Five contenders for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award
Published
With the CFL season nearly a third of the way done, it’s time to take an early look at some of the players who are in the running to be named the best Canadian in 2025.
The recipient of the last two awards, Brady Oliveira, does not find his name on this list, after a shoulder injury has kept him out for multiple games thus far.
There’s always potential for the 27-year-old to storm back into the race, but for now, others are at the forefront and have taken the lead.
Let's take an early look at the five front runners for the Most Outstanding Canadian award.
Nathan Rourke – BC Lions
The only player to have won the award previously on this list, Rourke is trying to capture the award that he claimed in 2022 once again.
The 27-year-old has come back strong after missing two games to an oblique injury, putting up 697 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 72.7 per cent completion percentage over the past two weeks, some of the best numbers of any quarterback over that stretch.
Overall, on the season, Rourke sits second in passing yards per game (317.5), second in touchdowns (seven), while also leading all quarterbacks in rushing yards (163), a top 10 mark in the league.
Rourke was on his way to capturing the 2022 Most Outstanding Player award before he suffered an injury, receiving the previous mentioned Most Outstanding Canadian honours that year instead. If Rourke can stay healthy, he has the talent and weapons around him to make some noise.
Tre Ford – Edmonton Elks
While only three different quarterbacks have brought home the award (Nathan Rourke, Gerry Dattilio, and Russ Jackson), Ford is looking to become the fourth.
The 27-year-old was given the keys to the offence by first-year head coach Mark Kilam this season, and while it’s been up and down, it’s the hardest position to play on the football field.
The fourth-year pivot has completed 67.8 per cent of his 121 passes for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Of course, part of the appeal of the former Waterloo Warrior is his legs, and he’s been effective in that regard. Ford holds the league-lead in yards per carry with an average of 9.5, while sitting in the top 10 in rushing yards with 152 total along the ground.
If Ford can find more consistency, he’ll be competing for this award for years to come.
Cam Judge – Toronto Argonauts
In his first year back with the Argos, Judge has found a lot of success.
The 30-year-old has recorded 31 tackles (sixth), two tackles for loss (second), one sack, and is one of a few linebackers with multiple pass knockdowns (two). Overall, the linebacker’s 36 total defensive plays are good enough for fifth in the CFL.
If Judge were to win the award, he would become just the fifth linebacker ever to receive the honour (Bo Lokombo, Henoc Muamba, Mike O’Shea, and Zeno Karcz) and would cement what has been a great career till this point.
Justin McInnis – BC Lions
The second Lion to appear on this list, McInnis has been the most complete Canadian receiver, edging out Toronto Argonauts wideout Kevin Mital and both of Jalen and Tyson Philpot.
The 28-year-old so far this season has 27 catches (fourth) for 334 yards (sixth) and one touchdown while having one of the highest contested catch rates north of the border.
After a breakout 2024 season that saw McInnis record career-highs across the board, including leading the league in receiving yards (1,469), the 6-foot-4, 214-pound target is on pace for another 1,000-yard season and a potential Most Outstanding Canadian nomination.
Mathieu Betts – BC Lions
Rounding out the trio of Lions is Betts, who has been wreaking havoc off the edge on the west coast all year.
The Montreal native is one tackle off the league lead amongst defensive linemen with 19, third in total sacks with three, while adding one tackle for loss as well. The advanced numbers also favour the 30-year-old, as he is near the top of the league in quarterback pressures and pressure rate.
While Betts isn’t quite on the tear that he was back during his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023 where he put up 44 tackles and an astounding 18 sacks, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Honourable mentions: Kevin Mital – Toronto Argonauts, Sean Thomas Erlington – Montreal Alouettes, Stavros Katsantonis – Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Jalen Philpot – Calgary Stampeders