GUELPH, Ont. – Canadian university football is finally back, and the Guelph Gryphons are just two days away from taking the field in OUA action for the first time in almost two years.

On Saturday night (September 25), the Gryphons will kickoff their 2021 OUA regular season schedule with a much-anticipated home matchup versus the No. 1-ranked team in the country, as the Western Mustangs (1-0) head to Alumni Stadium to battle the Gryphons. While the rest of the OUA kicked off the 2021 season last Saturday (Sept. 18), the Gryphons were idle thanks to a Week 1 bye. But the waiting is finally over. The Gryphons, who open their season as the No. 7-ranked team in the country in the latest U SPORTS polls, will now get to test themselves against their rivals from London under the lights on U of G's campus. Saturday night's game versus Western kicks off at 6pm. Tickets for the game (limited to 900 fans due to COVID restrictions) have already sold out, but fans can watch live online at OUA.tv, with the GryphVision pre-game show starting at 5:45pm on Saturday night. See below for a full breakdown of the 2021 edition of the Gryphon football team.
 
QUARTERBACKS
 
Back in 2019, the Gryphon quarterbacking duties belonged to veteran Theo Landers. With Landers having graduated, the Gryphons are set to open a new chapter at QB, with a total of six talented and capable quarterbacks listed on the 2021 roster.

While head coach Ryan Sheahan has yet to name a starter for the season opener versus Western, whoever lines up under centre on Saturday night will be doing so in their first start as the Gryphons QB.  
 
Montreal native Ettore Casati III arrives at the University of Guelph after having impressed at the CÉGEP level in Quebec where he played his football for Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (the same post-secondary institution where standout Gryphon linebacker, Justin Lauzon, also played prior to becoming a Gryphon).

The 22-year-old Casati III is described by head coach Ryan Sheahan as a quarterback with a great head and feel for the game. The accounting major enters the 2021 season with a solid grasp of the Gryphon playbook after having committed to the University of Guelph back in 2020 (the season which was, of course, cancelled due to the pandemic).  
 
B.C. native Shawn Lal arrives at the University of Guelph for the 2021 season after having impressed in the junior football ranks out west.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 230 lbs, the Abbotsford, B.C. native suited up at QB for both the Langley Rams and the Westshore Rebels in the British Columbia Football Conference. Despite entering his rookie season at the OUA level, the justice and legal studies major could make an immediate impact with the Gryphons. Throughout training camp, the 21-year old Lal (who turns 22 the day before the Vanier Cup), has showcased tremendous arm strength while establishing himself as perhaps the Gryphons most polished pocket passer on the roster.  
 
The title of the most athletic quarterback on the Gryphon roster belongs to Brampton native, DeAndre Rose. The 6-foot-1, 197 lbs arts major enters his second season as part of the Gryphon football program after having joined the team back in the 2017 season. Aside from his notable athleticism, the 22-year-old Rose also boasts one of the strongest throwing arms on the Gryphons QB roster. Ayr, Ontario native Michael Warner enters his rookie season as a Gryphon, with the 20-year-old former Southwood Secondary School student having impressed during his time as a Cambridge Lion while also having one year of prep school south of the border (Georgia) under his belt. Ethan Chambers (Catholic Central in London) and local product Payton Garvin (former Jr. Gryphon and Guelph C.V.I. grad) round out a competitive and talented list of quarterbacks on the Gryphons 2021 roster. 
 
RUNNING BACKS
 
It will be a four-headed monster at running back for the Gryphons in 2021, giving offensive coordinator Mark Surya plenty of options when it comes to handing the ball off, with a quartet of proven student-athletes all returning to the U of G backfield for the 2021 season.

In 2019, it was Windsor, Ontario native Kaine Stevenson who led all Gryphon running backs in carries (81), yards (400) and rushing touchdowns (3) during the regular season. The 23-year-old Stevenson, who attended high school in Windsor at the W.F. Herman Academy, is a physical back, listed at 6-foot, 210 lbs, who could once again see plenty of carries as he enters his second season of on-field action with the Gryphons.

