The Jon Cornish Trophy committee has unveiled the five finalists to be named the top Canadian football player in the NCAA.
Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, Memphis’ Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, UNLV’s Jett Elad, Arizona’s Tanner McLachlan, and Ohio’s Kurtis Rourke all remain in contention for the award, with three different provinces represented amongst the finalists.
For Rourke, this is his second consecutive finalist selection, following in the footsteps of his older brother Nathan, a two-time winner of the award. The six-foot-five, 231-pound quarterback recovered from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2022 season to complete 65.3 percent of his passes for 2,207 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 219 yards and four majors.
The Oakville, Ont. native passed his brother for second on the Bobcats’ all-time passing list in 2023 and was named a second-team all-Mid-American Conference all-star. On Tuesday, he announced his decision to enter the transfer portal while contemplating his decision to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft and has already received offers from Wake Forest, BYU, and Vanderbilt for his final season of collegiate eligibility.
Ayomanor burst onto the collegiate scene in October with a 294-yard, three-touchdown performance against Colorado that shattered Stanford’s single-game receiving record. The sophomore from Medicine Hat, Alta. Never looked back, earning the Irving S. Zeimer Award as the Cardinals’ most valuable offensive player after recording 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns. He was selected as an all-PAC 12 honourable mention after finishing fifth in the conference in receiving yards.
Cantin-Arku led the Tigers’ defence from his middle linebacker spot in 2023, earning an honourable mention all-AAC selection for his redshirt senior season. The six-foot-three, 240-pound defender from Levis, Que. amassed 76 tackles in 13 games for Memphis, including four tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks
Elad returned to the NCAA ranks with the Rebels in 2023 after a stint at Garden City Community College and made an immediate impact at slot cornerback. The Mississauga, Ont. native suited up in 12 games and made 55 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
McLachlan continued his trajectory as the best Arizona tight end since Rob Gronkowski, earning an all-PAC 12 honourable mention selection as a senior. The six-foot-five, 245-pound mismatch weapon from Lethbridge, Alta. caught 42 passes for 500 yards and four touchdowns in his second season since transferring to the Wildcats as a walk-on.
Presented annually since 2017, the Jon Cornish Trophy is awarded by a panel of voters across Canada consisting of Canadian journalists, player personnel evaluators from the Canadian Football League, and former NCAA players connected to Canada. Past winners include Ohio’s Nathan Rourke (2017, 2018), Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard (2019), Alabama’s John Metchie III (2020, 2021) and Illinois’ Chase Brown (2022) — all four of whom are currently in the NFL.
This year’s winner will be announced on Wednesday, December 13 on TSN’s Krown Gridiron Nation.
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