Sports Take

The biggest difference between the American and Canadian college levels of football is the number of schools. There is also a corresponding difference in the number of players. NCAA teams can carry up to 105 athletes, though most only take on an average of 85. So doing the math of 134 schools in the FBS there’s approximately 11,390 players in the NCAA every season. In Canadian University football there are 27 schools, 48 players per team. That’s 1,296 players, creating a potentially more balanced competition. For Canadians, receiving a full scholarship to a US school is very challenging. There is so much competition for those spots. Elite high school players should focus on playing the USports brand of football. This offers a higher likelihood of playing pro football in the CFL with the Canadian Ratio Rule.

The Canadian Ratio Rule is designed to keep the Canadian Football League, well Canadian. It forces teams to have at least 21 National players, with 8 of them needing to be starters. The rule also means that if the starter is taken off the field for rest, another Canadian must step in. This replacement must be on the same side of the ball. That’s because before the game, the team must declare the number of offensive and defensive Canadian starters. The number for each is not allowed to change.

The list of Usports athletes in the NFL is admittedly small, with 43 players all-time getting games in the NFL. However CFL players have made such a trip, including Canadian kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. Canadian punter Jon Ryan, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. Warren Moon, who’s the only player to be inducted into both the Canadian Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame’s. Joe Theismann, Jeff Garcia, Doug Flutie, Joe Horn, two time Super Bowl Champion Harald Hasselbach, who started his football journey in Delta B.C..

The CFL route creates opportunity for Canadian players to make it in the NFL, but it’s also a league that loves their Canadians. Ask any CFL fan who their favourite player is and it’s likely a Canadian, for me right now my favourite player is Jalen Philpot of the Calgary Stampeders. He’s from Delta B.C., Canada. Who’s yours?