Portal Positives: 3 Impact Transfers For Indiana Football Offense

Indiana’s roster is filled with transfers, and these three are among the top candidates to make a difference in 2024.

Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt catches a pass during practice. / Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – New Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti described his first weeks on the job as a whirlwind.

Dozens of Hoosiers had already entered the portal before he arrived in Bloomington. He landed 21 transfers in the portal’s winter cycle, then 10 more after spring practices. For Cignetti and many coaches around the nation, the transfer portal can be a double-edged sword. It forces them to re-recruit their own rosters, but it also allows first-year coaches like Cignetti to turn things around more quickly than previous eras.

“When you lose an All-American in the portal, you’re cursing the portal,” Cignetti said Monday. “But then when you’re able to bring in 30 new guys, you like the portal.” 

“I think in our particular situation, there were so many in the portal when I got hired, the first day I was here we had so many in, that I felt really good about – and I think the portal was a plus. So I think it was easier.” 

However, the portal is rarely a one-year fix. Cignetti values transfers that have production over potential, and many of those players are naturally further along in their college careers. Having veteran players certainly benefits Indiana in 2024. But that also means those seniors won’t be in Bloomington for long, and Cignetti will have to achieve a similar portal overhaul in order to balance the roster entering his second season.

“But now you look at us, this football team, 31-32 seniors this year, and we gotta do this again in December,” Cignetti said. “So you’d like to get this to a point where that roster balances out a little bit by class – senior, junior, sophomore, freshman – so you don’t have huge gaps that we have right now in our junior and sophomore classes.”

But before looking too far ahead, Cignetti and the Hoosiers are quickly approaching the 2024 season opener on Aug. 31 against Florida International. Fall camp has displayed that many of these transfers will play key roles as Cignetti tries to rebuild the program.

Here are three picks on the offensive side of the ball to make the biggest impact this season.

Kurtis Rourke, quarterback

This pick is somewhat a product of his position, as quarterbacks play a major role in the success or failure of any team. But based on Cignetti’s track record with quarterbacks, Rourke is especially important. James Madison often had a top-tier quarterback during its 52-9 run under Cignetti, with four different quarterbacks winning conference offensive player of the year awards in the Sun Belt and Colonial. Rourke appears to be next in line, as Cignetti said he “separated himself pretty significantly” from Tayven Jackson and the other Indiana quarterbacks during Saturday’s scrimmage.

A transfer from Ohio, Rourke stands at 6-foot-5 and 223 pounds. He was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 despite tearing his ACL during Ohio’s 11th game, and he recovered to make the second-team All-MAC in 2023. Across 33 career starts, Rourke has completed 638-of-963 passes (66.3%) for 7,651 yards, 50 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. 

While he’s more of a pocket-passer and may not warrant designed runs, Rourke is capable of making plays on the ground when necessary. In 2023, he had at least one 10-plus yard carry in nine out of 11 games, including five games with at least 26 rushing yards and four total rushing touchdowns. 

Cignetti said Jackson is capable of making the “wow” play, but he demanded more play-in, play-out consistency regarding his reads, footwork and ball security. Based on Cignetti’s comments, the separation between Rourke and Jackson appears to come with consistency, experience and decision making.

“For the most part, he’s been playing good football,” Cignetti said of Rourke. “Now, always room for improvement for anyone on this football team, any coaching staff member, never satisfied. But [he’s] consistent and knows how to play quarterback. A lot goes into that position. He’s an extension of a coach, and he’s got to make good decisions, choices and decisions that are going to lead to give you the best chance of success as a football team.”

Elijah Sarratt, wide receiver

Sarratt earned a 90.2 receiving grade by Pro Football Focus across 13 games in 2023. That grade put him No. 6 among all FBS receivers, ahead of top 10 NFL Draft picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze. Sarratt finished the season with 1,199 receiving yards, good for 11th most in the FBS, and eight receiving touchdowns. 

At 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, Sarratt has displayed a balanced skill set during spring and fall practices. He’s tall and athletic enough to make high-pointed catches in the end zone, but he also has the quickness to shake defenders in the open field. 

Elijah Sarratt is a matchup NIGHTMARE for BIG10 defenses‼️#IUFB pic.twitter.com/W2wNzk81Xh

— UnderTheRadarScouting (@utr_scouting_) May 26, 2024

Indiana’s new offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan coached Sarratt last season at James Madison. He said Sarratt began 2023 fall camp on the third team but emerged because of his football IQ, knowledge of the playbook, competitiveness, love for football and improved health after an injury in the spring. After a breakout sophomore season, Shanahan has seen Sarratt continue to improve with the Hoosiers. 

“I do think he has taken another step,” Shanahan said. “His body has really changed over the last year, credit to coach [Derek] Owings and his staff.”

Trey Wedig, offensive line

Wedig has reunited with offensive line coach Bob Bostad at Indiana after beginning his career with four seasons at Wisconsin. He started eight games for the Badgers during the 2022 season with Bostad, who left Wisconsin to join Tom Allen’s staff at Indiana in 2023. Wedig’s role decreased in the second half of the 2023 season, so he transferred to Indiana. Wedig said Bostad helped him improve last season at Wisconsin, and he felt that could continue at Indiana. 

Wedig was once a highly touted recruit, considered a four-star prospect and the nation’s seventh best offensive tackle in the class of 2020 out of Kettle Moraine High School in Wisconsin. Now with the Hoosiers, the 6-foot-7, 319-pound Wedig has been playing right tackle during fall camp. 

Indiana returned just two starting offensive lineman from last season, center Mike Katic and left tackle Carter Smith. Competition for the starting left and right guards positions is down to returning Hoosiers Bray Lynch and Drew Evans and James Madison transfer Tyler Stephens, following a season-ending injury to Nick Kidwell last week.

Indiana's Trey Wedig (75) during practice at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana’s offensive line made strides under Bostad last season despite still grading out below average on a national scale. In 2022, Indiana ranked 118th out of 133 FBS teams in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) pass blocking grade and 121st in run blocking.

But under Bostad’s direction, a line consisting of much of the same personnel improved to 67th in PFF’s run blocking grade and 104th in pass blocking. All four returning starters – excluding Smith, who played just two games in 2022 – improved their offense grade from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, sacks allowed decreased from 38 to 25, and rushing yards per game increased from 110.8 to 120.1.

Offensive line play was a weakness in the final seasons under Allen, both in protecting the passer and generating a consistent running game. And in order to reach Cignetti’s aspirations, that group must continue to improve.

Related stories on Indiana football

• ROURKE CREATING SEPARATION: Cignetti has not named a starter, but almost every comment he’s made on the quarterback position has strongly suggested that Rourke will be his man. CLICK HERE

• KIDWELL INJURY: Guard Josh Kidwell is confirmed to be out for the season. The race to replace him is on. CLICK HERE.

• KICKERS PREVIEWED: A look at how Indiana squares up at the kicker, punter and long snapper positions. CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI, COACHES ALIGNED: Curt Cignetti and his coordinators are aligned in what they think "ball" ought to be. A column from Todd Golden. CLICK HERE.