Sports
Former Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke drafted by San Francisco 49ers
By: Grant Kiefer
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — There’s a saying amongst Ohio alumni that will always ring true: Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat. That’s especially true for former Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Rourke, a Bobcat from 2019-2023, technically became the first Ohio Bobcat to be drafted since 2018, when Quentin Poling was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. The technicality is Rourke spent his final season in college football with the Indiana Hoosiers, where he transferred to in early 2024. Rourke boosted his draft stock by leading the Hoosiers to a College Football Playoff appearance on a torn ACL, a sign of grit that NFL teams took note of.
Rourke joins a quarterback room in San Francisco that’s intriguing. Brock Purdy, who’s also a seventh-round pick, will presumably be the starter heading into next season. Mac Jones, a former first-round pick, is expected to be the backup. San Francisco’s third-string spot is up in the air, as the battle is expected to be between Rourke and Tanner Mordecai. While the winner of the battle would more than likely be on the practice squad for the season, they would serve as the emergency backup quarterback in case both the starter and backup were to be injured in the same game.
Rourke is recovering from ACL surgery on the same knee he tore in 2022 with the Bobcats. The procedure was performed in January, and it’s unclear whether Rourke will be ready for training camp in July.