New Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has secured his quarterback for the 2024 season.
Former Ohio Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke announced his decision to transfer to Indiana on Thursday. 247 Sports ranks Rourke No. 17 among quarterback transfers this offseason.
As a fifth-year senior in 2023, Rourke earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors. He completed 195-of-307 passes (63.5%) for 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds, Rourke has one year of remaining eligibility.
Rourke joins the Hoosiers with significant collegiate experience. After committing to Ohio in the class of 2019 out of Holy Trinity High School in Canada, he started 35 games for the Bobcats.
He redshirted the 2019 season, then won the starting job in 2020. Ohio played just three games that year due to COVID-19, but Rourke completed 30-of-44 (68.2%) passes for 386 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Heading into the 2021 season, Rourke was named team captain. Across 10 games, he completed 169-of-259 (65.3%) passes for 1,801 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also displayed some rushing ability, gaining 327 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, good for 4.4 yards per carry. Rourke was named MAC student-athlete of the week after passing for a season-high 308 against Kent State.
Rourke continued to improve as a junior in 2022, winning MAC Offensive Player of the Year. In 11 games, he completed 244-of-353 passes (69.1%) for 3,257 yards and 25 touchdowns, all career-high numbers. His four interceptions also represented a career-low figure.
Rourke first played for Ohio coach Frank Solich, then spent his final three years under coach Tim Albin. During those five seasons, Ohio went 31-23 overall but 19-7 in the last two years. The Bobcats are 2-0 in bowl games since 2019 and qualified for the Myrtle Beach Bowl in 2023. It's unclear if he'll play in Ohio's bowl game.
Rourke joins the Hoosiers with one year of remaining eligibility, so he likely has a strong chance of earning the starting job in 2024. The Hoosiers lost quarterbacks Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati) and Dexter Williams II (undecided) to the transfer portal, so the quarterback room currently consists of scholarship quarterbacks Rourke, redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson, redshirt freshman Broc Lowry and true freshman Alberto Mendoza.
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