'We didn't even know': Elijah Sarratt says Kurtis Rourke kept torn ACL a secret from teammates during historic 2024 season

The legend of Kurtis Rourke received a jaw-dropping new chapter on Tuesday.

It’s been public knowledge for months now: Rourke, Indiana’s star quarterback in 2024, played the entire season on a torn ACL.

But what remained behind closed doors — until Tuesday — is just how private the quarterback kept that pain. Not only was the injury hidden from the media and fans, but Rourke didn’t tell his teammates either.

“We didn’t even know that,” wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said Tuesday at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas. “I mean, he had his knee brace on, so we knew maybe something was bothering him, but we didn’t know it was to that extent.”

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The 6-foot-5 Canadian signal-caller didn’t just tough out the year — he did it quietly, surgically, and without a single complaint, powering the Hoosiers through the program’s most successful season in program history.

Rourke suffered the injury during fall camp, weeks before Indiana’s season opener.

Unlike spring camp, where he looked fresh and nimble, Rourke trotted out in August with a bulky knee brace strapped to his right leg. That was the only visible sign something might be wrong.

While most players might confide in teammates or lean on their brothers in the locker room, Rourke took a different approach.

He kept the diagnosis under wraps, informing only coaches and select medical staff. His reasoning? He didn’t want the focus to be on him.

“He kept it like a professional,” Sarratt said. “He didn’t tell us, but he continued to put his work in every single day and didn’t complain about it at all. I respect that man for that.”

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What resulted was one of the most improbable quarterback campaigns in college football history.

Rourke’s numbers would’ve been eye-popping under any circumstances — 29 touchdown passes (an Indiana single-season record), a 176.01 passer efficiency rating (second-best in the nation), and an 88.4 passer rating that led the Big Ten.

He appeared in 12 of Indiana’s 13 games, missing only one contest midseason due to a broken thumb — not because of his ACL.

Behind his play, the Hoosiers stormed into the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history, falling in the opening round to Notre Dame.

A month later, as the pain and adrenaline faded, Rourke finally went public.

He noted the ACL tear happened in August. He could’ve shut it down before the season even began.

Instead, he suited up every week, masked the pain, and kept marching forward.

“I was healthy enough to play, and that’s all that mattered to me,” Rourke said back in the spring. “I wanted to make sure I gave it everything I had [in 2024], especially being my last year [in college].”

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He did just that — and in doing so, earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.

In April, the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, making Rourke the first Hoosier quarterback drafted since Nate Sudfeld in 2016.

What makes the story even more remarkable is the understated way Rourke carried himself.

There was no excuse-making, no “woe is me.” Just preparation, execution, and leadership — all on one good leg.

For a team that prided itself on unity, Rourke’s decision to keep the injury private wasn’t a slight — it was a statement.

He didn’t want sympathy. He wanted wins. And he got plenty of them.

Now, as Indiana turns the page on the Rourke era, one thing is certain: his final collegiate season — carried out in silence, sustained by toughness — will be remembered not just for the stats, but for the sheer will behind them.

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