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Despite losing to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, Indiana's 2024 season was still the most prosperous in program history. However, with the impending departure of several key players, Curt Cignetti has already hit the transfer portal to begin building on his success.
One of the biggest stories of Indiana's 2024 season was the high number of incoming transfers to its roster. The Hoosiers welcomed 31 players from the transfer portal, including 13 who followed Cignetti from James Madison. Cignetti will have to take a similar approach ahead of his second season with the team.
While several big names will depart, none will be more significant than quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The fifth-year spent his final season of eligibility in Bloomington after five years at Ohio. He successfully transitioned from the MAC to the Big 10, throwing for 3,042 yards and a career-high 29 touchdowns in 2024.
Along with Rourke's graduation, Cignetti also lost backup Tayven Jackson to the transfer portal earlier in December. Jackson, a Tennessee transfer, has not played much in college but is a former four-star recruit. His absence forces Indiana to likely return to the portal for its next signal-caller.
Indiana did get former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza from the transfer portal, but a better option might have just presented itself. After four record-breaking years at South Dakota State, Mark Gronowski entered his name into the portal and eyes a move to the FBS.
Indiana needs to target Mark Gronowski in the transfer portal
Perhaps Cignetti is content with Mendoza, but Gronowski immediately became the top quarterback in the portal once he declared. Given his late submission, he will not be pursued as heavily as he would have earlier in the window, giving Indiana an opportunity to strike.
In each of the last three years, Gronowski has thrown for at least 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns while never topping seven interceptions in a single season. He led South Dakota State to two FCS titles in 2022 and 2023. The competition was clearly subpar, but his glowing talent already gives scouts reason to believe that he would thrive at the next level.
Nobody would doubt that Mendoza is the more proven quarterback of the two. However, He has never thrown for more than 16 touchdowns in a season while struggling with turnovers. Through two years at Berkeley, Mendoza has a career touchdown-interception ratio of 30 to 16.
Even if Indiana seeks Gronowski's services from the portal, he only has one year of eligibility remaining. Conversely, Mendoza has two years in his pocket. It is possible for Cignetti to sit Mendoza for a year before starting him in 2026. That would just be a difficult conversation to have with a guy likely expecting to start for a championship contender.
Searching for a new quarterback is not ideal. But given Cignetti's current situation, Gronowski's availability, however uncertain, must be pursued. Gronowski is not sure that he wants to return to college, as he stated his interest in declaring for the NFL Draft. Yet, his current lack of draft stock will likely force him to spend a year in the FBS before garnering interest.
Gronowski said that he just wants to explore all of his options in the portal, and maybe a year in Bloomington does not satisfy him. Or, perhaps Cignetti is already sold on Mendoza. Regardless of what happens, Gronowski needs to be a target that Cignetti and the Hoosiers at least pursue if they wish to build on the foundation set in 2024.
