Canadians to watch this NCAA football season

A record number of Canadians jostled for roster spots at NFL camps this month, and there’s a growing contingent in the NCAA who are looking to take the next steps towards pro careers this season.

Illinois guard Isaiah Adams was the first of four Canadians selected in April’s NFL Draft, followed by Penn State tight end Theo Johnson, UBC tackle Giovanni Manu, and Arizona tight end Tanner MacLachlan. That, on the heels of the record five Canadians who were drafted in 2023.

With college football season fully launching this week, here’s a list of Canadians to keep an eye on:

Kurtis Rourke, Quarterback, Indiana (Oakville, Ont.)

Rourke opted to put his pro career on hold, exercising his extra year of eligibility and transferring to Indiana following his senior season at Ohio.

He took a step backward last year after winning MAC Player of the Year in 2022, finishing with just 2,027 passing yards and 11 touchdowns (down from 3,257 and 25), but part of that can be chalked up to the torn ACL Rourke suffered the previous November.

Rourke projects as a CFL quarterback – he was ranked first by the league’s Scouting Bureau in this year’s fall rankings – but like his brother, Nathan, could end up on the NFL radar with a bounce-back season at Indiana.

In the Big Ten, he’ll get that opportunity, with a conference schedule that includes stalwarts like Michigan and Ohio State, as well as newcomer Washington, which has a new look after losing to the Wolverines in last year’s National Championship. 

This season will be an uphill climb for Rourke and the Hoosiers, with Indiana having gone a combined 7-27 the past three seasons (including a total of three conference wins). Under incoming head coach Curt Cignetti, who led James Madison to 11 wins and a bowl berth last year, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Elic Ayomanor, Wide Receiver, Stanford (Medicine Hat, Alta.)

Ayomanor had one of the viral moments of last college football season, reaching around Colorado’s Travis Hunter to snag a 30-yard touchdown in overtime of Stanford’s win over the Buffaloes last October, a game in which the Cardinal trailed 29-0 at halftime. That wasn’t even close to all Ayomanor did in that game – in total, he went off for 13 catches, 294 yards and three scores (97 and 60 yards, in addition to the overtime catch).

It was just the start for Ayomanor. The redshirt freshman added 100-yard receiving games against Washington and Oregon State – a pair of ranked teams – and finished the season with 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns, earning a nod as a Freshman All-American. Ayomanor also won the Jon Cornish Trophy as the best Canadian in college football.

This year, Stanford moves from the Pac-12 to the ACC, where Ayomanor was named to the preseason All-Conference team.

Damien Alford, Wide Receiver, Utah (Montreal, Que.)

Alford transferred to Utah in April, two months after being dismissed from Syracuse. Over the past three seasons, he’d established himself as one of the top deep threats in the ACC, averaging 21.5 yards per catch in 2022, before leading the Orange in receiving yards last season (610).

For a player in search of a fresh start, Alford couldn’t have found a much better landing spot than Utah. The Utes are the preseason favourite in the Big 12, after shifting conferences following the dissolution of the Pac-12. Alford is an added weapon for senior quarterback Cam Rising, who returns this season after tearing four ligaments in his knee in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season.

Akheem Mesidor, Defensive End, Miami (Ottawa, Ont.)

Mesidor was an All-Big 12 Honourable Mention at West Virginia in 2021 and earned the same distinction in the ACC after getting seven sacks in his first year with Miami in 2022. But that momentum was stalled last year, when he injured his foot in the Hurricanes’ third game and missed the rest of the season.

Mesidor is now healthy and ready to contribute for a Miami team that should find itself in the running for a conference title and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Mesidor, whose “unique motor” was noted by Hurricanes’ head coach Mario Cristobal earlier this month, should find himself on both NFL and CFL draft boards if he’s able to return to form this season.

Christian Veilleux, Quarterback, Georgia State (Ottawa, Ont.)

Veilleux joins his third program in as many years, having moved to Georgia State this summer following an up-and-down tenure at Pittsburgh. He made five starts in the ACC last season, beating 14th-ranked Louisville in October, but struggled in losses to Notre Dame and Florida State before shifting back to the bench.

Veilleux began his career at Notre Dame in 2021, throwing three touchdowns in his debut in a 28-0 win over Rutgers. In the Sun Belt, Veilleux will battle for playing time with fellow transfer Zach Gibson, who joined Georgia State after last playing for Georgia Tech in 2022. 

Ty Benefield, Safety, Boise State (Vancouver, B.C.)

Benefield had an immediate impact as a true freshman, starting five times for a Boise State team that won eight games and claimed the Mountain West title. In 13 total appearances, Benefield had 46 tackles, three sacks and snagged the first interception of his college career in a win over Wyoming in October.

Benefield comes with a pedigree as well – he’s the son of Daved Benefield, a two-time CFL All-Star who had 77 career sacks across 13 seasons.

Nuer Gatkuoth, Defensive End, Colorado State (Edmonton, Alta.)

Gatkuoth had 53 tackles last season for Colorado State, including 15 in a game against 19th-ranked Air Force in October, earning a spot on The Athletic’s All-Freshman Team.

This season, he'll be tasked with a larger role in the Rams’ pass rush, after fellow lineman Mohamed Kamara was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of April’s NFL Draft.

If there’s a chance for Gatkuoth to turn heads, it’s early in the season, with Colorado State opening with a nationally televised game against Texas, before facing Colorado in the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Week 3.

Nate Martey, Defensive Tackle, Arkansas State (Orleans, Ont.)

Martey led all Canadians with six sacks last year, playing up front on an Arkansas State defence that also included Brampton, Ont.’s Melique Straker, who was drafted in the fourth round of May’s CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Martey, who’s a senior, also spent a season in the Ivy League at Princeton, before transferring prior to last season. Arkansas State has some notable ties to the CFL – in addition to Straker, it produced Canadian wide receiver Justin McInnis, who’s having a breakout season with the BC Lions, and linebacker Kyle Wilson, who currently leads the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in tackles.

Paris Shand, Defensive End, LSU (Toronto, Ont.)

Shand had two sacks last year at LSU – his first year in the SEC after spending his first three college seasons at Arizona. He had his best game of the season in October against Auburn, recording six tackles, including one-and-half for a loss.

This year, Shand is expected to rotate on and off the Tigers’ defensive line, and should find himself prized in next April’s CFL Draft. The league’s Scouting Bureau listed him third on its list of prospects for 2025, following only Rourke and Alford.

Keelan White, Wide Receiver, Montana (Vancouver, B.C.)

White had 54 catches and 798 yards for a 13-win Montana team that won the Big Sky Conference and reached the FCS Championship. He scored four touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime of the Grizzlies’ win over Furman in the FCS quarter-finals.

A strong senior season could see White break the Montana record for receptions and receiving yards, and should have him on CFL radars come next April. 

Nolan Ulm, Wide Receiver, Eastern Washington (Kelowna, B.C.)

Ulm had a similar season to White’s in the Big Sky, with 45 receptions, 564 yards and four touchdowns.

Eastern Washington’s ties to the CFL could help create a path for Ulm to the pros. The school produced three notable quarterbacks – two-time MOP Bo Levi Mitchell, Vernon Adams Jr. and Matt Nichols – as well as defensive back T.J. Lee, who is a two-time CFL All-Star with the BC Lions.

Jett Elad, Safety, UNLV (Mississauga, Ont.)

Elad had 57 tackles while playing in the slot for the Rebels, who won nine games and earned a bowl berth last season.

Prior to UNLV, Elad spent two seasons at Ohio, where he played with each of the Rourke brothers, and also had a JUCO stint at Garden City Community College in Kansas.