Former IU football quarterback Kurtis Rourke saw his first game action Thursday evening since Indiana played at Notre Dame in the 2024 College Football Playoff.
After a long layoff, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback experienced the highs and lows.
The starter for the 49ers preseason opener, Rourke played most of the first half and played well, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution after suffering a rib injury.
Fortunately, coach Kyle Shanahan said Rourke’s injury is not believed to be serious.
“They said ribs, he was struggling to breathe so they took him to the hospital just to check on him and make sure he’s alright. X-rays in here didn’t show it was broken,” Shanahan said to the media postgame. “They just wanted to get more imaging and find out, so they weren’t too concerned. I don’t want to downplay it but I don’t want to overplay it either.”
Rourke completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards before leaving the game.
Competing for a spot on the 53-man roster, Rourke made a solid impression.
“He looked good. Got the ball to the right spot, played well,” Shanahan said.
Every pass and run play from Kurtis Rourke against the Titans 📈 pic.twitter.com/Rx3xOhTSzh
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 14, 2026
Rourke played the 2024 season at Indiana with a torn ACL in his right knee. Leading IU to a 11-2 season, Rourke finished ninth in the 2024 Heisman voting.
His 2024 season for the Hoosiers propelled Rourke up draft boards, but a later disclosed knee injury that required postseason surgery resulted in him falling to San Francisco in the seventh-round. He missed the entire 2025 season.
Leading IU to one of its best seasons ever, Rourke was named second-team All-Big Ten Conference in 2024. He set a then school single-season record with 29 passing TDs. Rourke ranked eighth in the FBS with a 69.4 percent completion rate (222-320), and he was tied for 10th with the 29 passing TDs (against 5 INTs).
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