The Story Kurtis Rourke Wants To Convey To NFL Is A Tale Of Toughness

Indiana had its NFL Pro Day on Tuesday at Memorial Stadium and Mellencamp Pavilion. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was always going to be one of the former Hoosiers to get the highest level of interest given his career accomplishments and success in leading Indiana to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Rourke was unable to take part in any of the activities at Pro Day, however, due to the surgery he had on his right knee. It was to repair an ACL tear.

By now, most Indiana fans know the story of Rourke. He tore the ACL before the 2024 season and played through the injury – a true demonstration of toughness.

Now Rourke has to convince NFL teams of his abilities as a quarterback - and that playing through such an injury demonstrates his commitment to the game and that he’s willing to endure a lot to lead his team.

Obviously, NFL teams wanted to know the full story of Rourke’s situation – something he was ready for when he went to the NFL Combine last week. Rourke did not take part in any throwing drills, but conducted many interviews with NFL teams.

“I like to explain the stories and say to (NFL teams) truthfully, but also in a way to show that I only missed one game and I had a torn ACL and a broken thumb,” Rourke said. “(Toughness) was a talking point, for sure, because a lot of them didn't really understand or know I did that. You know that you could even play with those injuries, but it's a fun story to tell.”

Rourke has made it clear that while he felt discomfort in his knee last summer, he didn’t know at the time that it was a torn ACL.

“(Indiana athletic training staff) were telling me that I could play on it. And so that's all I kind of needed. Thankfully, I stayed in the pocket a lot more last year than in other years and so that helped a bunch,” Rourke explained.

“There was definitely some uncomfortability. And I wasn't playing fully healthy, but I just wanted to be out there, play and continue the season,” Rourke added.

While the NFL Combine was limited to interviews for Rourke, it was still an eye-opening experience for him to experience football at its highest level.

“It was really awesome just being around the best of the best and being able to meet a bunch of teams and kind of go through that process and that interview process. Even though I wasn't able to physically do anything, it was one of the more valuable experiences,” Rourke said.