GUELPH, Ont. – The 2024 university football season has arrived, with the Guelph Gryphons set to officially kick off their new season at home on Saturday, August 24 when they welcome the Carleton Ravens into Alumni Stadium for a season-opening matchup in Guelph.
Guelph Gryphons vs Carleton Ravens
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Time: 1pm kickoff (gates open at 11:30am)
Tickets: available online at
www.gryphons.ca/tickets
Broadcast info: Watch live on RogersTV Cable 20 & online at
www.oua.tv
The Gryphons are led by first-year head coach,
Mark Surya, who will look to guide a talented core of returning players back into the OUA playoffs, with the Gryphons just narrowly missing out on the postseason a year ago.
Eleven varsity football programs from across Ontario will do battle over the course of a nine-week OUA regular season (8 games and 1 bye week per school) with the top seven teams in the conference earning a playoff spot. The conference's top team will earn an opening round bye into the OUA semifinals, while the remaining six playoff-bound teams will compete in OUA quarter-final action on October 26. The OUA semifinal matchups will take place on November 2, before the culmination of the OUA season on November 9 with the playing of the 116th Yates Cup. The OUA champion will then head to Atlantic Canada to play the AUS champion in the 2024 Uteck Bowl, with the 59th Vanier Cup set to take place November 23, 2024 at Queen's University's Richardson Stadium in Kingston. The Gryphons enter the new season in pursuit of the fifth Yates Cup in program history (2015, 1996, 1992 & 1984) and second national title in program history (with the lone Vanier Cup victory for the program coming in 1984).
"This version of the Guelph Gryphons brings a renewed focus and energy heading into the 2024 season," says head coach
Mark Surya, who has been with the University of Guelph football program since 2019, serving as the team's offensive coordinator prior to taking over as the 18th head coach in the program's history.
"Our team returns the entire offence, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing in 2023. We are also excited to welcome a brand-new defensive staff, led by defensive coordinator Matt Berry, to compliment an experienced group on the defensive side of the ball. The Gryphons are poised to be competitive in the upcoming year."
Quarterbacks
The Gryphons will enter the 2024 season led by a pair of standout sophomore quarterbacks in
Tristan Aboud and
Marshall McCray.
Tristan Aboud, 6-foot-4, 210lbs quarterback from Montreal, returns for his second season as Gryphon after an impressive rookie campaign which saw him
named to the OUA All-Rookie Team last season. Aboud, a management economics and finance major at the University of Guelph, finished the 2023 season ranked among the OUA's best in several key statistical categories. Aboud ranked 3rd in pass efficiency (154.3), 3rd in completion percentage (69.6), 5th in passing touchdowns (10), 6th in passing yards (1,451), and 7th in yards per game (181.4). The 20-year-old set a new single-game program record for passing touchdowns during a Week 5 matchup versus the York Lions when he threw six touchdown passes.
Like Aboud, fellow second-year pivot,
Marshall McCray, will also look to follow up a sensational freshman campaign, with McCray primed to help lead the way for the Gryphons on offence. The 19-year-old human kinetics major from Niagara Falls burst onto the OUA scene in 2023 as a rookie, establishing himself as the most dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the country, with McCray finishing the 2023 regular season as the U SPORTS leader in rushing touchdowns with nine, to go along with 418 rushing yards (8.7 yards per carry, 52 yards rushing per game). McCray also recorded a pair of touchdown passes, finishing the 2023 season 12-of-26 through the air with 2 touchdowns to 1 interception.
Running Backs
The Gryphons running back room in 2024 is among the deepest and most talented in the conference.
Third-year running back,
Donavin Milloy, returns to the Gryphon backfield after producing one of the greatest single-season performances in program history in 2023. The 5'10", 170-lbs speedster from Hamilton finished the 2023 regular season with an astonishing 1,044 yards rushing. That total ranked Milloy 2nd in U SPORTS behind only Queen's running back Jeremy Chisari (1,178). Milloy's standout 2023 campaign saw him become just the second Gryphon in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for rushing yards in a single-season, with Milloy finishing just 87 yards shy of matching Gerrit Stam's single-season rushing record of 1,131 yards (set in 1998). Milloy, who is an arts major at the University of Guelph, ranked within the top 10 in the country last season in yards per carry (2nd in U SPORTS, 8.9), yards per game (3rd in U SPORTS, 130.5), total rushing yards (2nd in U SPORTS, 1,044), and carries (4th in U SPORTS, 117) that earned him recognition as an OUA Second Team All-Star. Also returning to the backfield for the Gryphons in 2024 is one of the most physically gifted running backs in the country in 2022 OUA Rookie of the Year,
Isaiah Smith.
The 6'1, 225-lbs running back missed almost the entire 2023 season for the Gryphons after suffering a season-ending injury in Guelph's opening series of the season. But Smith will look to build off of a sensational rookie season back in 2022, when the human kinetics major from Burlington established himself as one of the top running backs in the OUA while becoming just the fourth Gryphon football player in program history
to be named OUA Rookie of the Year.
