Who is Kurtis Rourke? Exploring the Maple Missile's record-breaking success at Ohio

Kurtis Rourke grew up in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. He is a starting quarterback for the Ohio Bobcats. His older brother, Nathan, was also a starting quarterback at the University of Ohio. Nathan had success and was drafted to the CFL after a dominant rookie season. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2023.

“It was a pretty clear choice for Ohio,” Kurtis said about his decision to join Ohio. “Just their tradition, the culture and the coaching staff, that’s pretty much all still there. I just knew the timeline of quarterbacks was really favorable for me, I had a chance to come in and compete.”

Although Nathan is already in the NFL, Kurtis Rourke is breaking his brother's records at Ohio and looks like the real deal.

Kurtis Rourke's college career

Kurtis Rourke started 11 games in 2022 before suffering a knee injury that ended his season.

In those 11 games, Rourke led Ohio to an 8-3 record as he threw for 3,256 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. As well, the Canadian quarterback ran for 249 yards and four touchdowns.

Against Fordham, Rourke showed off his dominance by setting Ohio's single-game passing record. Rourke went 41-of-50 for 537 yards and four touchdowns, adding 45 yards and a rushing score to his tally. The 537 passing yards set a new single-game passing record for Ohio University, smashing the mark of 409 yards set by Donny Harrison against Kent State in 1983.

Even though Kurtis Rourke missed a good chunk of the MAC season, he was named the MAC Player of the Year, as well as its Offensive Player of the Year.

Although Rourke didn't even play 50% of the games, he still had a dominant year and many expected him to enter the transfer portal. However, Kurtis Rourke opted to stick with Ohio, which will likely be his final college season as he will have options in the CFL and the NFL.

It is expected Kurtis Rourke will play this season, but how he will rebound from the knee injury is something to monitor. But, if his season is anything like 2022, it will be a special year for Ohio football and Rourke.