HIGH ACHIEVERS: Ottawa and area players love their university football, all 182 of them

By Martin Cleary

Football is back.

It seems everywhere you look, footballs are flying through the air, being kicked between uprights and crunching tackles can be heard on neighbourhood fields.

The National Capital Amateur Football Association teams are three weeks into their season. The Ottawa Sooners junior squad is undefeated after three games in the Ontario Football Conference, while the Ottawa Junior Riders are tied for first place in the Quebec Major Junior Football League.

The high school teams are sorting out equipment and running regular practices to prepare for another gridiron season, which starts later this month.

And the two university teams – the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton University Ravens – are two weeks into their OUA season, which prompted this question.

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How many Ottawa and area football players are playing U Sports and NCAA football in the 2024 season? Well, the number certainly surprised me. Would you believe 182?

There are 27 U Sports football teams chasing wins this season and there are 170 city and regional players on 21 of those teams across the country.

As for the NCAA, there are another 12 players playing south of the border.

Before we give the 182 players a pat on the back for earning a berth on their intercollegiate teams, here are a couple of interesting tidbits discovered while combing through every U Sports team roster, which are listed on their university’s websites:

Ottawa’s Tommy Clarkin, a first-year wide receiver for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, has football in his veins. His father James played for Queen’s University, when the then-Golden Gaels won the Vanier Cup and the national championship in 1992.

The Burke brothers of Cumberland are playing for two different teams. Tucker is a fourth-year defensive end for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, while Brody is a third-year defensive lineman for Carleton.

Running back Charles Asselin of Cantley, PQ., is off to a blistering start for the University of Ottawa, compiling 305 yards on the ground and two touchdowns in the Gee-Gees’ first two games.

After making only six receptions for 99 yards in eight games last season as a freshman wide receiver for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, Mark Webb of Ottawa caught five passes for 168 yards and had one touchdown in his team’s opening game this season.

There are three graduates from the St. Mark Catholic High School Lions football program on the Acadia University Axemen roster – fourth-year linebacker Graham Nightingale of Ottawa, first-year defensive back Owen Nightingale of Ottawa and second-year defensive back Cody Croucher of Manotick.

Just as an aside, Ottawa’s Jim Daley has entered his 10th year coaching the special teams at St. Francis Xavier University. The former CFL head coach and Grey Cup champion with Saskatchewan in 1997 is celebrating his 49th year as a football coach.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the whereabouts of the Ottawa and area players on the Canadian and America university football scenes:

U SPORTS

ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

CARLETON RAVENS

Artine Ahmadzadgan, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Zachardy Ajaj, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Keegan Aragon-McCann, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Kobe Armstrong, Ottawa, defensive back;

Aidan Arnott-Smith, Ottawa, fullback;

Saif Awad, Ottawa, fullback;

Kassim Awada, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Justin Belanger, Ottawa, linebacker;

Alex Boily, Ottawa, defensive back;

Ethan Boxall, Ottawa, linebacker;

Keegan Brunet, Arnprior, wide receiver;

Brody Burke, Cumberland, defensive lineman;

Schneider Cave, Ottawa, defensive back;

Nick Cerquozzi, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Andrew Christie, Ottawa, linebacker;

Alessio Colasante, Ottawa, defensive back;

Daniel Disu, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Filip Djurdjevic, Gatineau, defensive back;

Joshua Downey, Ottawa, running back;

Ty Draper, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Noah Fahey, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Ethan Farahani, Ottawa, kicker;

Kaseem Ferdinand, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Jake Henderson, Ottawa, defensive back;

Jett Hudson, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Aaron Boris Kamdem Kamwa, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

James Kouame, Ottawa, defensive back;

Patrick Lavoie, Gatineau, offensive lineman;

Stavros Lianos, Kanata, wide receiver;

Michael Lightbody, Arnprior, defensive lineman;

Kade Malloy, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Jordan Mulunda, Gatineau, defensive lineman;

MegaWatt Niyiragiro, Gatineau, defensive back;

George Oppong, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Tristan Ready, Arnprior, wide receiver;

Keyshawn Reid, Ottawa, running back;

Ethan Rocha, Ottawa, running back;

Justin Shibley, Ottawa, quarterback;

Seyriam Soga, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Dante Spadaccini, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Cole Szabo, Ottawa, defensive back;

Alex Vilain, Ottawa, cornerback;

Malik Yusuf, Stittsville, linebacker;

Luigi Zabaria, Ottawa, defensive back.

