Every year, players will enter the transfer portal rather than declaring for the NFL Draft to better themselves as NFL prospects, or to further expand their current skill sets at larger programs. Today’s report looks at a signal caller who did just that, transferring from a small school in the MAC to a big ten program, Kurtis Rourke.
A former #1 overall prospect in Canada as rated by 247 sports, Kurtis would declare to play his football at Ohio University, a small school in the MAC conference. His first year would be a redshirt year, with no action to speak of.
His second season, he would see action in 3 games, starting all 3. He would total 386 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air on a 68.2 completion percentage passing.
His next season was even better statistically, as he would throw for 1,817 yards and 11 touchdowns versus 7 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 65.5%. He would follow that up with his best season at Ohio, throwing for 3,256 yards and 5 touchdowns versus 4 interceptions and a 69.1% completion percentage.
He would finish his final season at Ohio with 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns versus 5 interceptions, while completing 63.5% of his passes. He would then transfer from Ohio to Indiana University for his final season, where through 11 games he has thrown for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns versus 4 interceptions and a completion percentage of 70.4% as well.
A productive player, both in the MAC and in the Big Ten as well, does his tape reflect this production, and is there more to come for Kurtis? Let’s dive in and find out:
Player Info
Name: Kurtis Rourke
Jersey: No. 9
Position: Quarterback
School: Indiana University
Class: Senior
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 223 lbs.
Kurtis Rourke’s Strengths
Kurtis has some of the smoothest mechanics of any QB prospect in the 2025 class; consistent footwork, a nice throwing motion, and an ability to generate velocity while using his whole body from arm to hip to feet. He also is a very good anticipatory thrower of the football, consistently delivering the passes before his receivers are even out of their breaks, showing a wonderful touch and timing on his passes.
Kurtis is a field general in every sense of the word, easily commanding pre-snap adjustments with his protection calls for his offensive line, setting them and himself up for success. He also has some of the best accuracy in the intermediate game, placing passes in the perfect spot, similar to a pitcher placing a ball in the perfect spot in the strike zone.
Kurtis Rourke’s Weaknesses
Kurtis is a traditional pocket passer in terms of his twitchiness, meaning he won’t be able to break away and make things happen outside of the pocket when it begins to break down. He also loses some zip on his deeper passes, especially ones that he is unable to step into and generate that additional needed velocity.
The biggest knock against Kurtis is that he will be an older prospect (24 years old entering his rookie season) so there are whispers regarding if he has already hit his ceiling in terms of his development as a passer and as a quarterback.
Draft Projection
Kurtis currently sits in my top 100 players in this NFL Draft, and I could see him selected in the middle to late parts of round 3. While he is in the mold of a traditional pocket passer, he has enough of an arm to make most of the throws at the next level, and his ability to analyze and take advantages of defense with his touch will be key to his success at the next level.
He would be a great fit in timing based offenses, especially with his anticipation skills as a passer. Here are some teams who should be looking to target Kurtis in the NFL Draft:
- Cleveland Browns (This is somewhat of a homer fit for me, as getting Kurtis Rourke to sit behind Jameis or even potentially start opening day next season would be a huge boom for the folks in Berea.)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the final years of their respective deals, the Steelers are likely in the market for a quarterback in the NFL Draft. While his age may pose a problem for some teams, a team like the Steelers will have no problem with it, as his skill set would fit well with this Mike Tomlin coached team.)
- Tennessee Titans (This one is a bit of a dark horse for this analyst. I do think that the Titans take a swing on a QB as competition for Levis somewhere on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. Rourke’s timing based skill set would be a dream fit for Brian Callahan and the offense he runs in Tennessee, similar to how Burrow ran it in Cincinnati. However, his age could be problematic if the Titans want to get younger at QB rather than the olde prospect in Rourke.)
As we move towards the 2025 NFL Draft, teams are going to continue doing their due diligence on this QB class, and while some teams may be turned off by Rourke’s age, others will have no problems with it, and choose to select him to lead their franchise moving forward as the top signal caller.
My comparison for Kurtis Rourke: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, New England Patriots/San Francisco 49ers/Los Angeles Rams
