Curt Cignetti reveals why he wanted Kurtis Rourke to be Indiana's quarterback

After taking the Indiana job, Curt Cignetti declared himself a winner and has done more than enough to back up his words. IU is 6-0 for the first time since 1967, being one of three undefeated teams remaining in the Big Ten. Quarterback play has been a huge part of the Hooisers’ success, being led by Kurtis Rourke.

Another first-year guy in Bloomington, Rourke is in his sixth season of college football. The previous five were at Ohio but Rourke decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal this offseason. Cignetti knew he would need a quarterback and when he originally heard of Rourke, he did what any other person would do.

“You get a guy like that, he’s in the portal,” Cignetti began on Wednesday’s episode of Andy & Ari On3. “What’s the first thing I do? I Google him. Player of the Year in the MAC ’22, career stats. A lot of touchdown passes, very few interceptions. Started a lot of games, won a lot of games, engineered a lot of two-minute drives for touchdowns.

After firing up Google, Cignetti turned on the film and saw what Rourke could do with his own eyes. He saw somebody who knew how to play quarterback, crediting the family background as his older brother, Nathan, was also highly accomplished in the MAC.

Once getting him on campus for a visit, Indiana knew they had their guy and since then, the Hoosiers have been enjoying life.

“You watch the tape, you see a guy that can make the throws. But you can tell on tape that he just understands how to play quarterback. Some guys are wired to play quarterback. After we talked a few times, he came on for his official visit, there was no doubt. We felt like we could build around him… He’s thrived.”

Rourke has thrown for 1,755 yards, 14 touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 73.8% of his throws for Indiana. For reference, Hoosier quarterbacks threw a combined 18 touchdowns during the entire 2023 season. That number will be flown by Rourke by the time his campaign is over.

A tough test is next up, though. Nebraska comes to town for what’s the biggest Indiana football game in quite some time. Getting to 7-0 would continue their great run and maybe even put them in the College Football Playoff discussion. Rourke has been the steady hand and is hoping to continue on the national stage.