Lawton, Rourke Motivated To Build Cohesion After First Scrimmage

The James Madison running back transfer said the offense had a meeting to build bonds after not clicking in the first scrimmage.

Indiana's Ty Son Lawton (17) runs the ball during the Indiana football spring game at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 18, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Getting a roster with 31 transfers, 22 true freshmen and almost an entirely new coaching staff to gel takes time for any program. 

Indiana has learned that during fall camp.

“I feel like yesterday we had a better scrimmage than scrimmage one. Scrimmage one, we weren’t really clicking,” said Ty Son Lawton, a running back transfer from James Madison, on Wednesday. 

That was expected, even from first-year coach Curt Cignetti, who has aspirations to win at a higher level than any of his predecessors. He said at Big Ten Media Days that his team was not where it needs to be – because nobody is in July – and he has demanded day-in, day-out improvement throughout fall camp.

Still, Lawton and other newcomers were unsatisfied with their performances in the first scrimmage. He’s one of 13 transfers that helped James Madison finish 11-2 in 2023 and understands the standard of success Cignetti sets. Similarly, transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke comes from an Ohio University program that won 20 games over the last two seasons.

“As the ones, we got out – were slow in that first scrimmage,” Lawton said. “So Kurt [Rourke], he was kind of mad about it. Honestly, we were all mad about it.”

After the scrimmage, Lawton said Rourke made a group chat with the offense. And the next day, they had a team meeting, where they sat down and got to know each other at a higher level. 

“We didn’t really know how to speak to each other after that first scrimmage,” Lawton said. “ … I feel like that was a step forward in our process, and we had a great scrimmage two. So I feel like if we just keep doing that and getting that going, we should be fine.”

In his short time playing with Rourke, Lawton has quickly become accustomed to his personality on and off the field.

“He’s a leader,” Lawton said of Rourke. “He’s a good guy. Honestly, he makes sure he knows everybody else’s role as well. We try to tell him like, you can calm down, we got you, sometimes. Because as a quarterback, you know, it’s hard sometimes. You have to know everybody’s role at the end of the day, but we just try to help him out. He’s definitely a leader.”

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) passes during the first day of fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lawton didn’t expect to be in this position earlier in his career. He redshirted the 2018 season, received a bonus year of eligibility due to COVID-19 and a medical redshirt, granting him a rare seventh year of eligibility. Now he’s part of the effort of turning the Indiana football program around after a 9-27 stretch the last three seasons. 

Lawton told reporters on Wednesday that he wanted to declare for the NFL Draft following his fifth-year senior season in 2022. He was coming off a 2021 season where he led the Colonial Athletic Association with 1,088 yards at Stony Brook, which ranked 11th in the FCS. But his 2022 season was cut short to just three games due to injury.

The 5-foot-9, 208-pound running back ended up at James Madison for his sixth-year senior season in 2023. Stony Brook went 8-18 across Lawton’s final three seasons at the FCS school, and he immediately felt Cignetti’s impact during spring practice last season. 

“Not to pat myself on the back, but at Stony Brook, I was kind of the guy there,” Lawton said. “And to get to JMU, I kind of got humbled. I never really took practice as serious until I got under Cig’s team, and that made me be a better player.”

Lawton appeared in 12 games for James Madison last season. Forming a balanced rushing attack, he finished second on the team with 126 carries, 603 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, good for 4.5 yards per carry. Ahead of him was Kaelon Black, who joined Lawton in transferring to Indiana. So did former James Madison running back Solomon Vanhorse. 

Ty Son Lawton (17) runs the ball during the Indiana football spring game at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 18, 2024. / Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

They’re part of a deep running back room that also features Wake Forest transfer Justice Ellison, a 1,901-yard career rusher, and North Carolina transfer Elijah Green, who totaled 665 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. 

Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said the running back competition may never end, and that it’s good to have a deep group in case of injuries. Lawton said that dynamic motivates the running backs to not take any moment for granted and gain the coaches’ trust.

With his final season of eligibility, he feels he can help Indiana not only by running the ball, but also as another receiver out of the backfield. And he’s excited he gets one more season under Cignetti for one simple reason.

“Just the winning mindset,” Lawton said. “At Stony Brook, we weren’t really winning a lot of games there. In high school, I won two back-to-back championships, and I just wanted to get that winning feeling again. Being 11-1 last year, I felt like we can do that again this year.”

“He’s a hell of a coach. I feel like he doesn’t really do any wrong, not that I know of. He takes care of us. We have scheduled practices some days. Some days he’ll cancel them and give us an off day. He’s very good at taking care of his players.”

Related stories on Indiana football