McGill commits seek championship with team

McGill welcomes two local commits to their 2019 class.

Offensive lineman Julian El Hajj from Vanier College and defensive back Devi Qendro from Collège Ahuntsic have but one goal when they join McGill, bring a championship back to the school.

Julian El Hajj

While there may be three universities in his city, Julian El Hajj knows in his heart which one was for him. “I chose to commit to McGill because it is where I felt the most at home. They’ve always taken my recruitment seriously from the beginning, which was a big plus,” he said.

As a member of the offensive line, El Hajj is excited to learn from McGill’s offensive line coach, Marc Glaude. “I’ve always been a fan of his when he was a player and when I heard he was at McGill I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn from him,” he said. “I’ve worked with Coach Marc on a couple of occasions technically before I committed, and I knew I would become the best with him.”

El Hajj also sung praise for more than just Glaude. He said the entire staff is top-of-the-line. “They all bring a wealth of knowledge from all ends of the football community and they are all die-hard committed to bringing this program to the top of university football,” he said. “Their competitiveness and intensity were extremely appealing to me.”

As one of the top schools in Canada, El Hajj, who is interested in management, knows he is in good hands in terms of both football and academics. “It was also very important for me to receive the best of educations to fall back on when my football career is over,” he said. “McGill also has one of the nicest campuses having a true university feel to it.”

After spending four years with Les Cactus du Collège Notre-Dame (RSEQ), El Hajj joined the Vanier Cheetahs (RSEQ Division 1). He will be entering his third season with the team. In 2015, he captured a juvenile division 1 Bol d’Or championship. He has been a starting tackle and guard since his rookie season with the Cheetahs. He won a student-athlete award with Vanier in 2016 and 2017. He was also an RSEQ all-star in 2017. The 6’3, 255lbs offensive guard is from Saint-Laurent, Québec, which is a borough of Montréal.

“My commitment to McGill came early because I was 100% sure of my future. I also wanted to give all my attention to winning the Bol d’Or at Vanier this year without any distractions after having fallen short in the finals last year,” he said.

A determined winner, El Hajj is also focused on U Sport’s top prize. He said, “The road to a championship at McGill would be a hard one, but when accomplished it will be truly special. I want to be a part of history winning the Vanier at McGill.”

Devi Qendro

Devi Qendro will also be staying home when he joins McGill. Originally from Montréal, Québec, he has played with Les Indiens du Collège Ahuntsic (RSEQ Division 3) since 2015 as a slotback and wide receiver. He is 5’10, 182lbs.