Kurtis Rourke wins Jon Cornish Trophy as top Canadian player in NCAA

Photo courtesy: AP Photo/AJ Mast

Kurtis Rourke has been named the top Canadian football player in the NCAA, winning the Jon Cornish Trophy.

The 24-year-old native of Oakville, Ont. had a standout season at Indiana University, throwing for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He led the team to an 11-2 record and an inaugural appearance in the College Football Playoff and was named second-team All-Big Ten, a finalist for the Manning Award, and finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Rourke started his collegiate career with a five-year run at Ohio University where he threw for 7,651 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions and ran for 828 yards and 11 scores.

The other candidates for this year’s award were Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome, Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, Boise State defensive back Ty Benefield, and UNLV defensive back Jett Elad.

Previous winners of the Jon Cornish Trophy include Nathan Rourke, Chuba Hubbard, John Metchie III, Chase Brown, and Ayomanor.