Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is scheduled to undergo surgery next week to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury he played through as he led Indiana to the College Football Playoff, agent Casey Muir told ESPN on Friday.
The Oakville, Ont., native missed just one game in 2024 due a thumb injury and led Indiana to a school-record 11 wins. The Hoosiers lost at Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20.
The Indianapolis Star reported Friday it was believed Rourke partially tore the ACL in July and fully tore it the following month. Per the report, Rourke didn’t let the medical staff at Indiana know of “any further discomfort or aggravation after the initial injury, and thus no new examination or imaging was conducted across the course of the season itself.”
While playing at Ohio in 2022, Rourke tore the same ACL.
He transferred to Indiana for his redshirt-senior season in 2024 and completed 69.4 per cent of his pass attempts (222 of 320) for 3,042 yards with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions. He finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Rourke as the No. 9 quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL draft.
WATCH l Notre Dame defeats Indiana, Rourke in 1st round:
Notre Dame beats Indiana 27-17 in the opening round of the NCAA College Football Playoff. Oakville, Ont., native Kurtis Rourke finishes 20 for 33 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.