Juwan Jeffrey, a criminal justice major from Brampton, has impressed since arriving on U of G campus three years ago. During his rookie season in 2018, Jeffrey was named to the OUA All-Rookie Team despite having his 2018 season cut short due to injury. In 2019, Jeffrey suited up in 4 games during the regular season, carrying the ball 40 times for 267 yards (63.5 yards per game). During the 2019 playoffs, Juwan Jeffrey had emerged as the Gryphons primary option in the backfield, carrying the ball a combined 22 times in the postseason games versus Carleton and McMaster (most carries of any Gryphon running back in the 2019 postseason).

When healthy, Jeffrey has shown the ability to be a dynamic ball carrier at the OUA level.

Like Jeffrey, Montreal native Kwame Osei also enters his fourth season with the program after having arrived on campus back in 2018. The 5-foot-10, 193 lbs Osei has the skill set to compete for carries as the top running back for the Gryphons, with the sport and event management major racking up 47 carries for 318 yards through his first two regular seasons combined (2018 & 2019).

Rounding out the four-headed monster at running back is Jeremy Kankalongo, a Maple Ridge, B.C. native who has been with the program since 2019. The 21-year-old Kankalongo, who played his CÉGEP football at Champlain-Lennoxville, will make his on-field debut for the Gryphons in 2021, and provides the team with another physical option at 6-foot, 210 lbs.

Added depth in the backfield is provided by London native Richard Morris, who starts the season on the Gryphons injured list but could be back mid-season. While newcomers Sito Berrio (Hamilton, ON), Teo Jean-Gaston (Guelph, ON) and Craig Sherrington (Burlington, ON) round out a loaded Gryphon running backs unit.
 
RECEIVERS
 
The Gryphon receiving corps for the 2021 season will be led by a trio of proven veterans. Clarke Barnes returns in 2021 after a sensational rookie season in 2019. The 6-foot-2, 200 lbs Brampton native earned U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours as a kick returner, but the arts major should play a key role for the Gryphons as a receiver in 2021 following the graduation of veterans Kian Schaffer-Baker and Kade Belyk.

Barnes hauled in 6 receptions for 113 yards back in 2019, but lines up as one of the most explosive receivers in the OUA in 2021. Kiondre Smith has been another impact player on special teams in past season (punt returner) who should take another big step forward in 2021 as a receiver. Smith, a criminal justice major from Markham and son of former CFL standout Adrion Smith, is an elusive playmaker who can make a difference when the ball is in his hands. Senior receiver A.J. Chase (Montreal, QC) is a sure-handed target and a leader on and off the field. Another veteran leader back for 2021 is the versatile Nick Mirijello, while new additions to the receiving corps for 2021 include Keegan Dicks (22-year-old sociology major from Etobicoke with junior football experience with the Saskatoon Hilltops), speedsters Will Adam (London, ON), Ryan Ogilvie (Stoney Creek, ON), Jakob Tomas (Guelph, ON), Drake Davis (Guelph, ON), Zac Powell (Hamilton) and Cameron St. Kitts-Park (Oshawa, ON).
 
OFFENSIVE LINE
 
There will be big shoes to fill on the Gryphons offensive line following the departure of U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian, Coulter Woodmansey (drafted 5th overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2020 CFL Draft).

Fortunately for the Gryphons, there are plenty of proven leaders returning to the 2021 team to help lead the way for a Gryphon offence that ranked 3rd in the OUA in rushing yards (176.6 YPG) in 2019.

The front five will be flanked by a pair of talented tackles in 6-foot-6, 310 lbs Spencer Masterson and 6-foot-2, 280 lbs Matthew Famurewa, both of whom can draw upon plenty of starting experience heading into the new season. Guelph native Connor Burke (6-foot-3, 292) should take on a significant role this year up front, while third-year man Noah Wright takes over at centre. Proven vets Ben Petrie and Stuart Allan return for their senior seasons, while Ethan Pyle, Nick Tadio and Daniel Hocevar provide depth up front.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE
 
Standout defensive end A.J. Allen returns for his final season as a Gryphon after spending training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders this past spring.

