Canadian Football League draftees come from all kinds of places across this country but tonight’s edition will be stamped by two in particular – Mississauga’s Football North and Ottawa’s Gridiron Academy.
Those two programs – one a trio of high school teams and the other an off-season training program – will each have multiple players selected tonight as their efforts to raise the bar on football development are recognized by CFL teams selecting their former players.
And while these two programs are very different, together they represent a new wave of football development, helping players with big goals in football achieve them through football development and exposure to college scouts south of the border.
Gridiron Academy has three of the top four rated prospects in this year’s draft in Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor and Louisville defensive linemen Rene Konga and Wesley Bailey, and four of the Top 20.
Mesidor was the 22nd overall pick of last week’s NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, while Konga and Bailey signed as undrafted free agents with the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins on the weekend.
Which is why none of them will be hearing their names anywhere near the top of the selections when the draft begins on TSN at 7pm et tonight.
Among those who are expected to hear their names early are two Football North products listed among the Top 20 in Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell and North Dakota receiver Nate DeMontagnac, two of what could be as many as eight Football North alumni drafted.
Though both programs are young, the impact each program has had on Canada’s professional football pipeline is significant.
Gridiron Academy started in 2007 as an annual free football camp put on by former University of Ottawa player Victor Tedondo. When he concluded more needed to be done to close the gap for young players aiming high, a full off-season program was introduced, helping players develop their strength and skills and instilling belief in them they didn’t know they had.
It also gets them exposure to college scouts by attending camps over the spring and summer period.
Each of Mesidor, Bailey and Konga say Tedondo and Gridiron not only made them better football players but instilled in them belief that they could achieve things they didn’t know were possible.
“He’s been a mentor who showed me the ropes and gave me a belief I could do this,” said Bailey. “I was just playing football for fun, I didn’t even know what a D-1 offer was and he put that down in my head. He definitely believed in me before I believed in me.”
Gridiron has helped players attain 43 NCAA Division I scholarships, the first coming in 2010 when Eli Ankou, a defensive lineman who played eight NFL seasons, earned a scholarship to UCLA, and quarterback Michael O’Connor landed at Penn State.
BC Lions defensive back Patrice Rene is a Gridiron Academy alumnus and this season two more will join the CFL in Jonathan Sutherland and Luiji Vilain, who have joined Montreal and Ottawa, respectively, after time in the NFL.
Football North has its share of alumni around the CFL as well – including former No.1 overall pick (2022) Tyrell Richards of Montreal and No. 2 overall pick Nick Mardner of Ottawa (2024).
But that listed should grow considerably this season.
Founded in 2017 by former CFL quarterback Larry Jusdanis, Football North was created as an alternative to kids having to move the U.S. to play high school for competition, coaching and exposure to college scouts.
As such, Football North’s three teams – freshman, junior varsity and varsity – all play four-down football and an all-U.S. road schedule against some of the top teams south of the border.
They also get a year-round training akin to a college program, everything from weight training to spring ball.
In terms of a launching point, all 16 senior graduating this spring will be playing either the NCAA or U SPORTS football next fall.
“We try to build them from the ground-up on how to be successful within the game,” said head coach Jamie Lalonde. “The best way to get to (pro football) is to have a hot start in college and that requires a solid foundation in high school.”
DeMontagnac, the North Dakota receiver who is expected to be a high pick in tonight’s draft, was back visiting Football North this week, speaking to current players about his experiences at college.
Among the things he emphasized was how lucky they are to play at a program with such a wealth of resources, which now includes 10 full-time coaches.
“You guys have a lot at your disposal that’s not offered at other schools,” he told the group.
DeMontagnac said Football North gave him opportunities he would not have had with a traditional high school program.
“There are some Canadian kids that have a lot of talent that go to regular high schools and they don’t get recruited,” he said. “I didn’t want to be in that boat.”
“The full year-long schedule (of games and training) definitely contributed to my game, working all year with the team whether it’s 7-on-7 in the spring … you’re investing in yourself year-round.”
Among the things both programs share is a pride on cultivating relationships with players after they leave, so that role models are always present for the current crop of players.
“We are a family,” said. Tedondo said. “That’s the beautiful thing…we are a family.”
It was the same story this week at Football North, when DeMontagnac visited.
“Guys love coming back,” said Lalonde, and you could see that was true.
And recognizing those players from the past gives those in the current pipeline living examples of what is achievable.
Which is why both programs can expect have their players figure prominently in CFL drafts well beyond tonight.