Receivers
Leading the way in the Gryphons receiving corp in 2024 is a former OUA First Team All-Star in
Vyshonne Janusas. The fourth-year arts major was limited by injuries in 2023,
but when healthy, has proven to be one of the most reliable and explosive receivers in the conference. Janusas, a 23-year-old from Windsor, still put-up impressive numbers in his five games played in 2023, tallying 334 receiving yards on 23 receptions and leading the team with 4 TD receptions. Janusas is also on CFL radars after having impressed in May at the 2024 U SPORTS East-West Bowl. Sophomore receiver
Willem Arseneau (Calgary, AB) returns after an impressive rookie season in 2023 where he led the team with 374 receiving yards, including an 85-yard touchdown reception in Week 5 against the York Lions. Senior receiver,
Kaine Stevenson, returns for his final year of eligibility after leading the team in receptions (29) a season ago.
Offensive Line
The Gryphons bring back a wealth of experience up front on the offensive line in 2024, with long-time offensive line coach Mike MacDonald back with the program for the 2024 season.
The 2024 offensive line will feature team captain
Ethan Pyle and
Daniel Hocevar, both fourth-year sport and event management majors. The 6-foot-2, 285-lbs Pyle and 6-foot-4, 300-lbs Hocevar bring lots of experience to trenches, with both having earned an invite to the 2024 East-West Bowl. The experienced offensive line also welcomes back a CFL-caliber talent in
Spencer Masterson, who returns for his final season at the University of Guelph. Masterson was selected by Edmonton in the 2023 CFL Draft and sustained a season-ending injury in CFL Camp that season, before being one of the final cuts at Edmonton's 2024 CFL Training Camp. Masterson, who is expected to line up at right guard for the Gryphons in 2024, has previously earned OUA All-Star honours during his collegiate career, with the 6'6", 310-lbs political science major from Richmond Hill named an OUA Second Team All-Star following the 2021 season.
Defensive Line
Standout interior linemen
Curtis Woodmansey and
Josh Campbell will help lead the defensive line for the Gryphons in 2024. At 6'3", 300-lbs, Woodmansey returns for his sixth season (fifth-year of eligibility) after a brief stint with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Toronto native saw action in all eight games for Guelph last season and takes on team captain duties in 2024.
Next to Woodmansey is
Josh Campbell, who also returns for his final season as a Gryphon. The Montreal, Quebec native was one of the most productive pass-rushers for the Gryphs as the 6-foot-2, 300-lbs, totalling 13.5 tackles while leading the team with five tackles-for-loss.
Linebackers
Two of the top tackling linebackers in the OUA return to help lead the linebacker room. Local Guelph product
Brandon Ferigo returns to the team for his 5th season of eligibility after finishing the last season with the 6t-most tackles in the OUA with 41.5 and was 4th in the OUA with 5.9 tackles per game. Playing alongside Ferigo is
Braeden MacDougall,
a hard hitting linebacker in the middle expected to play a big role for Guelph. The 3rd-year, 6-foot, 210 lbs environmental management major from Windsor, Ontario, led the Gryphons with 43.5 tackles (5th in the OUA) while forcing a fumble last season.
Defensive Backs
With the departure of All-Canadian defensive back
Devynn Cromwell to Texas Tech, versatile DB
Miles La Foucade will continue to play a key role in the Gryphon secondary. La Foucade, who enters his third-year of eligibility with the team, will move the boundary corner this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-lbs Brampton, Ontario native lined up all over the field last season allowing him to finish fourth on the team with 31.5 tackles.
Nathaniel Slawter,
Kyle Simon-Guerin and Nate Kashama-Aghayere will look to build on their strong rookie campaigns as they enter their sophomore season with the Gryphons. Slawter, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native played in 8 games last season as he finished seventh on the team with 19 tackles.
Sociology student
Kyle Simon-Guerin, helped play a role on the defence finishing with 13 tackles in all 8 of his games played. Nate Kashama-Aghayere joined the Gryphons as a rookie last year and made an impact in seven games he suited up in. Veteran presence and talented punt returner,
Anakin Guthrie, also returns to the Gryphon secondary in 2024 for his senior season.
Kicking/Special Teams
Gabriel Canabrava,
Nicholas Guardiero and
Benjamin Lane all return to the Gryphons and will compete for full-time kicking duties. Guardiero, a criminal justice and public policy major showed off his punting last season averaging 37.7 yards per punt which included 8 punts inside the 20. Canabrava is back for his second season after making five field goals last season while hitting all 17 of his extra point attempts.
Benjamin Lane returns after appearing in three games last season making two field goals while hitting all 6 of his extra points.
The Gryphons return unit should be a strength for the team with defensive back
Anakin Guthrie and
Kyle Simon-Guerin returning punts. Guthrie, the fourth-year local product, returned some big kicks for the Gryphons last season including a 74-yard punt return touchdown in Week 5 against the York Lions. Simon-Guerin was a consistent returner averaging 20.3 yards per return last year.
Kickoff for the Gryphons 2024 football season opener is set for 1pm, with the pre-game show (featuring Canadian football insider Justin Dunk and GryphVision host, Scott Fraser) set to get underway at 12:45pm. All four of the Gryphons home football games in 2024 will be broadcast live on Rogers TV Cable 20. The games can also be streamed live, online at
www.oua.tv.