Allen is a leader on a Gryphon defence that was among the very best defensive units in all of U SPORTS football in 2019. With Burlington native A.J. Allen at defensive end, the Gryphons boast one of the elite pass rushers in the OUA. Also returning along the defensive front are a pair of Quebec natives who have already shown the ability to disrupt from the defensive tackle position in Josh Campbell (Montreal, QC – 6-foot-2, 295 lbs) and Jeremy Kapelanski (Saint-Jérôme, QC – 6-foot-3, 280 lbs). Curtis Woodmansey, the younger brother of former Gryphon standout Coulter, will also help anchor the interior of the Gryphon defensive line. Hamilton natives Yusuf Al-Khaldi and Kristian Stewart add pass rushing presence opposite A.J. Allen, while Ben Rothwell, Deshawn Wright and Jacob Sherk help round out a strong defensive line unit.
 
LINEBACKERS
 
Jared Beeksma and Justin Lauzon return for the 2021 season after holding down starting spots back in 2019. Beeksma, a Cambridge native now in his fifth year with the program, was all over the field in 2019 and provides the Gryphons with a versatile option at linebacker that can help stop the run while also defend the pass. Lauzon is coming off a standout rookie season in 2019 in which he earned a starting linebacker spot right out of training camp.

Both Lauzon and Beeksma recorded defensive touchdowns during the 2019 campaign as part of a dominant defensive unit as a whole for the Gryphons, which limited opposing offences week-in, week-out (including the Western Mustangs, who were kept out of the endzone by the Gryphons during their 2019 matchup in Guelph, marking the first time in six years an opponent held Western without a touchdown). Rounding out the 2021 linebacking corps for the Gryphons is Scott Murray and Brandon Ferigo, while newcomers Cole Watson (Ardrossan, AB) as well as Hamilton natives Nathan Condello and Kobi Ofuokwu.
 
SECONDARY
 
One of the most athletic secondaries in years will look to once again make some big plays at the backend for head coach Ryan Sheahan and defensive coordinator Dennis McPhee. Harrison Bagayogo made an immediate impact during his rookie season in the OUA in 2019, with the 6-foot-3, 200 lbs defensive back locking down opposing receivers as the Gryphons boundary halfback.

Bagayogo, a sport and event management major from Bois-des-Filion, Quebec, also came up with one of the plays of the year with a punt block returned for a touchdown in the Gryphons 2019 OUA quarter-final playoff matchup versus Carleton. Ben Lack, a rangy and athletic 6-foot-1, 180 lbs defensive back from Burlington, enters his fifth year with the program and established himself in 2019 as a play-making safety at the back end of the Gryphon defence. Gatineau, Quebec native Uriel Kalenga, at 6-foot, 188 lbs, adds toughness and physicality to the Gryphon secondary, while newcomers Devyn Cromwell, Miles La Foucade, Ethan Monaghan and Anthony Moretuzzo round out a speedy Gryphon secondary.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
 
The 2019 season marked Donnavan Carter's first season as the Gryphons special teams coordinator, and what a season it was for the Gryphons when it came to special teams. Clark Barnes quickly established himself as the most dangerous kick returner in the country, starting the season with not one, not two, but three straight games with a kickoff returned for a touchdown!

Barnes would go on to be named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian returner, and once again will look to provide the Gryphons with a spark in the return game in 2021.

When it comes to kicking duties, the Gryphons will turn to Ayr, Ontario native, Eric Stranz, who impressed during his rookie year in 2019, connecting on 82% of his field goal attempts (14-of-17) with a long of 47-yards. Stranz, a graduate of Southwood Secondary School in Cambridge, also averaged 35.4 yards per punt while pinning his opponents inside the 20-yard line on 15 occasions. Also competing for kicking duties in 2021 is Guelph native, Nick Guardiero, who enters his third-year with the program.

Following the graduation of former OUA All-Star special teamer, Job Reinhart, the long-snapping duties in 2021 fall to another two-sport athlete at U of G in Simon Chaves, a Guelph native who (like Reinhart) competes for the Gryphons both on the football field as well as the wrestling mat. 
 

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