Mohamed Abdallah, Jake Sazio
The Varsity Blues football program is pleased to announce that NCAA division 1 transfer Chris Weiland has accepted his offer of admission and has committed to play football at the University of Toronto this fall.
A former member of the University of Toledo Rockets, Weiland is a 5-foot-10 running back that is sure to make an immediate impact on the Varsity Blues roster.
“Chris has played at a high intensity at both the high school and university level and brings maturity, strength, speed and knowledge to the running back position,” said Varsity Blues head coach Greg DeLaval. “We believe he will make everyone around him better and raise the bar for the Varsity Blues program.”
Weiland rushed for over 1,000 yards during three consecutive seasons at Toledo St. Francis De Sales High School. He ran for 5,200 all-purpose yards as a Knight, scoring 42 touchdowns, while also recording 238 career tackles and eight interceptions. He was named the team’s most valuable player and a first team division 1 all-city and all-district all-star.
Weiland comes from a long line of athleticism and is no stranger to high performance sport. His great, great grandfather, Frederick, played short stop for the Chicago White Sox and his great uncle, Ray Boothby, played football for Michigan State.
Off the field, Weiland is very active in the community. The 20-year-old volunteers at Cherry Street Mission, Bay Park Community Hospital and was a member of Teens Against Drugs and Alcohol Group (TAG) in his hometown of Toledo. He will begin his studies in English at the University of Toronto Mississauga’s campus.
Also accepting their offers to U of T are linebacker Jake Sazio and receiver Mohamed Abdallah.
Sazio of Hamilton, Ont., was Westdale Secondary School’s most valuable player in 2010 after earning defensive MVP honours in 2009.
He, like Weiland, grew up with strong athletic influences. His father, Mark, played defensive tackle for the Varsity Blues from 1972-74 and his grandfather, Ralph, was a five-time Grey Cup champion during his extensive career with the Hamilton Ticats as a player, coach, general manager and president of the club through the 50s, 60s and 70s. He was also the president of the Toronto Argos from 1981-90 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
A native of Edmonton, Alta., Abdallah was the most outstanding receiver on the McNally High School Tigers and was named a Northern Alberta all-star in the 2010 senior bowl all-star game.
The Varsity Blues kick off their training camp on Saturday, August 21 at Varsity Centre. They are set to host the McGill Redmen in a pre-season match-up on August 28 before kicking off their season at Guelph on September 1. The Blues home opener is set for Labour Day, September 6, versus the Windsor Lancers.
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.
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