Hoosiers Now

Where Indiana Quarterback Kurtis Rourke Stands in Heisman Trophy Race

There’s a clear favorite for this year’s Heisman Trophy, but Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke could be honored with an invitation to the award ceremony.
Jack Ankony|
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) leaves the field after defeating UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) leaves the field after defeating UCLA in the Rose Bowl. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – What a difference a year can make.

After playing nine quarterbacks across the previous three seasons due to injuries and unproductive play, Indiana landed one of the nation’s top quarterback transfers in Kurtis Rourke. New head coach Curt Cignetti engineered one of the sport’s best turnarounds – going from a 9-27 record from 2021-23 to 11-1 in 2024 – and plucking Rourke from Ohio was a major reason why.

Through 12 regular season games, Rourke completed 202-of-287 passes (70.4%) for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions and made the second-team All-Big Ten. He ranks first nationally in passer rating (181.4), first in PFF’s passing grade (92.4), eighth in completion percentage, tied for ninth in touchdowns and 27th in passing yards. His four interceptions put him tied for fifth fewest among qualified quarterbacks.

Those numbers have put Rourke in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Ballots were sent out this week to the 928 electors, consisting of the 57 living Heisman Trophy winners, 870 college football media members and one overall fan vote sponsored by Nissan. 

Fans can vote at www.NissanHeismanHouse.com The fan vote options include Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, plus a write-in option.

Voting for the Heisman Trophy, given to the nation’s most outstanding college football player, will conclude on Dec. 9, and finalists will be announced the same day. The winner will be announced Dec. 14 at the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. The ceremony will air at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Beginning in 2021, four finalists have been invited every year. While there appears to be at least one surefire finalist, it looks to be a close call for the last few spots. Here’s a look at the seven betting favorites, according to FanDuel, and their cases for the Heisman Trophy.

Travis Hunter

  • Cornerback and wide receiver, Colorado Buffaloes
  • Stats: 92 receptions, 1,152 yards, 15 total touchdowns, 11 passes defended, four interceptions, one forced fumble. 
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 86.1 offense (4th), 88.3 receiving (4th), 90.3 defense (2nd), 90.9 coverage (1st).
  • Odds: minus-6000
  • His case: Hunter is the only Heisman candidate that can say he impacted both sides of the ball in a major way, playing 709 snaps at wide receiver and 713 snaps at cornerback. He ranks fifth nationally in receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns while also grading as the top cornerback in coverage. Hunter, the heavy favorite, put an exclamation mark on his argument with three receiving touchdowns and an interception in Colorado’s 52-0 win over Oklahoma State.

Ashton Jeanty

  • Running back, Boise State Broncos
  • Stats: 312 carries, 2,288 yards, 7.3 yards per carry, 28 rushing touchdowns, 18 receptions, 102 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown.
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 95.3 offense (1st), 97.1 run (1st).
  • Heisman odds: plus-1500
  • His case: Jeanty has rare company. He already has the most single-season rushing yards since Melvin Gordon in 2014 and the fifth most since at least 1956. Like Hunter, he ended the regular season on a high note with his fifth 200-plus rushing yard game. Some may view Jeanty’s accomplishments as less impressive because he plays in the Mountain West, but his rare feats deserve strong consideration for the award.

Dillon Gabriel

  • Quarterback, Oregon Ducks
  • Stats: Completed 275-of-374 (73.5%) for 3,275 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 175 yards and seven touchdowns. 
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 90.2 offense (7th), 89.0 passing (7th).
  • Heisman odds: plus-50000
  • His case: Gabriel is the quarterback on the No. 1 in the country. Oregon is the only undefeated team remaining and will be the top seed in the College Football Playoff if it beats Penn State in the Big Ten championship. It’s fair to ask how much Oregon’s team success should impact Gabriel’s chances at this individual award. His play is certainly a big reason the Ducks are undefeated. But aside from his second-ranked completion percentage, he’s 10th in passing yards, 18th in touchdowns and eighth in passer rating.

