The senior quarterback doesn’t mind doing the little things like cleaning up and being the last one to come off the field. It’s something he loves and embraces.
That’s part of the reason why the senior was voted captain by his coaches and teammates for the second straight year and why they always speak highly of the Oakville, Ontario, native. It’s why Rourke has a legitimate shot at solidifying himself as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at Ohio.
Kelsey Boeing | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Nathan Rourke runs a ball during the homecoming game against the Bowling Green Falcons on Saturday. (FILE)
Of course, the off-field criteria is critical for a quarterback, but his on-field talent has been one of the most discussed subjects not only for Ohio but for the Mid-American Conference and Group of 5 schools as well.
“It’s nice to get recognition, and I’m proud when it brings recognition to this university and this program,” Rourke said. “But we haven’t done anything. I’m just focused on getting better.”
Ohio hasn’t played a game this season yet. Rourke hasn’t thrown a pass against a defense he doesn’t share a locker room with, and he hasn’t felt the pressure that comes with being a Division I quarterback this season.
Those outside of the program, however, have still taken notice of Rourke and his potential in his final year with the Bobcats. He’s been named to six different preseason award watch lists, including the Davey O’Brian Award — given to the best quarterback in the country — the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award.
The hype for Rourke is well-deserved. In his two seasons with the Bobcats, he’s racked up 4,637 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions. He’s also accumulated 1,772 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns and is as lethal a weapon with his feet as he is with his arm.
The Bobcats will likely rely on Rourke more than ever in his final year. Ohio will play without some of last season’s key play makers in running back A.J. Ouellette and wide receiver Papi White.
The two former Bobcats combined for 2,529 total yards and 24 total touchdowns as redshirt seniors last season. Now, Rourke is left to find new targets and establish chemistry with players seeing their first reps of collegiate action.
With Ouellette and White now gone and with the statistics Rourke has accumulated, there’s no wonder why he’s received national attention, which has been something that Ohio hasn’t experienced at the quarterback position since, perhaps, Tyler Tettleton broke numerous quarterback records a decade ago.
For Rourke, the in-house attention matters most.
“Nathan’s leadership is a big part of this team,” redshirt junior wide receiver Cam Odom said. “He’s a humble guy. You could tell him he’s up for the Heisman, and he wouldn’t even know.”
To Odom, the humbleness Rourke carries will help some of the young receivers and running backs grow quicker than expected. The Bobcats will miss Ouellette and White, but the talent gap should be filled sooner rather than later.
“He knows he has to put in the work first before anything comes,” Odom said. “He’s the type of guy who knows that nothing is given to him, and us as his teammates follow that leadership.”
Despite some of the youth and inexperience among the skill players, the Bobcats are hopeful the Rourke-Odom connection will help open the field for other players.
The connection looked strong in a scrimmage earlier in fall camp after Rourke threw a 57-yard touchdown to Odom that opened the field for a series of strong reps for inexperienced players like Camryn Snow and Ty Walton.
Rourke has also gone out of his way to teach true freshman and brother Kurtis Rourke and redshirt freshman Joe Mischler how to establish rhythm and lead an offense. The two backups have played behind Nathan throughout fall camp, and despite his efforts to manage his own improvements and meet the lofty expectations as the leader of the offense, he’s taken time to ensure Ohio’s future quarterbacks have improved with him.
“You’ve got to be positively contagious in a way,” Rourke said.
With Week 1 just over two weeks away, Rourke isn’t focused on winning those personal awards, breaking career bests or improving his stock for a career after college football.
Instead, he wants Ohio to finally meet the expectations of winning a MAC Championship.
Everything else is secondary.