FOOTBALL

Where Indiana football quarterback Kurtis Rourke lands in post-spring practice Big Ten rankings

Published

2 weeks ago

May 9, 2024

Kurtis Rourke is expected to be the starting quarterback for Indiana football this fall, so where does he fall in the Big Ten power rankings? (Chris Conaway/Indiana Athletics)

For the third consecutive offseason, the Indiana football program concluded spring practice without a clear answer on its starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

Indiana brought in Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke this offseason and returned Tayven Jackson. Throughout spring practice Curt Cignetti has been very complementary of Rourke and his ability to look like a ‘high-level quarterback’. He also mentioned the development that Jackson still needed.

During Indiana’s spring game, it was a mixed-bag of results for the quarterback duo. Each flashed their potential while inconsistencies were the main story — as to be expected with an entirely new system, skillset and roster.

Rourke finished 19-of-30 for 124 yards and a game-winning touchdown with 45 seconds left. Jackson was 10-for-14 with 160 yards, a touchdown but also an interception.

After a shaky start to the game, Rourke and the rest of the offensive 1’s put together numerous standout possessions and showed some of that chemistry that is starting to really come together heading into the summer.

“I think we’ve come a long way since the start of spring. Day one, everyone is trying to feel out the offense, feel out the playbook. Just trying to get used to everybody. Every practice we’ve built on that and built chemistry together and been able to get things going as an offense and a team,” Rourke said. “So today (Spring Game) was a good showcase of what we can do and it’s the bottom right now and we are going to continue to keep growing all the way up to fall.

“The big emphasis this spring was to get control of this offense and control of the team and the offense be able to run that. Because when you do that, you’ll have the confidence to go out and play. So that’s what I was trying to do every single day.”

Rourke spent the entire night with the 1’s on the offensive end and despite head coach Curt Cignetti saying there is ‘healthy competition’ heading into the summer, the expectation is Rourke will be the starter come Indiana football’s opener on Aug. 31.

So, where does he stack up against the rest of the Big Ten coming out of the spring? 247Sports has him in the middle of the pack at No. 11.

“No starter has been named, but there’s an obvious pecking order,” 247Sports national analyst Brad Crawford wrote. “Given the snap breakdown in Indiana’s final scrimmage and much of spring practice, it appears new coach Curt Cignetti will roll with Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke as his starter this season with former Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson in the No. 2 slot. The competition remains open approaching summer according to Cignetti, who liked what he saw from both players the last few months. Rourke looks like he’s the guy who will trot out with the 1s for the Hoosiers when fall camp arrives and will be featured in a quarterback-friendly offense.”

The Ohio transfer has 33 starts under his belt in his collegiate career. He has thrown for 7,651 yards and 50 touchdowns, and production over potential is one aspect of Cignetti’s evaluation is always something that rises to the top.

That ability to work hand in hand with new IU quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, who Rourke says is one of the ‘most knowledgeable coaches’ he’s worked with, will only help him grasp the offensive scheme more effectively throughout the next few months as well.

“I hold myself to a really, really high standard and he’s really instilled that in me. He’s a great coach, one of the most knowledgeable coaches I’ve been around,” Rourke said of Sunseri. ” … So much goes into being a quarterback and you can’t be complacent. And that’s the biggest thing I admire about him, he doesn’t let us get complacent. That’s ultimately helped us grow as a whole quarterback room and shown in spring.”

So with the guidance of Sunseri, Cignetti and the rest of the offensive minds inside the Indiana football locker room in addition to Rourke’s experience, should yield promising results this fall.