Ohio QB Rourke, Auburn WR Mardner highlight Canadians to watch in ‘23 CFB season on TSN, TSN+
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With Canadian staples of the 2022 college football season such as the University of Illinois’ Brown brothers and Pitt Panthers wide receiver Jared Wayne on to the next chapter of their football lives, the stage is set for a new round of Canucks to make some noise south of the border.
A record five Canadian players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, bringing the total number of Canadians drafted into the NFL to 75 since 1966, when Idaho linebacker LaVerle Pratt was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 210th pick.
Victoriaville, Que.’s Matthew Bergeron was the first Canadian off the board this past April as the Syracuse offensive tackle was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 38th overall.
Safety Sydney Brown was the first of the previously mentioned Brown brothers to be drafted as he went to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 66th overall pick. His twin brother Chase went to the Cincinnati Bengals two rounds later with the 163rd pick.
The New England Patriots drafted Eastern Michigan guard Sidy Sow from Bromont, Que. with the 117th overall pick and University of Guelph transfer Tavius Robinson was darted by the Baltimore Raven with the 124th pick out of Ole Miss.
Alabama wide receiver and Brampton, Ont., native John Metchie was the first Canadian drafted in 2022, when he was selected by the Texans with the 44th overall pick.
Here are some of the Canadians to follow this season:
Kurtis Rourke – QB - Ohio
Oakville, Ont.'s Kurtis Rourke, brother of former BC Lions star and current Jacksonville Jaguar Nathan Rourke, captured the attention on both sides of the border last season.
The Junior pivot led the Mid-American Conference with 3,256 yards for 24 touchdowns and four interceptions, earning MAC Offensive Player of the Year and conference First-Team honours and was also awarded the Vern Smith Leadership Award.
Rourke's excellence stretched beyond the MAC as he trailed Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (3,328) for the 22nd most passing yards in the FBS.
Entering his third season as a start for the Bobcats, Rourke is set to start against the San Diego Aztecs after recovering from a torn ACL.
Nick Mardner - WR - Auburn
The lone Canadian in the ever-competitive Southeastern Conference, Nick Mardner embarks on a fresh start with the Auburn Tigers after transferring from the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Oakville, Ont., native caught 19 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns during his time as a Bearcat as their season ended with a 24-7 loss to Louisville in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
Prior to his time in the American Athletic Conference, the towering 6-foot-6, 203-pound Mardner played three seasons at the University of Hawaii (2019-21), making 62 catches for 1,270 yards and nine touchdowns as a Rainbow Warrior, earning Mountain West honourable mention honours in 2021.
Christian Veilleux - QB - Pitt
Born in the nation's capital, Christian Veilleux embarks on his first season with the Pitt Panthers after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons (2021-22) with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Veilleux played in five games over those two seasons for Penn State, completing 66 per cent of his passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns behind then-starter Sean Clifford.
Veilleux enters a crowded quarterback room at Pitt alongside fellow incoming transfers like former Boston College standout Phil Jurkovec, who joined the Panthers as a mid-year graduate transfer from the Eagles with one season of immediate eligibility remaining.
Melique Straker - LB - Arkansas State
Coming off an 81-tackle season, Arkansas State's Melique Straker enters his senior season with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
The Brampton, Ont., native recorded a career-best 39 solo tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble for the Red Wolves last season.
Straker ranked 18th in the Sun Belt Conference and led all Canadians in total tackles in 2022.
Tanner McLachlan - TE - Arizona
In the shadows of Wayne's 1,062-receiving yard season at Pitt, Arizona's Tanner McLachlan was the second-highest Canadian receiver in 2022.
The Lethbridge, Alta.-born McLachlan hauled in 34 passes for a career-best 456 yards and two touchdowns.
McLachlan leads the Wildcats' tight end room as the upperclassman of the lot as he enters his senior season.
Damien Alford - WR- Syracuse
Narrowly behind Arizona’s McLachlan, Montreal, Que.'s Damien Alford finished the 2022 season third in receiving for the University of Syracuse with 429 yards and two touchdowns.
Daniel Okpoko - DL - San Diego State
Hailing from Saskatoon, Sask., Daniel Okpoko enters his senior season as a backup defensive end for the San Diego State Aztecs' three-time all-Mountain West performer Keshawn Banks.
Okpoko played in the team’s final 11 games of the Aztecs' season, registering three tackles and a pass breakup.
Okpoko was born in Legos, Nigeria and played high school football at St. Joseph's High School in Saskatoon. He was a member of the Football Canada U18 National team.
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku - LB- Memphis
Memphis Tigers linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku tallied 41 solo and 35 assisted tackles last season.
The Levis, Que., native also tacked on 1.5 sacks and a defended pass.
Cantin-Arku will go against fellow Canadian Straker in Week 2 as the Tigers visit the Red Wolves.
Brendon Barrow - RB - Stanford
On the heels of Chase Brown's historic season at Illinois, Brendon Barrow has the spotlight all to himself as the only Canadian running back of mention in the Power-5
The product of Ottawa, Ont., took 19 carries for 80 yards for the PAC-12’s Stanford Cardinals last season.
Malcolm Bell - DB - UConn
Malcolm Bell, a native of Montreal, Que., recorded a career-best 40 total tackles for the American Athletic Conference’s UConn Huskies last season.