By Nexus Sports Team
Recruiting efforts have resumed and several commitments are slowly being revealed. But what of the many others who have yet to commit and more importantly, the hopeful ones who intended to prove their worth during the upcoming winter camps?
This will likely mark the second consecutive year without there being any try-outs in February or March. Although this poses a challenge, it did not stop student-athletes in 2020 from making it onto the gridiron this past season. If anything, the lack of opportunity only made most student-athletes more resilient and wiser!
Why wiser? The 2020 recruits were unable to visit the facilities therefore could not really get a "feeling" for the environment, services, and facilities. Moreover, they were unable to showcase their skills during winter nor could they get a feel for the level of competition they would be up against. Their decision was mostly based on academics and logistics, in the end.
Why resilient? Not having winter events to prove themselves made them understand that they had only one chance, one opportunity to make the roster; a feat that would happen at least 4 months after committing to the program.
We are 2 weeks away from February with little indication that the Quebec government will allow such events from taking place. As such, the presently uncommitted student-athletes find themselves at a disadvantage as some may have planned to attend those camps to make a final decision prior to submitting their March 1st deadline request. If 2020 was any indication, it is possible to make a choice and it may make you a better person or player in the end.