Aug 27, 2015
Argo rookies go from foes to friends
If you follow OUA football you know that Western and Guelph hold a healthy rivalry. So when the Argos drafted a defensive player from each squad, foes were forced to become fast friends. Mike Hogan of TSN Radio 1050 tells the story of Daryl Waud and Cam Walker, now united as rookie teammates in Toronto.
By Mike Hogan
It's a great time to be a fan of Canadian football. As the CFL prepares to enter the stretch drive, the Canadian university schedule begins this Sunday with five games in the OUA, a conference where offensive coordinators are breathing a little easier this year.
Two of the league's dominant defensive linemen passed on their final season of eligibility to begin their pro careers with the Toronto Argonauts. Western's Daryl Waud was the Argos second-round draft pick in April, while in the next round the Double Blue selected Cam Walker from Guelph.
For Waud, who has two sacks so far this year, the choice to turn pro was a no-brainer.
"As a football player you have a limited time to really make money at this before your body shuts down," said the 6'5", 275-pound tackle. "It's always been a dream of mine to play professional football. I had a fantastic time at Western and I loved every minute of it, so in that aspect I do miss it, but I always knew I was coming (to the CFL) and I'm thrilled with the decision I've made."
Walker, who has been injured for a good chunk of the season, said he also realized that he was ready for the CFL.
"I made up my mind in the off-season that if a team was going to give me a shot then I was going to take it," said the defensive end who hasn't quite left the Gryphons' program mentally, "I miss Guelph. I started missing it a lot more in the summer when I realized that I was going to be staying (with the Argos)."
The Argonauts were extremely high on both players. TSN.ca was in the Argos 'War Room' on draft night, and prior to the selection process General Manager Jim Barker detailed that if all went well he would be able to select both Waud and Walker and even called the rounds. The GM turned out to be prophetic in terms of his wish list.
Both players possess a great deal of potential. That said, making the transition from the CIS to the CFL is not easy. Head coach Scott Milanovich realizes that the jump can be a big one, but has liked what he's seen so far.
"Some guys can do it quickly like Waud has," said the coach. "I've been real pleased with his development right from the start. He's got it and he's shown he can compete. He's going to be a good football player. Cam has been injured, so he hasn't gotten meaningful defensive snaps, but he's gotten his feet wet the last couple of weeks on special teams. I see him in kind of a Ricky Foley mode."
The rivalry in the OUA between Western, Guelph and McMaster is intense. Right now - and over the course of the two players' university careers - they've been the elite teams in the conference. It's somewhat surprising that Waud, a native of Hamilton, was not a Marauder, while London native Walker didn't end up with the Mustangs. The truth is, neither hometown school had much of a chance of landing the highly touted prospects.
"It was always a dream of mine to experience university away from home," said Waud. "I respect everyone at Mac, they were tremendous recruiters and I enjoyed spending time with them through that process. But I'm happy I went to Western."
Walker has a similar story.
"I had decided that I didn't want to stay in London," admitted the 6'4", 235-pound end. "I wanted to get away from home. I went for a recruiting visit with coach (Greg) Marshall, who's a pretty good recruiter, and I almost changed my mind, but I had pretty much made up my mind that I wanted to get out of London."
The two became household names in CIS discussions. Not only did they get recognition from coaches, fans and the media, they certainly made a significant impression on one another.
"He was dominant out there," Waud said of Walker. "I remember one play specifically, I was on offence in a tight-end formation and my job was to block him. He just left me in the dust. I completely whiffed. He stepped around me and made a tackle for a loss and it was actually a big play in the game."
"Everyone knew Daryl Waud," said a smiling Walker, "(He was) a big, athletic freak. He was always dominant."
The two have gone from being elite players on rival teams to being roommates on the road, something that is a little strange to both, but Waud is able to separate the past from what's in store for the duo down the road.
"Hopefully we're going to have a bright future together and create some havoc," said the former Mustang. "We've got guys like (Ricky) Foley and Cleyon Laing who are helping us grow throughout this process of our first year."
The consensus is that Western and Guelph - along with perhaps McMaster - are the heavy favourites to advance to the Yates Cup game this year. If they are to make it to the championship game it will be despite each team losing its best defensive player to the Argos.