By Dashawn Stephens
Over 800 student-athletes have reported to OUA training camps this September. All seeking the opportunity to don their school’s latest gameday threads, while continuing to chase their professional dreams. How can anyone shrink that number down to just a top four?
Attempting to create such a list poses its difficulties, especially when coming off a pandemic year. A significant number of veteran graduates, combined with an abnormally large incoming class of freshmen, almost leads fans to wonder if they’ll even recognize the 11 teams that take the field come Week 1.
In the end, despite the major changes, there remain a handful of players who have unfinished business heading into 2021.
Honourable Mentions
We can’t include everyone, but here is a short (or long) list of tough omissions:
● Justice Allin (Running Back, McMaster)
● Gordon Lam (Receiver, Waterloo)
● Nolan Bedard (Linebacker, Queen’s)
● Tyrell Ford (Defensive Back, Waterloo)
● Kojo Odoom (Defensive Back, Western)
● Tanner Dejong (Quarterback, Carleton)
● JP Cimankinda (Running Back, Ottawa)
● Josh Cumber (Defensive Back, McMaster)
● Ife Onyemenam (Linebacker, Laurier)
● Jackson White (Quarterback, Western)
● Jared Beeksma (Linebacker, Guelph)
And so, without any further delay, here are the top four players to look out for in the 2021 OUA football season.
4. Clark Barnes
Position: Receiver/Returner
School: Guelph
Accolades: 2019 OUA First Team All-Star, 2019 First Team All-Canadian
Clark Barnes made headlines as a true freshman in 2019 when he dominated on special teams in the first three games of his collegiate career. His three returning touchdowns over a three-game span solidified him as the biggest special teams threat the OUA has seen since Tunde Adeleke.
Barnes’ success on specials earned him OUA All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian honours. With his talent as a returner now hard to ignore, all eyes will be on Barnes as a receiver.
In 2019, Barnes recorded 186 receiving yards and one touchdown on 11 receptions throughout eight games.
With the departure of top receivers Kian Shaffer-Baker and Kade Belyk, the Gryphons will look for new faces to step into those go-to roles. With Barnes’ playmaking abilities already well-known, don’t be surprised if you see him transition into becoming a primary target on Guelph’s offence.
Barnes may be on the 2021 watchlist, but the Brampton, Ontario native should be someone fans pay attention to for years to come.
If Barnes can carry his playmaking abilities over to the offensive side of the ball, while continuing to make waves on specials, then he has the potential to dominate games in a way the OUA hasn’t seen since the days of Kurleigh Gittens Jr.
Yes, this means Barnes has the potential to be a future OUA MVP.
Even if the Brampton, Ontario native never reaches MVP heights, there’s no doubt that he is a game-changer, and that alone guarantees him a spot on this list.
3. Jack Hinsperger
Position: Linebacker
School: Waterloo
Accolades: 2018 OUA Rookie of the Year, 2021 East-West Bowl Invitee
Many of you reading this might not be familiar with Jack Hinsperger, but CFL scouts surely are.
The Waterloo, ON native arrived at the University of Waterloo in 2018 and immediately made an impact. Starting as a true freshman, Hinsperger ran roughshod over opposing offences, racking up 31 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks in just seven games.
The performance was good enough to earn Hinsperger a seemingly unanimous OUA Rookie of the Year nod, appearing to be on the verge of becoming the next great OUA linebacker.
Injuries robbed football fans of seeing the sophomore chapter of Hinsperger’s career after he was sidelined for the entire 2019 season with a knee injury.
But with 2020 providing extra time to rehab, the hope is that Hinsperger can return to full health in 2021 and play a pivotal role in Waterloo’s run at Yates Cup.
Of course, there is no way to confirm Hinsperger’s health status until training camp, but if his recent East-West Bowl selection serves as any indication of what Waterloo coaches have seen during his recovery, then rest assured 2021 should be a big season for Jack Hinsperger.
2. Clay Sequeira
Position: Quarterback
School: U of T
Accolades: 2019 East-West Bowl Participant, U SPORTS Pass TD Leader (2019), U SPORTS Pass YDS Leader (2019)
In baseball, there’s a statistical concept commonly known as Black Ink. MLB writer Joe Posnanski explains:
"...Black Ink simply refers to the times when a player leads the league in a category (you know how they will show that number in bold letters in the stats...that's Black Ink)”
Let us remind you of Clay Sequeira’s Black Ink.
In 2019, Sequeira led the nation in passing yards (2,602) and passing touchdowns (24). His 24 passing touchdowns also made him UofT’s all-time single-season leader in the category. Toss in his team-leading 402 rushing yards and there is a legitimate case for Sequeira in the 2019 OUA MVP race.
Sequeira and the Variety Blues had a great 2019 season that even saw the program crack the U SPORTS top 10 for the first time in a quarter-century. But after upsetting the Laurier Golden Hawks and starting the season 2-1, UofT would proceed to drop their remaining five games by an average margin of 11.2 points.
So why is Sequeira on this list?
Why are he and the Varsity Blues must-watch in 2021?
Despite missing the playoffs in 2019, UofT was trending in the right direction. They had the top passing offence in the nation (led by Sequeira) and fielded a defence that thrived against the run.
Every few years, there’s one OUA team that manages to break through the rebuilding wall to taste success. The most recent example was Waterloo in 2017. Expect UofT to be this team in 2021.
With Sequeira entering his final season (along with several other key players) and looking to cement himself as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, look for the Pierrefonds, QC native to be the centerpiece of UofT’s final push at success under their current roster before re-entering a rebuild.
1. Tre Ford
Position: Quarterback
School: Waterloo
Accolades: 2017 OUA & U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, 2018 OUA MVP, 2019 Second Team All-Canadian, 2x OUA All-Star, 2021 East-West Bowl Invitee
We all saw this entry coming. Getting it done through the air and on the ground, Tre Ford is undoubtedly the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in not only the OUA, but in all U SPORTS.
Arguably one of the most accurate passers in conference history, Ford recorded the highest single-season completion percentage in OUA history in 2018, completing 74.1 per cent of his passes along with 27 passing touchdowns, en route to capturing the conference’s MVP honours.
Ford followed up his historic campaign with another solid passing clinic in 2019, completing 70.3 per cent of his passes (4th best in OUA history) while throwing 18 touchdowns.
As a ball carrier, it’s well known how much of a headache Ford has been for opposing defences. Having already rushed for 2,149 yards and 16 touchdowns in his collegiate career, the Niagara Falls, ON native displays a level of dominance as a mobile quarterback that hasn’t been seen in U SPORTS football since the days of Chris Flynn at SMU.
Despite collecting nearly every individual accolade imaginable, the one thing that has evaded Ford - and the Warriors - is significant team success. Since Ford’s arrival in 2017, Waterloo has posted three consecutive 4-4 seasons along with only one playoff victory. 5-6 years ago, the idea of going .500 would have been considered a success to any Warriors player. Now, such a performance would be viewed as underachieving at most - a credit to how far this program has come.
2021 could have been Ford’s draft year. But he, along with several other draft-eligible Waterloo players, chose to defer the 2021 CFL draft and don the Black and Gold for one last run.
There’s no doubt that football fans have been treated to greatness from Tre Ford. But with a lot of eyes glued to Waterloo as they look to make their largest push for a Yates Cup in over 2 decades, just as many eyes will be on Ford as any hopes at a conference championship may require his greatest season yet.
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