Indiana football ‘won’t miss a step’ with departure of co-OC, QB coach Tino Sunseri to UCLA

Indiana football will have co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri for at most four more games, then he’ll be off to a new stop. Sunseri will be taking the UCLA offensive coordinator role following Indiana’s run in the College Football Playoff.

The 35-year-old came to Indiana with head coach Curt Cignetti this past offseason from James Madison, after being on staff at JMU under Cignetti for three seasons.

Now, Cignetti will have to replace one of the most well-respected up-and-coming minds at the position.

“Tino Sunseri is going to take the coordinator job at UCLA but coach through the playoffs,” Cignetti said on Sunday. “Happy for Tino because he’s done a great job as the quarterback coach. I’ve known Tino a long time and known his family for a long time, and I’ll miss him being around.

“The philosophy has always been, when you lose a coach, hire a better one. We had a lot of players here at quarterback before we hired Tino. While he’s done a great job, we won’t miss a step, and he’ll do a great job preparing the quarterbacks during the playoffs.”

Sunseri’s run with Cignetti has been evident in the success of James Madison and now Indiana football during their time together. At JMU, three quarterbacks earned Conference Player of the Year honors. This year, it was Kurtis Rourke who earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors. Rourke, a transfer from Ohio, came to Indiana and saw his game immediately elevate. He has been one of the best at his position all season long.

Rourke has thrown for 2,827 yards and 27 touchdowns to just four interceptions this season. He’s also completing 70.4 percent of his passes.

He ranks in the top five of the Big Ten in yards, passing touchdowns, quarterback rating and completion percentage.

“Just very happy that he has an opportunity to go and continue his journey, his path, and his dream,” Rourke said. “Just very grateful for him because he’s really accelerated and helped this offense, helped the players become and create opportunities for their personal life, and I’m just happy to see that he’s taking advantage of an opportunity for him as well.”

Rourke was an All-MAC performer and Offensive Player of the Year before injuring his knee in 2023. While he was a very productive player throughout his carer, the growth and development he saw this year was a direct correlation to working with Sunseri.

“Coach Tino has been awesome,” Rourke added. “I’ve developed so much as a quarterback since working with him in January. It’s been awesome to see my personal growth as well as the rest of the quarterbacks in the room. I know all of us can say that we’ve learned and become a better quarterback this year, and a lot of that attributes to Coach Tino.”

So for now, the pair will look to continue helping the Indiana football offense during its historic season, facing off against Notre Dame in the First Round of the College Football Playoff.

SEE ALSO: ‘We’ve climbed that mountain’: Curt Cignetti reflects on the journey as Indiana football focuses on playoff matchup with Notre Dame

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