michael niziolek, the herald-times
·4 min read
BLOOMINGTON —Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti will make his Big Ten Media Days debut this week.
Cignetti will take the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday alongside linebacker Aiden Fisher, running back Justice Ellison and offensive lineman Mike Katic. It will be the first time the former JMU coach speaks to reporters since an NIL-related event in June.
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With fall camp right around the corner, here’s the pressing questions for Cignetti:
Will IU announce starting QB before season-opener vs FIU?
The question is exactly the one that was at the top of the list for former coach Tom Allen last year.
Cignetti told reporters coming out of spring practice that he was going to let his quarterbacks —Kurtis Rourke, Tayven Jackson and Tyler Cherry —compete at the start of fall camp. He previously outlined a timeline as well based on his past experience of giving them about two weeks before making a decision.
Rourke looks like a clear frontrunner.
He has a vast experience advantage (33 career starts) over Jackson and Cherry and the decision to give him every snap with the first team offense in the spring game was a telling one.
Does it matter if Cignetti makes the decision public? Is it just optics? Maybe, but trying to hide the starting quarterback while promoting a “Never Daunted” slogan on social media is a bit at odds especially since IU is opening the year with a FIU team that went 4-8 last year.
There is some benefit to promoting Rourke (or whoever the starter is) as the face of the program as well.
Cignetti is leaning into his reputation as a quarterback whisperer —”Google me” — and Rourke is the latest test case. If he leads the team to a bowl game and puts up career numbers that’s something the staff can use on the recruiting trail.
The more he’s at the podium crediting the staff for his development the better.
Who has potential to be IU’s under-the-radar breakout talent?
James Madison had multiple players fit the description last year including wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and Fisher.
Sarratt was competing in the FCS the year before his breakout campaign, Ponds was a true freshman who wasn’t even a midyear enrollee and Fisher spent his first season primarily playing special teams.
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They all played a big role in JMU finishing 11-2 and reaching the program’s first ever bowl game (Armed Forces).
Cignetti brought all three over with him to Bloomington, but IU is going to need one or two unexpected faces to take on prominent roles especially for a team that doesn’t have a ton of established depth.
Are any of Indiana’s freshman signees flashing the same kind of maturity that Ponds showed last season? Could a former special teams standout (Solomon Vanhorse) have a breakthrough season? Or what about an FCS transfer (Cedarius Doss)?
Cignetti wasn’t very expansive when asked about individual players during spring practice, but with the portal closed until December he might feel a bit more comfortable praising some guys that have caught his eye.
Can IU new look defense be competitive in Big 10?
Cignetti has a well-earned reputation as a quarterback guru, but JMU’s success in 2023 was just as much about how well the team’s defense played. The Dukes ranked No. 30 in total defense (333.8 yards allowed), No. 20 in scoring defense (19.5 points allowed), sixth in sacks (45) and first in tackles for loss (114).
They played in a few shootouts —wins over Virginia and Utah State —but the defense held three opponents to less than 10 points and three others to under 20.
Indiana actually had some offensive success down the stretch last year that all went to waste thanks to a series of defensive breakdowns. The Hoosiers gave up 35.6 points and 493.3 yards per game during the final three weeks of the season.
Can Cignetti avoid the same fate?
The success IU had in the spring portal bringing cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and defensive tackle CJ West will help, but it’s harder to picture how all the pieces will fit together than the offense.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 3 questions for IU football, Curt Cignetti at 2024 Big 10 Media Days