OTTAWA GEE-GEES

Denny Ferdinand, Ottawa, defensive back;

Tolu Ahmed, Ottawa, defensive back;

Kevin Victome, Ottawa, defensive back;

Ben Maracle, Ottawa, quarterback;

Romeo Lussier, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Alexandre Tallec, Gatineau, defensive back;

Noah Avery, Ottawa, wide receiver

Jacob Matte, Ottawa, linebacker;

Charles Asselin, Cantley, PQ, running back;

Ben Williams, Ottawa, running back;

Joshua Ayrakwa, Ottawa, defensive back;

Gabryel Leroux, Gatineau, linebacker;

Aldege Bellefeulle, Ottawa, long-snapper;

Daniel Briere, Ottawa, linebacker;

Tyler Kosavic, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Zachary Sequin, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Neil Latimer, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Anas Faid, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Darcy Castellarin, Richmond, ON, defensive lineman;

Remi Newbury, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Lliam Horrocks, Ottawa, defensive end;

Kerwin Guiste, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Caleb Weekes, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Scott Fulton, Ottawa, tight end;

David Bahufite, Gatineau, wide receiver;

Tyler Roy, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Jeremie Ciamala, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Javaii Gallimore, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Mathias Girous, Gatineau, wide receiver.

WESTERN MUSTANGS

Reed Cloutier, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Alex Berwick, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Luca Farinaccio, Nepean, no position;

Pantelis Livadiotakis-Fraser, Ottawa, no position.

GUELPH GRYPHONS

Dyllan Katako, Ottawa, defensive back;

Diego Orellana, Ottawa, defensive lineman.

WINDSOR LANCERS

Shane Johnson, Ottawa, wide receiver;

WILFRID LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS

Solomon Alphonsus, Ottawa, defensive back;

Jeremie Catulusi, Ottawa, defensive back;

Frank Kalala, Ottawa, linebacker;

Isaiah Obiorah, Ottawa, linebacker;

Lambert Pomerleau, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Geri Theodore, Ottawa, defensive lineman.

QUEEN’S GAELS

Cordel Epale, Ottawa, defensive back;

Liam Sutherland, Ottawa, linebacker;

Preston Martin, Ottawa, receiver;

Jack Ashbuy-Jacobs, Ottawa, receiver;

Osa Osaseri, Ottawa, defensive back;

Jackson Faulds, Ottawa, linebacker;

Cyril Shneider, Ottawa, linebacker;

Alex Tuck, Ottawa, linebacker;

Oliver Jackson, Carleton Place, defensive lineman;

Eli Bennett, Carleton Place, defensive lineman;

Jacob Runnalls, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Riley Sherman, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Kaleb Siminoski, Ottawa, offensive lineman.

TORONTO VARSITY BLUES

Tucker Burke, Cumberland, defensive end;

David Auger, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Tommy Clarkin, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Jordan Muhlig, Ottawa, offensive lineman.

YORK LIONS

Marcellus Pope, Ottawa/Calgary, defensive back;

Ryan Bifolchi, Ottawa, linebacker;

Kevin Catulusi, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Scott Bouwhuis, Kars, ON, defensive back.

McMASTER MARAUDERS

Michael Cornish, Ottawa, receiver;

Jonas Pasian, Ottawa, kicker-punter;

Giovanni Tanga, Ottawa, defensive back.

WATERLOO WARRIORS

Anesu Latmore, Ottawa, defensive back;

Cole Crossett, Metcalfe, ON, kicker-punter;

Isaiah Butts, Ottawa, defensive back;

Israel Mompatibi, Ottawa, defensive back.

