Kurtis Rourke is one of the NFL scouting combine’s most intriguing players. The 24-year-old senior quarterback from Oakville Ontario, had anything but a normal experience getting to this point in his career.
Rourke led the Indiana Hoosiers to the best start in school history, a 10-0 run to begin the 2024 campaign. Finishing the season with an overall record of 11-2, a national championship playoff appearance, and bringing Indiana football back to the national spotlight for the first time since Micheal Penix Jr. was in command of the offense in 2020.
What makes Rourke so intriguing is not the Hoosiers record, his stats, or his physical abilities. Rather it’s his resilience to overcome adversity.
Rourke’s journey to the NFL scouting combine began in Canada at Holy Trinity High School. After completing his sophomore year in Alabama, Rourke returned to his former high school for an additional three years before earning his only division one offer from Ohio University.
The Bobcat program found success in Rourke’s brother Nathan in prior years; the coaching staff was willing to take a chance on Kurtis.
During Rourke’s five seasons at Ohio he accumulated over 7,500 passing yards, and 50 touchdown passes. Rourke was named the 2022 Mid-American Conference player of the year, despite a season ending ACL tear with three games left in the season.
With one year of eligibility remaining Rourke took a chance on an Indiana program under the leadership of new head coach Curt Cignetti.
However, Rourke faced an immediate new challenge, a new partial ACL tear. “Back in July I kind of tweaked it, got an MRI they said I might have some nagging and uncomfortably throughout the season,” Rourke said.
Throughout the course of the season Rourke would continue to aggravate the preexisting injury, while also enduring a thumb injury on his throwing hand.
Showing grit and resilience, he only missed one game throughout the 2024 season. Later Indiana medical staff would reveal that Rourke had played the entire season on a completely torn ACL.
Despite the constant injuries Rourke played well. He finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting and was named the 2024 Jon Cornish Trophy winner. An annual award given to Canada’s best college football player.
Rourke is one of the most decorated quarterbacks to come out of Indiana, and the first IU quarterback invited to the combine since Nate Sudfeld in 2016.
“Indiana is on the rise. I don’t think I’ll be the first in a while someone else is going to come even next year… happy the Hoosiers are being recognized,” Rourke told TheStatehouseFile.com at a press conference Friday.