Hec Crighton watch: 15 preseason candidates to win U Sports football’s top honour

The 2025 U Sports football season got underway with a pair of games on Friday night. Three of the four conferences will be in action before the weekend is through, all with their eyes set on winning a Vanier Cup

However, for individual players, there is a piece of hardware even more elusive: the Hec Crighton Trophy. Established in 1967 to recognize the most outstanding player in Canadian university football — although in practice used exclusively for those on offence — it boasts an all-star list of recipients ranging from Brian Fryer, to Tim Tindale, to Andy Fantuz and Brad Sinopoli.

The last four Hec Crighton winners — Tre Ford, Kevin Mital, Jonathan Senecal, and Taylor Elgersma — were all drafted into the CFL. The last, Elgersma, is on the verge of making history as he vies for a roster spot with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. The question that needs to be answered over the next three months is: who’s next?

Here are 15 players I believe could be in contention for the Hec Crighton when the award is handed out in November, presented in ascending order.

Photo courtesy: Electric Umbrella/UBC Thunderbirds

15. QB Drew Viotto, University of British Columbia (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)

You can’t effectively make this season preview without at least mentioning UBC’s star quarterback transfer. As a former Power Five recruit who made stops at Minnesota, Eastern Michigan, and Missouri State, Viotto has a pedigree we haven’t seen from a U Sport QB since Michael O’Connor. Even so, the six-foot-three, 230-pound pivot might be out of the running before the race begins, as the Thunderbirds are still debating whether to start fifth-year backup Derek Engel and give their new acquisition more time to re-learn the Canadian game. If they do go with Viotto, his raw tools mean that the sky is the limit.

Photo courtesy: Michael P. Hall/Ottawa Gee-Gees

14. RB Charles Asselin, University of Ottawa (Cantley, Que.)

Whether it be J-P Cimankinda or Amlicar Polk, Gee-Gee running backs have never been far from the top of the rushing charts in recent years. Asselin is no exception, breaking out in 2024 to finish fourth in rushing and lead all of U Sports in all-purpose yards. Equally adept as a returner and runner, you can only expect the five-foot-11, 200-pounder to receive more touches this year, particularly with an underwhelming pair of returning quarterbacks set to man the offence. That makes him a contender to become the first running back to win the Hec since Ed Ilnicki in 2017.

Photo courtesy: Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin

13. RB Ryker Frank, University of Saskatchewan (Regina, Sask.)

You can make an argument that Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud deserves to be on this list, but given his long history of turnovers, Frank seems like a safer bet to take home hardware this year. Standing at five-foot-10 and 198 pounds, the fifth-year running back lacked what the CFL was looking for in a pro prospect, but has been incredibly productive in college. With over 3,055 career yards under his belt, including a second-place finish in last year’s rushing title, he is sure to garner a few legacy votes if the boys in Saskatoon get back to the top of the Canada West.

Courtesy: Brandon VandeCaveye/Western Athletics

12. QB Evan Hillock, Western University (Hamilton, Ont.)

Remarkable efficiency and reliable game management are all the Mustangs have ever asked from Hillock, and, boy, has he delivered. The fifth-year pivot returns from offseason elbow surgery to pad a career stat line that includes 76 passing touchdowns and just 19 interceptions. The big difference this year? With both Keon Edwards and Keanu Yazbeck gone, Western no longer has a proven one-two punch in the backfield and may be forced to rely on the aerial attack more than ever before.

Photo courtesy: Zachary Peters/Manitoba Bisons

11. RB Breydon Stubbs, University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.)

The 2024 U Sports rushing leader with 951 yards in eight games, Stubbs returns for his fifth year with the Bisons after being snubbed by the CFL. The five-foot-11, 205-pounder isn’t a glamorous speedster, but his contact balance and high-effort running style have continuously produced results. Unfortunately, his odds of winning the award are hurt by a higher-profile player on his own team — more on him later — and the gaping hole left on the offensive line when J.P. Metras Trophy winner Giordano Vaccaro transferred to Purdue.

Photo courtesy: Hailey Tripodi/Wilfrid Laurier Athletics

10. QB Callum Wither, Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, Ont.)

Stepping directly into the shoes of last year’s Hec Crighton winner means that Wither has as clear a path to winning the trophy as any player in the country, but there are still too many unknowns to put him higher on this list. The six-foot-three, 213-pound transfer from Ohio University has a three-star pedigree, but hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since 2022 and hasn’t had to read a 12-man defence in more than half a decade. What separates him from Viotto is that his starting job isn’t in dispute, and that his supporting cast has a Yates Cup under their belt.

Photo courtesy: Peter Oleskevich/St. FX Athletics

9. RB Malcolm Bussey, St. Francis Xavier University (Hammond Plains, N.S.)

You’ll be forgiven for forgetting about Bussey after he missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL, but the former Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of New Hampshire is now healthy enough to remind you. The five-foot-11, 197-pound runner was the biggest game-breaker in Atlantic Canada prior to his injury and surpassed 1,000 yards in his last healthy regular season. He should earn the conference’s nomination if he gets anywhere close to that mark again, though Caleb Fogarty may have earned the right to steal a few of his carries.

