McMaster's Vanier Cup victory in 2011 was a celebration of success for coach Stef Ptaszek and his team. But one player who wasn't celebrating as much was freshman linebacker Nick Shortill.

"I don't really remember too much," he recalled. "Once we landed in Vancouver, I was bed ridden for the whole week with IVs and stuff with the flu.

"So I started 20 minutes before the game with the team doctor and then played, puking on the sidelines and stuff. I just went home and right to bed after so I didn't get to go out and have fun or anything."

"With any other athlete, it would have been a big deal," Ptaszek explained to TSN. "With Nick, there was no drama or doubt. He was sick. He was going to get extra rest in the hotel. He was going to play.  He wasn't going to complain. (It was a) non-issue from my perspective."

There wasn't a lot of drama for Ptaszek when Shortill was on the field for most of his career at McMaster. He started in his first year for the Marauders and was a second team OUA All-Star in his second season. An injury derailed his 2013 season, but he roared back this year finishing up as an OUA All-Star, a CIS All-Canadian and the top defensive player in the OUA.

"As a player, Nick is one of the best we have ever worked with at McMaster," Ptaszek continued. "Nick is super smart. His football IQ is off the charts. He really is one of the most complete football players we have had on either side of the football."

And Shorthill isn't one to tell you about it. He's a quiet player off the field who follows the adage that he lets his play speak for him. He feels he doesn't hold anything back physically when he's playing but as his coach mentioned, he does respect the cerebral aspect of football.

"I do think quite a bit," Shortill explained. "My defensive coordinator taught me that through film study, down and distance, situational stuff where I can know a play and recognize a play before it happens. That helps out quite a bit."

"He is tough, focused, and a man of few words," added Ptaszek. "He has little patience for anyone who is not locked in. He was a captain because he demands so much from everyone around him. He forces teammates to rise to his level or get out of the way."  

Shortill was given the nickname 'Bully' by his coaches, stemming from his leadership role on the Marauder defence. He made all the defensive calls and adjustments and the team responded, making a Vanier Cup run for the third time in his college career. Despite a heartbreaking loss to Montreal, Shortill felt this year's experience was the one of the most satisfying of his career.

"Going to the Vanier this year with our team that was nowhere near as talented as my first two years," he said. "Just making it work and grinding it out. It would have been great to win that. That would have been the most satisfying for sure because this year nothing was ever pretty. It was always ugly."

And coming into the CFL Combine as the 11th ranked prospect is something he knows he can improve on.

"It feels good," he said about his ranking. "Obviously I'd like to be higher, I think everyone would like to be. I'd like to get into the first round, being ranked the highest (linebacker) is a good thing and you always have the combine to improve on it."  

Shortill is also hoping to impress teams enough to get on the field regularly in his rookie season. He feels that the 40 will be a key event for him and he's hoping to improve on past 40 times that he's put up in previous combines. The hope of playing on defence in his first season is a goal he has set to accomplish.

"I just want to show that I'm not going to be just a special teamer, like many Canadians are, I want to be an every down guy," he explained. "Obviously, I might not be a Day 1 starter but I'd like to have an opportunity at some point within my first year to play right away, not play right away but get on the field. 

"Whether that's on a first down or second down package I just want to show that I can play."

Our next prospect profile will be on Laval offensive lineman Karl Lavoie, the 14th ranked prospect in the 2015 CFL Draft.