The Maxwell Football Club announced a pair of Indiana football players as semifinalists for national awards on Tuesday.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke and edge rusher Mikail Kamara were tabbed for the 88th Maxwell Award and 30th Chuck Bednarik Award, respectively. Rourke was also named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.
The lists include a field of 16 candidates for the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, and 20 candidates for the Bednarik Award. Indiana is one of just six programs to have an offensive and defensive player of the year semifinalist from the Maxwell Football Club.
On Monday, Kamara was also named a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Rourke is the highest-rated passer in the FBS per Pro Football Focus (92.3) and owns the second-best passing efficiency (182.7) in the nation. He ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 12 in FBS with 21 passing touchdowns, a total that sits tied for No. 6 on the IU single-season list and he is top-20 in both single-season passing (2,401) and total offense (2,427) in the IU record books.
In 2024, Rourke has thrown just four interceptions- the fourth fewest among Power 5 passers – with one of those on an end-of-half Hail Mary throw to the end zone against Nebraska. He is the first Big Ten quarterback since 2000 to throw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in his first three career conference road starts.
He is a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week and was the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week after a Week 3 victory at UCLA. On the national level, Rourke was named to the Davey O’Brien Quarterback Class of 2024.
Kamara leads the Big Ten and is tied for No. 6 nationally in sacks (9.5) and is No. 2 in the B1G and No. 4 nationally in tackles for loss (14.5) in 2024. His 55 total pressures lead the nation per Pro Football Focus. He owns multiple tackles in nine of 10 games with at least 1.0 tackle for loss in eight of 10 games with a sack in seven contests on the season.
The redshirt junior was tabbed national defensive player of the week after IU’s victory at Michigan State with seven tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. His 4.5 tackles for loss in the game tie for No. 3 on the single-game IU charts and are the most since Damian Gregory against Michigan State in 1997. His 2.5 sacks are tied for No. 6 on the single-game ledger at IU and the highest single-game total since Tegray Scales had 3.0 against Penn State in 2017.
Kamara’s 9.5 sacks are tied for No. 6 on the IU single-season list with Nick Mangieri (2015) and he aims for the first double-digit sack season since defensive lineman Jammie Kirlew (10.5) in 2008. It would also mark just the sixth double-digit sack season in Indiana history.
The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award and the 30th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show which will be broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday December 12, 2024. The formal presentation of the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards will take place at the 88th Maxwell Awards Gala which will be held on Friday March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
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