Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke delivered perhaps the most remarkable season in program history in 2024, leading the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Per multiple Friday morning reports, Rourke played through the entire 2024 campaign with a re-torn ACL, adding yet another layer to his and the Hoosiers' season.
According to a report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Rourke partially tore his ACL during the summer of 2024. It's reported that Indiana was aware of that injury and treated it at the time.
Then, Rourke is believed to have re-torn that same ACL in August. Despite the severity of the injury, Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star reports that Rourke did not inform Indiana's medical staff of any additional discomfort, nor did he seek further imaging during the season.
This follows a similar injury Rourke sustained in 2022 while playing for Ohio, which required surgery and prematurely ended his season.
Rourke's resilience this past season extended beyond his knee injury. During week 7 against Nebraska, Rourke fractured his thumb, an injury that required surgery and caused him to miss one game. He returned the following week and played through the remainder of the season.
Rourke's on-field production in 2024 was nothing short of historic. He threw for 3,042 yards (fourth in Indiana history), tallied 29 total touchdowns (an Indiana single-season record) and completed 69.4% of his passes (another Indiana single-season record). He also led the country with a passer rating of 181.4 and finished the year with the most touchdown passes of any Big Ten quarterback (27).
This season, Rourke became the first Big Ten quarterback since 2000 to throw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in three consecutive conference road games. His performances this season earned him three Offensive Player of the Week awards in the Big Ten and helped Indiana secure its first double-digit win season in school history.
Rourke is set to undergo ACL revision surgery on Wednesday to repair the damaged ligament. Despite his injuries, Rourke is widely regarded as a Day 3 pick in rounds four through seven of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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