Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke will undergo surgery after playing sensationally all season with a torn ACL.
The 24-year-old this week declared for the 2025 NFL draft and is ranked No. 8 among the quarterback class by ESPN.
He recently led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff, and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting, despite damaging his cruciate knee ligament in August.
According to the Cleveland ClinicIt typically takes six to nine months to recover from an ACL tear, but athletes may need more time before they are ready to cope with the demands of elite sports.
But Rourke only missed one game in the 2024 season, and that was because he had thumb surgery.
The Canadian-born quarterback wore a knee brace as he inspired Indiana to a school-record 11 wins, passing for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke played sensationally all season with a torn ACL.
The Canadian-born player wore a knee brace as he inspired Indiana to a school-record 11 wins.
Rourke's agent made the surprising revelation to ESPN on Friday and confirmed that the quarterback will undergo surgery next week to repair his knee ahead of April's draft.
It is the second time the 24-year-old has torn the same ACL, having suffered the injury for the first time in 2022.
Rourke spent three years as a starter at Ohio before moving to Indiana and leading the Hoosiers to the playoffs, where they were defeated by Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish then defeated the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs 23-10 to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Notre Dame will now play No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl, with the winner of that game going to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.