While the NFL world was already blessed with elite brothers-rivalry with the Kelce brothers, we can have our own CFB version as well. Just a slight difference, they are Canadians, and both are QBs. All thanks to Kurtis Rourke and Nathan Rourke. The two Rourke’s are not Rookies at all, rather they have been legends for Ohio Bobcats. Luckily, it has been easy for their parents as they were in the same team, but until now. What was just an in-house rivalry is now starting to get real.

They go way back, Both Kurtis and Nathan gained recognition in Ohio. Kurtis, who is now the main pocket passer for the Hoosiers in Indiana, enjoyed a stint with the Bobcats from 2019 to 2023. Leaving us with Nathan who was a Bobcat for two years from 2017 to 2019. He threw for 7,454 yards with 60 TDs and received the Jon Cornish Trophy in 2017-18 as Canada’s top NCAA performer. Drafted with the CFL side BC Lions in 2021. He made it big in the NFL too with the Jaguars in 2023.

The other guy nicknamed ‘Maple Missile’ threw for 7,651 career yards passed (66.3%) with 50 touchdowns for the Bobcats, he’s after you Nathan! Kurtis, the MAC offensive MVP of 2022 recently got injured his right thumb and is out for the Hoosiers. y’all are smart enough to notice that they share the same last name, well for obvious reasons.

Is Kurtis Rourke related to Nathan Rourke?

Nah, no brownie points for guessing it. The two are siblings, Kutis the younger, and Nathan his big bro. They both push each other. Without Kurtis Rourke, there would be no NFL for Nathan Rourke. And without big bro, there would be no NFL dreams for Kurtis. Born to parents Larry and Robyn Rourke, their paths have intertwined, the Lions #12 blazed the trail, and Kurtis followed, not in his shadow, but right beside him. Nathan had it rough though, after getting tossed around rosters in the NF, he is back home with the Lions for 2024 now. And with a bang, the ‘Kid Canada’ is making $600,000 annually is CFL’s highest-paid dude ever.

Meanwhile, Kurtis has been forging his own path. Kurtis redshirted his freshman year — Nathan’s last — and when his older brother left, he gave his coaches some parting words: “Don’t coach him like me. We’re different.”  You bet they are, as much as they share, the brothers have their differences. Particularly in their playing styles, with Kurtis’ cannon arm and Nathan is a dual-threat QB. The Hoosiers #9 however do envision his brother’s path, “Subconsciously, (thoughts of the NFL Draft are) always there. It’s hard not to think about your future, for sure,” Kurtis said. It must lead to some spirited conversations over holiday dinners, about their long-standing sibling rivalry though.

The Rourke brothers’ bond of rivalry

“Nathan’s success was with his legs, mine is with my arm,” Kurtis said, laughing about their sibling rivalry. The Lions QB1, known for his dual-threat abilities, was as dangerous with his legs as he was with his arm. “I’m glad that he’s moved on from Ohio, because that means at least some of my records will be safe, I know he wasn’t gonna get some of my rushing records, so I wasn’t worried about those. So that’s good”, said Nathan in an interview who is the highest-rushing quarterback in Ohio’s history.

For Kurtis, every snap is a chance to step out of his brother’s shadow and show that he’s more than just Nathan’s younger sibling. Maybe, if the stars and opportunities align, they can be the first QB brothers in the NFL, who knows? Their leg-pulling jabs to each other tell us a lot about the bond the brothers share. However, we still don’t know who has the ultimate family bragging rights.