The last two starting quarterbacks for the Indiana Hoosiers have played leading roles in turning the IU football program around in a major way.
Kurtis Rourke was the first QB of the Curt Cignetti era in Bloomington in 2024. He led the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record in the regular season to go along with the school's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. The following year, Fernando Mendoza took the college football world by storm by winning the Heisman Trophy and leading IU to a historic National Championship.
Now, both Rourke and Mendoza will be on NFL rosters this season. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza's spot on the Raiders' 53-man roster is rock solid. Rourke's fate was more up in the air during the preseason, and with roster cuts needing to be set by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday night, he received some good news over the weekend.
Kurtis Rourke will be 49ers' QB3 heading into Week 1
According to NFL Insider Ian Rapaport, the 49ers have named Rourke as their QB3 heading into Week 1. Rourke was battling with Adrian Martinez for San Francisco's QB3 spot, and it appears that the former Hoosier has defeated the former Cornhusker in that race. Heading into Week 1, Rourke will be slated on San Francisco's depth chart behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones.
What makes Rourke's QB3 victory even more impressive is that he started just one preseason game, while Martinez appeared in all three games. Rourke got the starting nod in San Francisco's preseason opener against the Titans. He completed 12 of his 14 pass attempts for 101 yards while also rushing three times for 14 yards.
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Rourke broke three ribs on a goal-line play during that contest, and needed to be transported from the field to the hospital. Despite the injury and small preseason sample size, the 49ers apparently saw enough to keep Rourke around. He is expected to return to practice this week as the 49ers continues preparing for their regular season opener on Thursday, September 10 against the Rams in Australia.
Martinez finished the preseason slate by completing 36 of his 68 pass attempts for 346 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
Kurtis Rourke earned every bit of his spot in the 49ers' QB room
After throwing for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns at Indiana in 2024, Rourke was picked by the 49ers in the 7th round with the No. 227 overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft. He wouldn't suit up a single time for San Francisco, as he spent the entire season rehabbing from a knee injury.
Rather than letting the injury derail his opportunity, Rourke showed his resiliency and talent that paved the way for another opportunity in 2026. His rib injury earlier this month could have provided another setback in his NFL journey. But instead, Rourke proved that he has what it takes to make an NFL roster.
After everything he's already overcome early on in his NFL career, Rourke has made quite the first impression in San Francisco. Heading into the regular season, he will be looking to show that he deserves to be around for the long haul.
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