CANADA WEST

BRITISH COLUMBIA THUNDERBIRDS

Isaiah Knight, Ottawa, running back;

Kieran Flannery-Fleck, Ottawa, kicker-punter;

Alex La Vecchia, Ottawa, quarterback;

Stephane Tshishimbi, Ottawa, linebacker;

Ronan Horrall, Ottawa, defensive back;

Mark Webb, Ottawa, receiver.

CALGARY DINOS

Mikel-Ange Desjardins, Gatineau, wide receiver;

Styles Lepage, Ottawa, defensive lineman.

SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES

Katley Joseph, Ottawa, defensive back.

RSEQ (RÉSEAU DU SPORT ÉTUDIANT DU QUÉBEC)

MONTRÉAL CARABINS

Brandon Gourgon, Gatineau, wide receiver;

Julien Legault, Chelsea, PQ, defensive back;

Simon Riopel, Gatineau, wide receiver;

Gabriel Maisonneuve, Gatineau, defensive lineman.

McGILL REDBIRDS

Will Dawson, Ottawa, quarterback;

Brayden Pang, Ottawa, offensive lineman.

CONCORDIA STINGERS

Caleb Faulkner, Ottawa, quarterback;

Alex Hall, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Sheldon Maleek Desir, Ottawa, defensive lineman;

Jacob Belair, Gatineau, defensive tackle.

SHERBROOKE VERT ET OR

Alexandre-Kail Boudreau, Gatineau, defensive back;

Elischa Joseph, Ottawa, defensive back;

Cedric Clement, Gatineau, defensive back;

Christiano Doresca, Gatineau, defensive lineman;

Adam-Miuchel Boisvenue, Gatineau, offensive lineman;

Zachary Roy, Mont Laurier, PQ, defensive lineman;

Theo Deslongchamps, Mont Laurier, PQ, receiver.

ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT

BISHOP’S GAITERS

Jakob Matheson, Ottawa, defensive back;

Xavier Gervais, Ottawa, quarterback;

Jeremie Trudel, Gatineau, defensive lineman;

Jackson Plante, Ottawa, quarterback;

John Stroud, Pakenham, offensive lineman.

ACADIA AXEMEN

Graham Nightingale, Ottawa, linebacker;

Wes Tshimanga, Ottawa, quarterback;

Owen Nightingale, Ottawa, defensive back;

Cody Croucher, Manotick, defensive back;

Ben Fraser, Ottawa, receiver.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN

Chris Lemoine, Ottawa, linebacker;

Deion Blackwood, Kanata, quarterback;

Malcom Burnett, Ottawa, defensive back;

Aidan Burke, Ottawa, offensive lineman;

Antonio Corsi, Ottawa, tight end;

Devaughn Blackwood, Kanata, receiver;

Adam Haughian, Ottawa, receiver;

Ahmed Meradjah, Ottawa, offensive lineman.

SAINT MARY’S HUSKIES

Brett Maisonneuve, Gatineau, quarterback;

Noah Sferrazza Papa, Ottawa, linebacker;

Gabriel Rivard, Ottawa, defensive back.

MOUNT ALLISON MOUNTIES

Jett Agette, Ottawa, defensive back;

Kirk Jean-Baptise, Ottawa, wide receiver;

Rykert Balfe, Ottawa, fullback;

Logan Paulin, North Gower, ON, defensive back;

Wilson Brown, Kanata, halfback;

Jack Gillis, Ottawa, linebacker;

Jack Howell, Ottawa, receiver;

Jacob El-Arab, Ottawa, defensive end;

David Pae, Ottawa, offensive lineman.

NCAA (NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION)

Wesley Bailey, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Rutgers;

Rene Konga, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Louisville;

Akheem Mesidor, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Miami;

Evan Aubrey, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Southeastern Louisiana;

Nathan Martey, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Arkansas State;

Elijah St. John, Ottawa, defensive lineman, Long Island;

Uber Ojongo, Ottawa, offensive lineman, Wake Forest;

Success Chikezie, Ottawa, offensive lineman, Jackson State;

Christian Veilleux, Ottawa, quarterback, Georgia State;

Fabrice Mukendi, Ottawa, running back, Bryant;

Darius McKenzie, Ottawa, linebacker, South Alabama;

Josh Baka, Ottawa, defensive back, Kent State.