IU football coach Curt Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Day he sleeps better at night knowing he has a veteran quarterback like Kurtis Rourke.
And with Rourke’s career resume, it’s easy to see why.
The Canadian quarterback appeared in 36 games with 33 starts over five seasons at Ohio (2019-23). He earned Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC as a junior, and added second-team All-MAC as a senior.
The 6-foot-5 Rourke has amassed 8,479 career all-purpose yards and accounted for 61 touchdowns (50 passing, 11 rushing). He has completed 638-of-963 passes for 7,651 yards passing and 50 touchdown passes, and rushed for 1,240 career yards on 232 carries and 11 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Cignetti and his staff have coached four quarterbacks in five years to conference player of the year honors over that same 2019-23 span.
But while Rourke and Cignetti arrive with impressive accomplishments, Indiana has never had a player win the Heisman Trophy.
Anthony Thompson was close to winning the Heisman in 1989, finishing second in a controversial vote.
Bill Hillenbrand finished fifth in 1942, Vaughn Dunbar was sixth in 1991, Antwaan Randle El was sixth in 2001, and Tevin Coleman was seventh in 2014.
Could Rourke be the first?
It likely comes as no surprise, he’s seen as a longshot. In addition to strong play from Rourke, Indiana will have to have one of their best seasons ever for him to earn meaningful votes.
But Rourke is on the board with odds at multiple sports books.
Vegas Insider has summarized the odds for a Rourke Heisman as follows:
- Bet 365: 200/1
- Fan Duel: 300/1
- Bet ESPN: 300/1
- Caesars: 150/1
- DraftKings: 300/1
The Heisman Trophy odds price Dillon Gabriel of Oregon as the current favorite at 7/1. After that come Carson Beck of Georgia, Quinn Ewers of Texas, and Jalen Milroe of Alabama.
Q&A: New IU football QB Kurtis Rourke on choosing Indiana and much more
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
