When Kurtis Rourke looked for a place to extend his NCAA football career last December after five seasons at Ohio, he was looking for a place to focus on winning in his final college season and last chance who specialized in impressing NFL scouts.

On the surface, his decision to transfer to Indiana University seemed odd considering the Big Ten school averaged fewer than five wins per season between 2017 and 2023.

But Rourke trusted his feeling that when new head coach Curt Cignetti, who came to Bloomington last November from James Madison University in Virginia, started talking about a big game, he could back it up.

And did he ever, with Rourke, the 6-foot-5 quarterback from Oakville, Ont. and younger brother of BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, as his transfer portal class prize.

The No. 16 Hoosiers are 6-0 for the first time since 1967 and host 5-1 Nebraska on Saturday, giving them a realistic chance to finish the season as part of college football's first 12-team playoff class .

“It was a crazy first half,” Rourke said. “A lot of people ask if I’m surprised. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but I definitely didn't go into the season saying we were going to have the season we've had so far. But there’s a lot of special talent here and we knew we could turn heads.”

Adding to that noise is Rourke getting back on the NFL's radar after season-ending ACL surgery in 2022 and a disappointing 2023 season in Ohio.

So far this season, Rourke has thrown for 1,752 yards, 13^Th in all of Division I, with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions. His ESPN passer rating is the fourth best in college football. He ranks third with a completion percentage of 73.8.

The most recent applause came from broadcaster Joe Buck during a prime-time NFL game. Oh, and he's currently sitting at 11^Th-Best chance of winning the Heisman Trophy.

“He's like an old Grizzly NFL veteran who's played in the Pro Bowl a few times, taken thousands of snaps and knows how to handle every situation and every circumstance,” Cignetti said this week. “He’s ready.”

Rourke attributes his smooth transition from Mid-American Conference football to the Big Ten to overcoming the feeling of having to be perfect and focusing on getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers. He also credits quarterback coach Tino Sunseri, a former Saskatchewan Roughrider, for helping him improve his vision on the field, thereby increasing his confidence.

“I have definitely grown as a player over the course of my career. Every year I tried to take a step to become a better player, be it physically or mentally,” Rourke said. “Especially this year, I feel a lot stronger mentally. Coach Tino really opened my eyes to seeing the field in different ways. Being able to apply that to the five years I spent in Ohio and then using my eyes to get the most out of the quarterback… I just feel like I've experienced a lot of growth and that growth as well over the course of the season will be maintained.

“With every game that goes by, I start to gain more confidence in my abilities. Considering how this year has gone, I’m even more excited for the opportunity to hopefully play at the next level because I know I’ll be able to do that.”

Rourke will face some tough tests in the final weeks of the season, including at Washington, Michigan and Ohio State.

“We firmly believe and have believed for some time that if we just go out there and play our game, we can beat anyone who comes against us. Don’t think about it too much,” Rourke said.

Rourke had a breakthrough junior season at Ohio in 2022, throwing 25 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, rushing for 3,257 yards and posting some of the best passing stats in all of college football. But a torn cruciate ligament in the eleventh game of the year led to a complete rehab break from the season. Rourke was cleared just in time to start the first game of the 2023 season in August.

Although Rourke never blamed injury for the problems in 2023, his numbers declined across the board and his NFL stock followed that trend. Had he not found the right college player for this season? How prepared was he to enter the NFL and CFL drafts and bet at the pro level?

“Pretty close, honestly,” Rourke said. “When the season ended and we were getting ready for the bowl, I had a lot of conversations with my family, my friends and the people around me trying to figure out what the best move was because the season I had was statistically didn't look as good as I would have liked. However, what I thought would be best was to enter the portal and see if there was interest, as I wasn't sure if there would be interest based on the season I was having.

“If Indiana hadn’t called, I don’t know if I would have played college football again. “I’m even more grateful to the coaching team who believed in me and helped me get to this point.”