Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) warms up before a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Star Big Ten QB played through torn ACL

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jan 3, 2025 6:05 PM ET

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in 2024 while playing through one of the most severe injuries one could have.

Rourke played with a torn ACL for the entire season and will undergo surgery ahead of the NFL Draft, his agent Casey Muir revealed Friday. He had previously torn his ACL playing for Ohio in 2022, but re-tore it in August.

Indiana star QB Kurtis Rourke, a 2025 NFL Draft prospect, will undergo ACL revision surgery Wednesday, per his agent Casey Muir at @octagonfootball.

Rourke is believed to have re-torn his ACL in August — yet amazingly played and led the Hoosiers to the playoff. One tough dude. pic.twitter.com/0bZze2ZMrC

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 3, 2025

Nobody was even aware Rourke was playing with an injury, much less one as severe as an ACL tear. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes in 12 games, throwing for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns to go with 5 interceptions. He led the team to an 11-2 record and a CFP appearance while finishing ninth in Heisman voting. That is a remarkable season no matter what, but it becomes downright astonishing when considering the injury he was playing through. He even had to deal with some unrelated injury issues as well, but none of it derailed him.

Rourke had already declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. Presumably, his surgery will have some impact on his pre-draft prep, but scouts will no doubt take notice of his toughness.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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