BLOOMINGTON – Curt Cignetti added a significant piece to his first transfer class Thursday, when Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke announced his intention to transfer to Indiana.
Rourke will have one year of eligibility remaining.
A heavy contributor in Athens, Rourke — a four-star top-100 transfer, per 247Sports — brings a wealth of experience to a still-young quarterback room. Across five seasons with the Bobcats, Rourke tallied 7,666 yards, 50 touchdowns and just 16 interceptions. His last three campaigns have been his most productive, Rourke attempting at least 261 passes in each of those three seasons.
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Those three years have been particularly fruitful for Ohio as a whole, the Bobcats enduring a three-win 2021 season before compiling 19 victories across the past two years. Rourke started for the 2022 Ohio team that won 10 games, including the Arizona Bowl. Rourke tore his ACL near the tail end of that season but still returned this fall to throw for 2,207 yards and 11 scores. The Bobcats qualified for the Myrtle Beach Bowl this month. It’s unclear whether Rourke will play in that game.
Cignetti won’t be worried about anything but the future. Handed a quarterback room scheduled to be stocked with first-, second- and third-year players, he’s added a potential impact transfer quarterback that could head the group in 2024. Cignetti and his offensive staff have had success with transfer QBs before, not least in their final season at James Madison, after which transfer signal caller Jordan McCloud was named Sun Belt player of the year.
Cignetti will hope Rourke either delivers similar results, or provides competition for someone else to.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
2023-12-14 21:21:38
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