Kurtis Rourke has made the Jon Cornish Trophy a family affair.
The Indiana quarterback received the award Monday, which is presented annually to the top Canadian playing football in the NCAA. Rourke's older brother, Nathan, currently with the CFL's B.C. Lions, won the award twice in 2017 and 2018 at Ohio.
"It's awesome," Rourke said. "Kind of getting introduced to the Jon Cornish Trophy back when Nathan won it a couple of times, I wanted to be able to have a shot and it was one of my goals to be in the conversation, be in the running.
"It just means a ton to be recognized just because Canadian athletes don't get recognized too often. I'm just so glad we're able to get that recognition and continue to do it for our country."
Rourke finished first in voting ahead of Montreal's Dariel Djabome, a junior linebacker at Rutgers. Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, last year's winner, was third, followed by Vancouver's Ty Benefield (sophomore safety, Boise State) and Jett Elad of Mississauga, Ont., a senior safety at UNLV.
Cornish, of New Westminster, B.C., was a standout running back at Kansas who went on to have a decorated CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders (2007-15) before being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Rourke transferred to Indiana last December to boost his NFL draft stock after five years at Ohio, where he began as a backup to his older brother. The junior Rourke then captured the '22 MAC offensive player of the year award despite suffering a season-ending knee injury before heading to Indiana after the 2023 season.
Rourke was instrumental in Indiana — traditionally known as a basketball school — emerging as a Big Ten contender in head coach Curt Cignetti’s first season. After winning 11 of their first 12 games, the Hoosiers' stellar campaign ended with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the opening game of the expanded U.S. college football playoff bracket.
Rourke finished 20-of-33 passing for 215 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in that contest. Overall, Rourke completed 222 of 320 passes (69.4 per cent) for 3,042 yards with 29 TDs and five interceptions.
"What a privilege, opportunity to come join a program that had so much to prove," Rourke said. "It kind of aligned with what I was wanting to do, which was prove I could play at a higher level."
The six-foot-five, 223-pound Rourke was named a finalist for the Manning Award, presented annually to the NCAA's top quarterback. He was also ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy as U.S. college football's outstanding player.
"College football has been everything to me," Rourke said. "Starting off my freshman year to be able to watch Nathan grow and play in his senior year and just learn from him in both how to live a college life but also be a college quarterback as well.
"I won't forget my time at Ohio at all, it really created me and moulded me into the person, player I am. I’m extremely grateful for the entire college football experience."
The former Holy Trinity star becomes just the second Canadian high school graduate to claim the Jon Cornish Trophy. Chuba Hubbard, of Sherwood Park, Alta., and currently with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, did so in 2019 while at Oklahoma State.
The six-foot-two, 240-pound Djabome recorded 102 tackles (48 solo), three sacks and two forced fumbles this season. Rutgers faces Kansas State in the Rate Bowl on Boxing Day.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound Ayomanor, a redshirt junior, was one of the few bright spots this season for Stanford (3-9). He registered 63 catches for 831 yards and six TDs after recording 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.
Last week, Ayomanor declared for the '25 NFL draft.
The six-foot-two, 204-pound Benefield led Boise State in tackles (73), solo tackles (53) and interceptions (two) while also registering five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two recoveries. The Broncos are the third seed in U.S. college football's expanded playoffs and face Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
Elad registered 55 tackles, an interception and six pass knockdowns during the regular season. He added 12 tackles (nine solo) and a sack in the Runnin' Rebels' 24-13 win over Cal in the Art of Sport LA Bowl to finish with an 11-3 overall record.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.
The Canadian Press
