Cruel Reality Hits Curt Cignetti’s Prodigy Kurtis Rourke, Days After Heisman Wildcard

Chad Reuter literally dropped a nuke on X with his entire “Top Prospect” list. So, Indiana Hoosiers; first time in over five years, the team is standing on a zero-loss run. What Curt Cignetti has managed to do for the team will be studied for generations to come. These guys came out of nowhere. The first few wins over FIU or UCLA were understandable but boy oh boy did Curt Cignetti manage to turn heads after his boys moped the floor with Matt Rhule and Huskers. 10 total wins and even defeated the last year’s national champs (Michigan). They are in the playoffs and nothing is going to take away the spot. However, giving all the credit to Cignetti won’t be fair.

Yes, he has done a solid coaching job, but at the center of it all is his QB Kurtis Rourke. 2400+ yards along with 21 touchdowns and barely 4 interceptions? This has to be the lowest in the entire season. He-k even Cam Ward has thrown more interceptions than this guy. So, tell us why, even after all that, on Chad Reuter’s “Top 400 prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft” list, Rourke hasn’t even cracked the Top 25 or even the Top 50 spot? This dude has become the surprise favorite of this season. Even if we check on the Heisman Odds list, which arguably only has the best players on it, Rourke is standing above Jalen Milroe with +1400 odds.

Here are my top 400 prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Some players on the list will return to school, and many things will change between now and April. pic.twitter.com/MTEjnEGCik

— Chad Reuter (@chad_reuter) November 12, 2024

Even if we go back to the Wolverines showdown, if you want to argue how reliable this guy this then you need to check that tape. Dude had a thumb injury and still managed to go 206 yards with 2 touchdowns and only 1 interception. All of these amount to something, right?

Cigentti’s prodigy has managed to turn the season around for the Hoosiers family and it feels like no one out there is paying attention. We talked about it a few days back that the only 2 teams on the board who have the capability of stopping Hoosiers‘ dominating run were the Huskies and the Buckeyes.

Against Huskies? Indiana went 31-17. The Hoosiers’ defense and offense were ON POINT. The D-line barely allowed Washington to run the football and stopped them at only 116 rushing yards. And how can we forget the 2 interceptions Hoosiers managed to catch off of Will Rogers? Cignetti and Rourke have proved time and time again that they have what it takes to be there next to the best. But now, it feels like everything will boil down to the showdown against the top 400 prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft and Co.

Hoosiers face the biggest test of the season

Okay, so the Buckeyes. It looks like Ryan Day and his $20 million roster is doing wonders for him. Ohio State is on a 8 win run with their only loss of the season credited to the Ducks. If we look past that, though, these guys have been tearing through their opponents. The Buckeyes have managed to average at least 40 points in almost all of their games and that is a big deal. Even against the Ducks, they almost managed to win at a close 31-32.

This game, for Cignetti and Rourke, will be the biggest test in the season. The Buckeyes are already ranked ahead of IU despite the 8-1 and 10-0 differences. If we try to find a common ground to compare both teams, then the Huskers’ showdown will be the perfect pick. Both Day and Cignetti crushed Rhule, but the gap in score and performance is quite large.

IU managed to snag 56 points against one of the best defenses in the country. They didn’t even allow Nebraska to hit double digits during that showdown. For Day? there was no smooth sailing. The team would’ve lost to Rhule if it wasn’t for Quinshon Judkins‘ 9-yard TD run. While Ohio State was in the lead in the first 3 quarters, Nebraska made a solid comeback in the 4th quarter. This IU vs Ohio State game will finally prove which team is good and which was bluffing.

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