Roughriders take Indiana QB Rourke in CFL draft
The Saskatchewan Roughriders took Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the third round of the 2025 CFL Draft.
Rourke is unlikely to play in the CFL this season after being selected in this year's NFL draft, going in the seventh round to the San Francisco 49ers.
He was the second quarterback drafted after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected Laurier's Taylor Elgersma, who's also generating NFL interest. The CFL Scouting Bureau ranked Rourke the second overall player this year behind Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor.
The 24-year-old is the younger brother of BC Lions star passer Nathan Rourke. Kurtis is currently recovering from offseason ACL surgery but is expected back for 49ers training camp later this summer.
The Oakville, Ontario, native led Indiana to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance last season and was named to the All-Big Ten second team. Rourke went 10-2 as a starter and completed 69.4% of his passes for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns against five interceptions.
He won the 2024 Jon Cornish Trophy as the best Canadian player in NCAA football, an honor his brother earned in 2017 and '18.
Rourke began his college career at Ohio in 2019 as a backup to his brother. He won the MAC Most Valuable Player award in 2022 during his second year as the team's starter. Rourke transferred to Indiana in 2024 after five seasons with the Bobcats.