VOIR VERSION FRANCAISE

The 2024 university football season is just around the corner. The Quebec conference kicks off on Aug. 23, when Sherbrooke comes to Stade CEPSUM to take on the defending Vanier Cup champions. In the meantime, Bulletinsportif brings you a pre-season portrait of the teams in contention. In this fourth installment, we take a look at the McGill Redbirds.

Heritage buildings are special in that they need to be treated with great care when being renovated. The McGill program, which celebrates 150 years of history in 2024, is just coming out of a major evaluation period, and the decision has been taken to redo the foundation. And a new architect has been asked to orchestrate the work.

Alex Surprenant has spent the last few years coordinating the Concordia Stingers' attack after serving as head coach of the St. Jean Giants. He has a plan in mind, has shared it with everyone up and down the university sports ladder and has the support of everyone. Including the alumni. An element that should never be overlooked at McGill.

In an interview, Surprenant talked a lot about the culture to be established and the ways of working to be introduced. "We're using the camp to establish our culture. And it's important that it's not me who arrives with my values, but that it comes from the players. It's their team. 

And it really is everyone's team, regardless of the players' past status. "There are a lot of changes, which has the effect of leveling things out. Rookies and veterans start on an equal footing. As a result, we've got youngsters who can speak up at meetings and established veterans who have to prove themselves because they make mistakes. It's new for everyone.

Third-year star quarterback Éloa Latendresse-Régimbald ("ELR") and veteran defensive back Ryan McNally are very enthusiastic about Coach Surprenant's approach. "The culture and cohesion he wants to instill on and off the pitch will really make us better. It starts with the trust we build between us," says Latendresse-Régimbald.

However, this does not mean that the veterans do not have an important role to play. In fact, Surprenant has used a trick from his new colleague in the men's hockey team, David Urquhart, by introducing a 'Big Brother' program. Each recruit is paired with a veteran who is there to help them with all aspects of the school.

It has to be said that the new head coach is not content with demanding discipline and teaching his players a new playbook based on the "RPO" (Run-Pass-Option). In entrusting mental preparation to Marc Glaude (who will also be in charge of coaching the forward line), he has also called on Dr. Gordon Bloom, a McGill authority on sports psychology. Dr. Bloom has come to speak to the players, and meetings without the coaches have been organized, as well as team-building activities.

"McGill is an extraordinary university. There are some extremely brilliant people here. We need to use them. I want the football team to work as an intra-university partnership. In psychology, yes, but also in kinesiology, nutrition and advanced statistics," explains a very enthusiastic Surprenant.

And when he looks at his team, what does he see? "We've got a group of players who are fed up of losing. They know they have to change things. We've established some rules to follow and I haven't sensed any reluctance. That's a very good thing. Also, the talent is there. We don't have to start from scratch. Our key players are of very interesting quality. The biggest problem is that we don't have the depth of the big teams. We're going to work on that for the future.

Surprenant took the time to go through each of the positions. Unsurprisingly, the great ELR will have the guides in hand. He has some new things to learn to apply his new coaches' system, but his talent and style should adapt very well. His athleticism is unquestionable. What's more, the two men have known each other since 2019, when they were together with Team Quebec.

"It's going to be fun to have an attacking system where we can play to the strengths of the guys," says Latendresse-Régimbald. "The RPO is a good fit for a mobile quarterback like me. We've had three different playbooks in two years. It hasn't always been easy. But this season, we've got a very good guideline. The coaches are also giving everyone time to get to grips with the system. The emphasis is on collective understanding of the games and not just on everyone's individual tasks."

No.5 will rely on a group of seasoned receivers with the return of Darius Simmons in particular. The prolific receiver was very disappointed not to be selected in the CFL Draft. He did not attend the spring camp, but after a meeting with Surprenant in July, he decided to come and play his final university season. With Abdala Traoré (injured, he missed the first week of camp), William Langlais, Charles Barakett and Fabien Turcotte, the talent is there. Add to this group rookie Félix Joly from St-Jean, who Surprenant did not hesitate to name - and for good reason - a few times during our interview.

"ELR" is very excited: "Each guy brings something different to the table. We know what Darius can do. It's going to be a redemption shot for him and he's going to get his chances to make some big plays. Abdala is a great target (6'5") and we've known each other since we were eight years old, since our days at Sun Youth. Then there's the 'Jonquière gem', Will Langlais. Then there's the new guy, Félix Joly, with whom I've already developed a good relationship. He's already having a positive impact on the whole group. He'll be a leader of this team in the future.

The ground game should still be solid with the very quick Brandon Ciccarello, but also Jeffrey Amisial-Chatelier and Benjamin Bergeron-Spénard. They will be playing behind an attacking line that should not be underestimated, led by veterans Michael Vlahogiannis (drafted by Winnipeg), Domenico Piazza, Félix-Olivier Leclerc and Zachary Aboud. One player to keep an eye on is Beauce native Louis-Gabriel Hallé, who would be one step ahead of his teammates to win a place in the starting five.

"Defensively, we should see a mix of rookies and veterans on the field."  According to Surprenant, Charles-Hugo Thomassin, a rookie from the Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars, would do very well on the defensive line. Christophe Labbé, who was hampered by injuries last year, is also showing promise. Nassib Hassouna, Léandre Montour and Aidan Licoppe are also back. Thomas Pilon will unfortunately miss the season.

"At linebacker, Luca Ruffolo, Ilan Barbaras and Alex-Antoine Mayer seem to be the contenders for starting roles. At third, of course, we have the excellent Ryan McNally, but also Mathis Pilon, who has apparently put on a lot of muscle mass."

There are also two players who played in the United States last year who will be worth keeping an eye on. Nate Roy is a transfer from Cornell University in the Ivy League. Philippe Bouthot has just graduated from McCallie High School in Tennessee. Two young men who have caught the eye of their new head coach.

The 2024 season will probably not see the McGill Redbirds inscribe their name on the Vanier Cup for the first time since 1987. However, they are aiming for a playoff appearance. "Everyone plays to win. There are five teams in our conference and four are in the playoffs. It's a goal for us to be there."

However, Surprenant explains what will be most important in evaluating his troops.

"At the end of the year, we'll have to see how successful we've been in implementing what we want to bring in. The key words are to have an intelligent team. That's what McGill is all about. We have to master our assignments, be ready to play, recognize situations and be disciplined. We want to see an improvement in execution, but above all, there will be no compromise on the long-term plan.