Some declare they’ve soccer of their blood. Others — just like the Rourke Household, previously of Oakville, Ontario — don’t discuss it. They pack up the household house, uproot their lives and go away something they’ve ever recognized to maneuver to the American Deep South in quest of gridiron glory.
Kurtis Rourke grew up in a kind of uncommon Canadian households that most popular pigskin over ice. By 2014, his older brother, Nathan, had blossomed into one of many nation’s finest prep quarterbacks — and had garnered nearly zero curiosity from U.S. faculties. So, mother and father Larry and Robyn rolled the cube. They moved the household practically 1,000 miles south to Alabama, hopeful the soccer world would uncover their youngsters.
Mission achieved. Nathan, who preceded Kurtis as Ohio’s beginning quarterback from 2017-19, is now among the best younger quarterbacks within the CFL. And Kurtis, who adopted his brother to Athens, Ohio, earlier than taking a leap with first-year Indiana whirlwind Curt Cignetti this offseason, is within the midst of a probably life-changing season in Bloomington.
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Kurtis Rourke entered the 2024 season with extra draft buzz from the CFL than the NFL. Three months later, that’s modified, partly due to what seems to be a subpar 2025 QB draft class general, partly as a result of he’s lastly gotten the kind of publicity — and the crew — that makes him shine.
How a lot, although? Is Rourke a severe 2025 NFL Draft riser? Let’s have a look.
Rourke threw for greater than 7,500 yards in 5 years at Ohio, regardless of struggling a torn ACL on the tail finish of a breakout 2022 marketing campaign. He appeared in 11 video games at Ohio final season earlier than getting into the switch portal and, lastly, discovering his largest break.
That break got here within the type of Cignetti, whose true teaching superpower is his capacity to morph an offense utterly, and completely, across the expertise he has. What meaning: If he picks you as his quarterback, the offense will revolve round ideas at which you thrive, so it’s going to make you look actually good. It’d even make you look higher than you might be typically, however provided that you’re good and proficient sufficient to deal with it.
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With Rourke this season, Cignetti’s offense has leaned closely on its quarterback’s capacity to correctly ID protection and make reads pre-snap whereas additionally staying aggressive sufficient vertically to assault the center of the sector. Rourke’s brother, Nathan, made his identify by a capability to do away with the soccer as quickly as humanly attainable, one thing required for a participant his measurement (6-foot-1, 210 kilos).
Kurtis Rourke, who’s 6-5, 231 with fast ft and good stability, has lots of the identical items. He’s been an excellent RPO quarterback when Indiana has referred to as for it, and he’s performed an awesome job of taking fast security valves towards off-coverage or making pre-snap shot choices primarily based on protection seems.
He’s additionally been very unbothered by stress.
Nice instance above, as we see a little bit of a special pre-snap protection look from UCLA. There are six stand-up defenders within the field, with three deep safeties in what might be Cowl o, robber Cowl 1 or some form of funky zone drop. Rourke does an awesome job sustaining his pocket rhythm, sticking together with his development keys and delivering an awesome ball for a giant acquire.
Completely zero panic, completely in management and confidence to assault groups in areas of the sector the place they’re usually the softest — that mixture has kind of been the important thing to Indiana’s explosive success. Rourke’s capacity to easily take what’s given and never be afraid of a miss over the center have been large difference-makers.
Coming into Saturday’s recreation towards Michigan, 17.7 % of Rourke’s go makes an attempt have been to the center of the sector at a depth between 10 and 22 yards. That’s the fourth-highest quantity nationally. Ten of his 19 landing passes have been in that space of the sector, usually one of many telltale indicators whether or not or not a QB has sufficient confidence to deal with what he’ll see in NFL defenses.
Rourke additionally ranks No. 1 (minimal 200 makes an attempt) in third-and-long conversion fee, at a ridiculous 57.1 %. That’s practically 10 % greater than the next-best QB (Miami’s Cam Ward).
This one is fairly nice. UCLA’s protection isn’t fairly set, however the persistence and braveness Rourke exhibits to face within the pocket and watch for the second dig route to come back open is strictly how this play is drawn on Cignetti’s white board of terror.
Irrespective of how athletic a participant is, coping with stress proper in your face is likely one of the most troublesome issues a quarterback faces. There’s no place to step up there. The play is designed for Rourke to make that drop, take a giant hitch and watch for that first dig to clear earlier than ripping the ball proper between the seams.
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Rourke is aware of he’s getting leveled there and doesn’t care. This ball is ideal. Greater than that, ask your self what number of instances you’ve seen a school QB bail on this actual route — the stress comes up the center, they panic and roll out into chaos as a WR runs huge open down the center. That is terrific quarterback play towards stress.
Talking of stress, it’s most likely no coincidence that Cignetti’s final two beginning QBs, Rourke and present Texas State QB Jordan McCloud, rank Nos. 1 and a couple of, respectively, in EPA/pressured try.
The most effective half about Cignetti’s offense is the way it has solutions for absolutely anything a protection can presumably do. However, once more, the quarterback needs to be good sufficient, and adequate within the pocket, to deal with it. McCloud is a greater mover than Rourke, however the Indiana QB isn’t any slouch.
Most significantly on the play above, his eyes by no means drop, and at no level is he making an attempt to tug this down and run. He’s transferring so he can reset and hit an open receiver. A part of this comes with expertise, as Rourke’s been in faculty since 2019. However the remainder is simply intuition, one thing with which Rourke is blessed.
He doesn’t, nonetheless, have a cannon. His arm is robust sufficient to do a variety of injury, however you will note throws within the air-yard vary of 35 or so die on him. That’s going to restrict his upside within the eyes of some NFL groups. Just a few of his interceptions this season have been the results of balls that both died on him or didn’t have sufficient zip.
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When Rourke is throwing in rhythm, utilizing his entire physique, he’s very correct and has the power to layer balls and assault between the numbers. If his course of will get wobbly, in any respect, all the things falls off. His arm is just not dynamic sufficient to beat any errors within the pocket.
In a wide-open 2025 QB class, the gamers with extra arm expertise (like Shedeur Sanders and even Drew Allar) have gotten extra consideration. In some instances, that’s truthful sufficient. However on this specific case, scouts can be higher served taking a look at Rourke’s internet positives as a result of there are a lot of.
There are damage issues, too, as we all know, together with the thumb surgical procedure Rourke required in October. He’s since returned, clearly, so if his medicals are clear and Rourke can duplicate this fee of play down the stretch (and presumably into the playoffs), don’t be shocked if he shoots up the QB record by April. Extra groups will see him as a No. 2 NFL QB than a No. 1, however many possible will conclude that Rourke, not in contrast to present Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, is loads adequate to make a dwelling within the NFL for a very good whereas.
Ward, Sanders, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe are the closest we have now to a top-five QB consensus proper now, and that’s provided that Nussmeier and Milroe enter the draft. Nonetheless, ought to Rourke shut sturdy and put collectively a very good pre-draft stretch, he may climb to QB6 (or higher) — sure, even in entrance of a man like Texas’ Quinn Ewers — on various draft boards.
(Picture: Michael Hickey / Getty Photos)
