The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football program proudly announced their 2014 recruiting class as part of their spring camp weekend, April 5-6.
24 recruits and their families were invited to watch the annual Blue & White game that caps off spring camp each year. Following the game, the future Blues signed their letters of intent, met and spoke with head coach Greg Gary and enjoyed a welcome BBQ.
“This is another solid recruiting class for our program,” said Gary, who enters his fourth season as U of T head coach in the fall. “This weekend was a great opportunity to get everyone in the same room, for our new players to meet our veterans and to celebrate their commitment to our team and becoming a Varsity Blue.”
Highlighting this group of recruits is 6-foot-2, 240-pound defensive end Gurjant Singh (pictured above). The Mississauga, Ont., native was named to the CanadaFootballChat.com’s (CFC) Top 100 Class of 2014 as well as being named a member of Team Ontario. A product of St. Joseph’s Jaguars and the Mississauga Warriors, Singh will begin his studies in criminology as an aspiring police officer in the fall.
Fellow defensive lineman Javin Haughton will also look to make an impact this season after helping the St. Roch Ravens in Brampton, Ont., to an undefeated season in 2013.
A trio of running backs in Divante Smith (Mississauga), Matthew Kuzenko (Sudbury, Ont.) and Robert Welch (Vancouver) are looking to turn heads and climb the depth chart this season. Smith was the 2013 St. Marcellinus most valuable player and was named to their 10-year all-star team (2003-12).
Kuzenko was named the Sudbury Star/Cambrian College GameChanger en route to Sudbury MVP honours. He scored four touchdowns, making several key tackles and even punting a few times in leading the St. Charles College football team to a 41-7 win over the St. Benedict Bears this past fall.
In this past year’s Archbishops Trophy game against archrivals Notre Dame Jugglers, Welch received the Best Back Award for his exceptional play. Moreover, he was named the Vancouver College Fighting Irish’s Team MVP and was also the recipient of the academic award, given to the player that achieves the highest academic average.
At 6-foot-2, 250-pounds, 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, and 6-foot-5, 320-pounds, respectively, Sam MacMillan, Michael Downey and Matheus Jakimiu will look to crack Toronto’s offensive line this season. Downey plays at Bill Crothers S.S. in Unionville, Ont., while MacMillan attends Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and was named a member of Team Ontario. Originally from Brazil, Matheus played last season with the St. Thomas Moore Chancellors in Connecticut. All three are sure to add size and depth to Toronto’s O-Line in 2014.
Stone Sousa rounds out the recruits to watch. The Brampton, Ont., receiver and returner was an OVFL junior varsity all-star in 2011 and 2012 and the 2012 OVFL Adams provincial conference junior MVP as a member of his hometown Bulldogs.
Students who sign a letter of intent and commit to Varsity Blues intercollegiate teams will be eligible to play/participate at the University of Toronto provided they are academically admissible and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities Application Centre.
2014 Recruiting Class
Sebastian Bel / QB / Winnipeg, Man.
Michael Downey / OL / Unionville, Ont.
Alex Furlan / DL / Burlington, Ont.
Carter Gladman / DL / Oakville, Ont.
Javin Haughton / DL / Brampton, Ont.
Matheus Jakimiu / OL / Brazil
Matthew Kuzenko / RB / Sudbury, Ont.
Matt Lelyk / OL / Toronto, Ont.
Alex Lockridge / R / Newburgh, Ont.
Sam MacMillan / OL / Toronto, Ont.
Will Priestner / LB / Burlington, Ont.
Owen Prutton / DB / Cambridge, Ont.
Keith Purchase / DB / Ottawa, Ont.
Emmett Putt / R / Caledonia, Ont.
Harrison Quinlan / R / Port Hope, Ont.
Austin Rosbrook / QB / Etobicoke, Ont.
Jordan Sidsworth / OL / Burlington, Ont.
Alex Simmons / LB / Etobicoke, Ont.
Gurjant Singh / DL / Mississauga, Ont.
Divante Smith / RB / Mississauga, Ont.
Stone Sousa / R / Brampton, Ont.
Mac VanDuzer / LB / Music / Oakville, Ont.
Calvin Vaughan / QB / Kirkfield, Ont.
Franco Vonasek / DL / Maple, Ont.
Robert Welch / RB / Vancouver, B.C.
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