BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is keeping a lid on the quarterback rotation he will use for the team's first scrimmage of spring practice on Saturday, but it's not a completely unexpected development. .
Cininetti didn't talk much about the specifics of the competition for the position through the first two-plus weeks of spring training.
Ohio State transfer Curtis Rourke, redshirt sophomore Taven Jackson and four-star signee Tyler Cherry are competing for the starting spot this spring. Cininetti told the Herald Times before the season that he expected the competition to continue into fall camp.
“I'm not going to talk about quarterback rotation. I might not be as open about it going forward,” Cininetti said.
more:Spring practice: What you need to know about Indiana football's high-stakes QB contest
However, he added that he is “impressed” with Rourke's progress.
“He's looked like he's been functioning like a high-level quarterback the last two practices,” Cinetti said.
Rourke brings much-needed experience to the quarterback room from the transfer portal. The former MAC Offensive Player of the Year has started 33 games in his career. His best season was 2022, when he threw for 3,256 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.
Cherry, ranked No. 233 overall in the 2024 signing class, continues to earn minutes on the first and second team offense, but the coaching staff is not in a hurry to develop him.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound starter was a two-year starter at Center Grove, posting 5,462 passing yards, 56 passing touchdowns and a 68.5 completion percentage. He had a 23-4 record as a starter and led his team to a state title in his junior year.
“He's not ready yet,” Cininetti said. “He often throws the ball to the right guy. He needs to improve his arm strength and accuracy, but when a freshman comes in and finds an open receiver, you can't necessarily get him the ball. Just keep working hard and he'll get it.'' He's getting better every day. Great summer, fall camp, you’ll see?”
Cininetti downplayed the overall importance of the scrimmage (IU's eighth spring training practice) because each practice is structured to simulate a game-like situation, minus the tackling. The Hoosiers are scheduled to have two more scrimmages in April, including the spring game on April 18 at Memorial Stadium.
“For me, scrimmages are just practice, but the players are out on the field on their own,” Cininetti said. “I haven’t really thought about scrimmage yet.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for the Bloomington Herald Times. You can follow him at X @michaelniziolek Click here to read all of his articles.
