Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke has gone from hoser to Hoosier, committing to the Indiana University for his final year of NCAA eligibility.
The 23-year-old entered the transfer portal last week in pursuit of an opportunity in a major conference, choosing Indiana over offers from Vanderbilt, BYU, and Wake Forest. The Hoosiers finished last in the Big Ten with a 3-9 record in 2023 and were left without a quarterback after redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby transferred to Cincinnati
Rourke led Ohio University to a 9-3 regular-season record in 2023, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,207 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while also carrying the ball 67 times for 219 yards and four touchdowns. He was named second-team All-MAC for his efforts and was a finalist for the Jon Cornish Trophy as Canada’s top NCAA player for the second year in a row.
The six-foot-five, 231-pound signal-caller returned to Ohio this year after tearing his ACL in a 32-18 victory over Ball State University last November. Despite the injury, he became the first Ohio Bobcat to win the Vern Smith Leadership Award as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Most Valuable Player. Rourke was also named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, the first Bobcat to win that award since 1996.
Rourke threw for 3,256 yards and 25 touchdowns during the 2022 season, leading the Bobcats to their first 10-win season since 2011, first MAC Championship game appearance since 2016 and first bowl game since 2019. He leaves Ohio University as the school’s second-all-time leading passer with 7,666 yards, surpassing his older brother Nathan, who is currently playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Oakville, Ontario native was ranked as the No. 1 prospect on CFL Scouting Bureau list that was released in August. After electing to return to school, both his CFL and NFL Draft years have now been deferred to 2025.
