mark’ but one thing is for sure, ‘it’s going to be entertaining’

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