Photo courtesy: Connor Sykes/Queen’s Athletics

8. RB Jared Chisari, Queen’s University (Naples, Me.)

How is it that Chisari still has eligibility, given that he first appeared on a college roster back in 2018 with Division III Bowdoin College? I have no idea, but the Gaels are certainly thrilled to have him back for a fourth campaign with them two years after he went undrafted in the CFL. The five-foot-11, 217-pound master’s student had a down year by his standards in 2024, finishing fifth in rushing with a per carry average of 6.9 yards. He has a history of going for over eight yards a pop and will need to get back to that level if Queen’s wishes to be an OUA contender again.

Photo courtesy: Emery Gbodossou/Bishop’s Gaiters

7. QB Justin Quirion, Bishop’s University (Saint Georges, Que.)

Love it or loathe it, U Sports’ ugly stepchild in the AUS will produce one of the four finalists for the Hec and Quirion is a safe bet to repeat the feat. The five-foot-10, 178-pound playmaker was a big part of why the Gaiters ran the conference last season, as he threw for 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in their run to the national semi-finals. Erik Glavic remains the only player from the AUS to win the award this century, but there are some advantages to having the easiest path to get your foot in the door.

Photo: Laurel Jarvis/Guelph Athletics

6. QB Tristan Aboud, University of Guelph (Montreal, Que.)

When it comes to projecting the next Elgersma, only a handful of prospects possess the requisite size, pocket poise, and arm strength to be in legitimate consideration. Aboud checks all those boxes and may even be more polished than the former Laurier pivot was entering his third season, with greater mobility to boot. The six-foot-four, 210-pounder has completed over 67 percent of his passes through 13 career starts, throwing for 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and has the weaponry at Guelph to pad those stats this year. That makes him a true dark horse in a loaded OUA.

Photo courtesy: David Mahussier/Bisons Sport

5. QB Jackson Tachinski, University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.)

The top contender for the accolades in the Canada West remains the same as last season, as Tachinski returns to the Bisons after a brief attempt to convert to receiver in the CFL. The six-foot-four, 215-pound fifth-year is arguably the gutsiest player in the country, routinely putting his body on the line as a never-say-die runner. Even with that impressive dual-threat ability, his passing numbers will need to improve to put him over the top, as the eight touchdowns and seven interceptions he mustered in 2024 just won’t cut it.

Courtesy: McGill Athletics

4. QB Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald, McGill University (Montreal, Que.)

Not since Tre Ford have we seen as dynamic an athlete at the quarterback position in Canada as the Redbirds’ star pivot, though Latendresse-Regimbald has a good four inches on the 2021 Hec Crighton winner. The six-foot-four, 196-pound speedster ran for 858 yards last year and threw for 2,245 more, though he finished with more interceptions than touchdowns. If he can protect the football just a little bit better, there is a real opportunity to fill the vacuum in the RSEQ created by the retirement of Jonathan Senecal with the Montreal Carabins. For what it’s worth, the 2026 CFL Draft process is the only player on this list to have already suited up and already has three total touchdowns.

Photo courtesy: Hailey Tripodi

3. QB Keagan Hall, York University (Burlington, Ont.)

No York player has ever won the Hec Crighton Trophy — which roughly matched their win total before last year — but hear me out on this one. Hall was second only to Elgersma in passing yards per game last season, averaging 316.1 at the helm for McMaster. The Lions already went from national laughing stock into legitimate competitors in 2024, so if the six-foot-four, 230-pound transfer can use his passing prowess to turn them into contenders, he’ll become one of the best storylines in the history of the sport. Voters lap that stuff up like warm milk, even at the expense of greater statistical accomplishments.

Courtesy: Hailey Tripodi, Laurier Athletics

2. REC Ethan Jordan, Wilfrid Laurier University (Chatham, Ont.)

It takes a truly remarkable receiver to win the Hec Crighton, which is why it has only happened three times in the last 30 years. After becoming just the 18th pass catcher to surpass 1,000 yards in an eight-game regular season, Jordan deserves to be considered in that category. The five-foot-10, 177-pound burner is back for one last year after being selected in the sixth round of the 2025 CFL Draft by the Ottawa Redblacks and if his production remains the same with Wither as it did with Elgersma, that will reflect more on him than the quarterback.

Courtesy: Laval Rouge et Or

1. QB Arnaud Desjardins, Université Laval (Montreal, Que.)

If you find someone taking preseason bets on Hec Crighton futures, here is where the safe money lies. Desjardins returns for his fifth year as a two-time Vanier Cup champion and a former finalist for the coveted trophy. After throwing for 17 touchdowns and just one interception in the 2024 regular season, he should have no problem replicating those stats with the number one team in the nation. If all other things are equal at the end of the year, voters will lean his way for career recognition, just as they did with Chris Merchant in 2019.