It is easy to look back at another entertaining week of football and focus just on the quarterback play.
Four different quarterbacks (Zach Collaros, Chad Kelly, Davis Alexander and Trevor Harris) all surpassed the 400-yard passing mark.
Bo Levi Mitchell was “held” to under 300 yards, but he threw three touchdowns in a 37-27 bounce-back road win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Finally, Nathan Rourke went for 330 yards and a 15-yard touchdown run where he looked more like AJ Ouellette.
I’m not sure if they’re inspired by the World Cup and that other brand of football, but I saw a lot of Nationals getting open and putting up big time yards after the catch.
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It is early, but in the first two weeks, four of the top five leaders in receiving yardage all possess a Canadian passport. Tyson Philpot is currently your triple crown leader, as no one has more receptions, yards or touchdowns than him. The BC Lions/Saskatchewan Roughriders game saw Kian Schaffer-Baker and Justin McInnis both go well over 100 yards, while Samuel Emilus had a hat trick of touchdowns.
This all leads to one question: are we witnessing the greatest level of talent at this position from a national perspective?
Through two weeks I have witnessed more Canadian content than in a retro Much Music Bryan Adams/Corey Hart power hour. I am hesitant to make such a declarative statement as we are in mid-June, but the overall athleticism and production we’ve seen certainly begs the question.
To fight back the urge to go full prisoner of the moment, here are some other single seasons to consider.
2018
This was the last time a receiver came home with the Most Outstanding Canadian award. Give it up for Ottawa REDBLACKS legend Brad Sinopoli and his 1,376 receiving yards. However, the depth behind him wasn’t as strong, as Brad was the only Canadian to make a Divisional All-CFL team at that position. The next best player was Hamilton’s Mike Jones, who had an impressive 17.2 yards per catch but only 841 yards.
2003
Hall of Famer Ben Cahoon’s best year came in 2003 with the only team he ever played for, the Montreal Alouettes. The two-time Most Outstanding Canadian snagged 13 touchdowns to go along with 1,561 yards. The second most productive Canadian receiver in the history of the game tortured secondaries throughout his career. BUT he was also the only Canadian to break the 1,000-yard mark. Sorry 2003, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.
2010
I have a special fondness for 2010 as it featured the Great Canadian Air Force! Everyone over the age of 35 and every citizen in Regina is nodding their heads vigorously. A quick backstory: 16 years ago, the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant’s four main targets were often Andy Fantuz, Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Jason Clermont and were all Canadian, hence the birth of that memorable nickname.
This trend started in 2009 and peaked the following year, when the four combined for 213 receptions, 3,316 yards and 14 touchdowns. The one big downside to 2010 was that Clermont was never really a star and the only other Canadian to go over 1,000 yards was Dave Stala with the Tiger-Cats. Having said that, 2010 is a strong case for the best year.
2024
Canadian receiver Dejon Brissett was named the 111th Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Just two years ago was a standout year for Canadian receivers.
Justin McInnis was the CFL leader with 1,449 receiving yards while Samuel Emilus, Nic Demski and Kiondré Smith all finished in the top 15. The Most Valuable Canadian at that Grey Cup was Dejon Brissett and Montreal’s Philpot was an absolute beast with 779 yards in only a half of season of work.
1992
As someone who loves the history of the game, there was no way I was going to leave off the greatest Canadian receiver, Saskatchewan’s Ray Elgaard. When the four-time All-CFLer retired, he was first all-time in receiving yards. His best statistical season was 1992, where he caught 91 passes, good for over 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns. That same season saw teammate Jeff Fairholm put up 1,344 yards, while in Calgary Dave Sapunjis was close behind with 1,137. Three Canadians all with over 1,300 yards in a single season is a worthy candidate for this list!
2025
Let’s not forget what happened just a season ago where the usual suspects (Justin McInnis, Kiondré Smith and Nic Demski) all dominated at their position. Toronto’s Kevin Mital tied for the league-lead with 102 receptions, while Philpot recorded the best single-game performance with 238 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. Emilus’ year was beset with injuries, but he still averaged more yards per game than both Kenny Lawler and McInnis and his 10 catch, 108 yard day against Montreal earned him Most Valuable Canadian at the Grey Cup.
Those are the other single season contenders that 2026 is up against. This year has gotten off to an excellent start, and we could see both Philpot receivers (Tyson and Jalen) become legitimate stars as Kian Schaffer-Baker helps keep Trevor Harris young and the usual standouts in McInnis, Emilus and Smith just keep producing at an All-CFL level.
The football nerd in me votes for 1992, but the realist leans 2025. Let the best season win!