Kurtis Rourke

  • Quarterback, Indiana Hoosiers
  • Stats: Completed 202-of-287 passes (70.4%) for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed four two touchdowns.
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 91.7 offense (3rd), 92.4 passing (1st).
  • Heisman odds: plus-50000
  • His case: Rourke ranks first nationally in ESPN’s passer rating (181.4) and first in PFF’s passing grade. That could be enough for a Hoosier to become a Heisman finalist for the first time since Anthony Thompson in 1989. But some may look at Rourke’s total passing yardage, which ranks 27th due to missing one and a half games with a thumb injury, and vote elsewhere. It also hurts that Rourke had his worst game in Indiana’s biggest game, a 38-15 loss at Ohio State, and already lost the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award to Gabriel. Heisman finalist or not, Rourke will be remembered fondly for quarterbacking the best season in Indiana history.

Jalen Milroe

  • Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
  • Stats: Completed 189-of-287 passes (65.9%) for 2,652 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing 152 times for 719 yards and 20 touchdowns.
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 89.6 offense (11th), 81.2 (23rd).
  • Heisman odds: plus-50000
  • His case: Where Milroe lags behind Rourke and Gabriel in passing stats, he makes up for in his rushing numbers. Milroe ranks 10th among quarterbacks and 96th overall in rushing yards, and he’s sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns. His passing numbers are respectable, too, but 10 interceptions hurt his argument. Alabama may reach the College Football Playoff anyway, but Milroe had his worst game two weeks ago in a 24-3 loss at Oklahoma.

Shedeur Sanders

  • Quarterback, Colorado Buffaloes
  • Stats: Completed 337-of-454 passes for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for four touchdowns 
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 91.5 offense (4th), 91.1 passing (4th). 
  • Heisman odds: plus-50000
  • His case: Sanders has significantly more passing yards and touchdowns than Gabriel, Rourke and Milroe, which is also a product having significantly more passing attempts. But he also has a better completion percentage than the aforementioned quarterbacks, despite doubling Rourke in interceptions. Though it’s not entirely his fault and this is an individual award, Sanders could get knocked for Colorado’s 9-3 record. The Buffaloes won’t be in the College Football Playoff – it looks like Gabriel, Rourke and Milore will be – and it lost three games to Nebraska, Kansas State and Kansas while having the nation’s 69th strength of schedule.

Cam Ward

  • Quarterback, Miami (FL) Hurricanes
  • Stats: Completed 293-of-435 (67.4%) passes for 4,123 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 196 yards and four touchdowns.
  • PFF grades, ranking at position: 92.5 offense (t-1st with Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart), 91.4 passing (3rd).
  • Heisman odds: plus-50000
  • His case: Ward leads the nation with 36 passing touchdowns. He ranks second nationally in total passing yards, behind Syracuses’s Kyle McCord, who isn’t seen as a likely Heisman candidate. Some of that is a product of more attempts – he ranks 10th in the country with 435 – but he also has significantly more yards than nine players with more attempts. Ward is first in ESPN’s adjusted total quarterback rating 88.0, with Rourke and Gabriel right behind, who were less turnover-prone and had higher completion percentages. Ward may also suffer from Miami losing two of its last three games to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, potentially knocking the Hurricanes out of the College Football Playoff race.

Related stories on Indiana football

  • IU ASSISTANT COACHING MOVEMENT: Quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri will leave Indiana for UCLA after the College Football Playoff. But head coach Curt Cignetti has retained the rest of his staff with new contracts. CLICK HERE
  • CIGNETTI TO ADD PORTAL QB: With current quarterback Kurtis Rourke in his final year of collegiate eligibility, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Wednesday that, “we will definitely recruit a quarterback out of the portal.” CLICK HERE
  • SIGNING DAY: Indiana previously received verbal commitments from 21 recruits in the class of 2025, and coach Curt Cignetti said that all of them officially signed with the Hoosiers on Wednesday’s National Signing Day. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA 9TH IN CFP RANKINGS: Indiana came in at No. 9 in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings, meaning the Hoosiers would receive the No. 10 seed at play at No. 7 seed Georgia in the first round due to the playoff’s automatic bid rules for conference champions. CLICK HERE
  • ALL-BIG TEN AWARDS: The Big Ten announced its postseason awards on Tuesday as Cignetti took home the only individual honor for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony has been covering IU basketball and football with “Indiana Hoosiers on SI” since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism.

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