Fast forward a year, and as his 20th birthday approaches next month, the Academy graduate will board the plane to the World Cup in the U.S. with the Scotland National Team.
And very few could say he doesn’t deserve it.
The winger made 21 appearances for Rangers in the first half of the campaign before making the loan switch to Kilmarnock where his five goals and an assist helped steer the Ayrshire club to Scottish Premiership safety.
He was handed his Scotland debut by Steve Clarke in the meantime, introduced as a late substitute against Japan in March, and has seized the opportunity to nail down a berth in the squad for this summer's tournament.
Speaking to RangersTV to reflect on a memorable journey, Curtis said: “I was an Academy boy last pre-season and I managed to work my way up to being a first-team player.
“Never in my dreams could I have imagined I would be in the World Cup squad, but I’m grateful for everything that has happened in the last 12 months.
“I wasn’t in the first couple of Scotland squads in my age. It’s just about proving a point to those coaches who didn’t choose me. I’m lost for words really, and it’s a blur to me that I’m in the World Cup squad.
Where was the winger when he first heard the news? "I was out on the golf course playing with a couple of boys from here and a few former academy players," he said. "I found out at quarter past 10, and I was buzzing when I saw it.
“It’s a dream come true. Every boy my age has had a dream to go away with Scotland, and to do it at this age is massive.
“It came as a real surprise. I spoke to the Scotland gaffer before I left the previous camp, and he was saying to me that I needed to keep on working hard and see what happens.
“I done really well in the last couple of games for Kilmarnock and it has led to me being in the squad.”
Curtis timed his form at exactly the right juncture in the campaign, scoring in a 2-0 win over Dundee United at Rugby Park with Steve Clarke in attendance earlier this month.
Indeed, four of his five goals for Neil McCann’s outfit came during their post-split campaign.
The loan move to a club keen to dominate the ball and play on the front foot certainly paid dividends, and the 19-year-old says he was heavily attracted by the prospect of working under both McCann and Billy Dodds, both of whom spent time with the teenager as part of Barry Ferguson’s coaching staff at Ibrox last season.
He continued: “It was a 50/50 decision, but I wanted to go out on loan and prove a point to people here that I want to come back next season and do my best for this club. I’m grateful for the chance that I got down there.
“I worked with the gaffer at Rangers last year, and I was one-to-one with him because we played in a similar position.
“Of course, it’s a new environment, quite daunting as a 19-year-old going on my first loan, but I’m just happy that it worked out well and it got me into the position that I’m in today.
“Last year I didn’t get as much game time as I would have liked, but they were telling me in training to keep on pushing and working hard.
“I have watched boys in the past here not to get that opportunity to go out on loan at such a young age and instead stay in a first-team environment here at Rangers.”
Only Mikey Moore, a year Curtis’ junior, scored more as a teenager in the Scottish Premiership than the Gers Academy graduate last season.
His development as an attacking player is evident in his goal contributions for the Ayrshire side, but Curtis insists he developed just as much mentally as he did in his actions with the ball.
He said: “At the start it was hard, but they all welcomed me very well.
“All the boys were brilliant with me. It was hard going in as a 19-year-old boy, and it’s going to be a real stepping stone to see what comes next.
“In my position you need to score goals and create chances, and that’s what I done for the last few games.
“I think I’ve matured more as a player. You don’t get the facilities that you do here, in terms of having the grass pitches that we have.
“I was playing on a different surface week in, week out. It was a challenge at the start, but I dealt with it and I’m happy it’s all worked out.
His rise since making his Ibrox bow in that Scottish Cup triumph over Fraserburgh in January 2025 has been something to behold.
For those who witnessed his journey in the youth ranks of the club, it has been especially pleasing.
But Curtis insists his mentality hasn’t changed, even if he’ll be living out the dream of many in the country when he jets across the Atlantic to represent Scotland at a World Cup next month.
He added: “I’ve been here since I was six-years-old. I couldn’t thank all the coaches that I worked under in the past enough for what they’ve done for me.
“They’ve made me into the player that I am today. It’s just about giving back, and I hope they recognise that I’ve done really well.
“The main thing is you need to be humble. You can’t think you’re big time. I know I still have a lot of work to do and that’s what I’ll be doing.”
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