Record-setting Canadian QB Nathan Rourke goes unsigned by NCAA schools: why?

Things are hard out there for Canadian quarterbacks trying to make the CFL, but the road gets tough for them at an even earlier stage; the NCAA. By many accounts, Nathan Rourke looked like a potentially great NCAA quarterback; he shone in minor football and high school in Burlington and Oakville, ON, then transferred to Edgewood Academy in Alabama for his senior year and promptly threw 59 touchdown passes with just three interceptions, 3,789 passing yards and a 75 per cent completion rate while helping his team win the state championship. However, all of that didn't lead to a Division I scholarship offer ahead of Wednesday's National Signing Day, as Scott Radley of The Hamilton Spectator recounts:

However, there are some potential reasons. Radley's story goes on to mention that most American quarterbacks are tracked through early high school and receive offers in Grade 11, meaning that Rourke simply arrived too late. Well-respected recruiting and draft guru Kent Ridley of Ridley Scouting told 55-Yard Line Wednesday Rourke appears to be a terrific player, but the late arrival to U.S. football hurt him, and the level Rourke played at in Alabama matters too.

"The most important thing and something that isn't completely understood by the Canadians on the outside of that American media hypemachine is that recruiting starts early," Ridley said. "In Canada you can send out some emails as a high school senior and get recruited, but in the US they are identifying talent in the 8th grade. Keeping an eye on players as they move up. If players aren't getting field time by the 10th grade they'll likely drop off some lists unless they are sitting behind an All-State varsity player. It's even worse for quarterbacks! QBs go through training programs trying to earn an invite to one of the big QB camps to get recruited there."

"Next, the school. To your average Joe Canada, they see high school football on one level. Sure they understand big schools vs little schools (for many their only thought is city schools vs rural schools) but they don't understand that Alabama has 10 distinct levels of 11-man football. [That's] seven classes of public schools and three classes of private schools handled by an independent association, plus six-man and eight-man versions of the game. For crying out loud, they name cheerleader all-star teams in Alabama! When it comes down to Nathan's situation specifically, well, his Class AA football has only two regions and a total of 11 schools playing this year. Their first state playoff game was against a 2-8 school."

So, while Rourke's stats are certainly impressive, the lack of previous U.S. data on him and the level of competition he played at may have hurt his cause. Ridley said it's important to remember that high school players are competing for college spots not just against players within their division (where Rourke stood out, but in the second-smallest division of public school football), but against players from all divisions (and all states). Bigger schools and tougher competition can help players stand out. However, this isn't to say that Rourke isn't as deserving as many of the players who did get scholarships. In fact, Ridley said he thinks Rourke has tons of potential.

"I really like Nathan as a player," Ridley said. "I haven't talked to him personally, and oddly enough his year down south was my year up north. Nathan has a lot of upside and potential that most college coaches should see very quickly in breaking down his film."

Here are Rourke's senior highlights:

Ridley said if Rourke had been able to play at a bigger, more well-known school, he likely would have received countless Division I offers.

"If Nathan had played at Hoover High School south of Birmingham (which won 6A and then 7A titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014), then he would've ended up with 25 scholarship offers," Ridley said. "He is that player. Playing at a school many in Alabama have never heard of despite winning six straight state titles meant he had a big hill to climb, and I don't think all the Canadian advisors to the process realized how big the hill was."

Rourke has drawn some attention, though, including a Scout.com profile in November, and this likely won't be the end of the line for him. He tweeted Wednesday that he wasn't planning to sign but was "looking forward to the next steps," and he told AL.com's Josh Bean he plans to sign with a junior college in the coming weeks. Plenty of star quarterbacks have gone the junior college route and emerged to great success, and if Rourke can shine at that level, Division I offers may come his way. His high school experience won't necessarily be useless, either; coaches were looking more seriously at Edgewood last year following the 2015 recruitment of DE Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. (who wound up at Auburn), and Rourke's teammate Kelvin Lucky wound up signing with Troy. If Rourke does well in junior college, that might convince some coaches to reconsider his high school career as well. So, while Wednesday wasn't the day he wanted to have, brighter days may be ahead for him.