Andrew Ellis is used to adapting to unfamiliar surroundings.
Having spent much of his life moving across Canada due to his father’s work with the military, the Halifax-born wide receiver has found a home of his own with the newly-reformed Carleton Ravens football team.
It is the culmination of years of hard work for the six-foot, 205 lb. star, who will finally fulfill his ambition of playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) when he makes his season debut this fall.
Having experienced a tough transition in moving to Ottawa two years ago, Ellis was intent on finding the right situation for him and his family. The 17-year-old wanted a university that was close to his parents’ home in Greely, Ont. so that they wouldn’t have to travel very far to watch him play.
More importantly, Ellis stressed the importance of finding a team that would allow him to play regularly and develop into the high-volume receiver he believes is well within his capabilities.
But finding a program that would facilitate these requirements was another thing entirely.
With several teams chasing his signature last summer, picking the right one proved to be difficult. Luckily for the Ravens, Ellis decided to turn to former University of Ottawa linebacker Tyler Sawyer and current Gee-Gees running back Brendan Gillanders for advice. Both men ended up being instrumental in helping Ellis realise that his heart ultimately lay with Carleton.
“Even though they wanted me to sign with Ottawa, they really told me pros and cons [of joining the Ravens],” Ellis said.
“I could have gone to Ottawa, Western or McMaster, all these places that [have] successful teams. I could have gone and potentially won a Yates Cup and gone to the Vanier Cup, but I wouldn’t have been an impact player on those teams.”
“In three, four years down the road when I actually [get to] play, who is to say that they will be as successful as they are now? Whereas at Carleton, I can be that impact player that I want to be,” he said.
Ellis became one of the first players to commit to the Ravens when he signed for them in early October.
His decision was largely precipitated by his favourable impression of Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. The two-time Vanier Cup winner had kept in constant contact with Ellis during the offseason, trying to explain how the team would evolve during Ellis’ five-year stay with the team.
In outlining his vision for the program, Sumarah described how Carleton would try to replicate the level of success achieved by Laval and become a legitimate championship contender.
“I think the convincing part was just letting him know that he had an opportunity to play,” Sumarah said. “I think that was big. I think Andrew wants to come in and play right away. He doesn’t want to sit for a year or two, which is more of a standard type of thing in programs.”
The Ravens’ desire to offer such an opportunity to Ellis was indicative of a program willing to give its rookie athletes a chance to have an immediate impact against CIS competition.
During the infancy of the Ravens’ recruiting efforts, Sumarah realized that the program had to win the local recruiting battle if they were to have any tangible success on the field.
Since the Ravens’ disbandment from the CIS nearly 15 years ago, the University of Ottawa had experienced little competition when it came to courting the best talent that the nation’s capital had to offer.
With Ellis on the books, Sumarah believed Carleton could change the dynamic and swing momentum its way, persuading other local players to join in the process.
According to Sumarah, the Ravens began actively pursuing Ellis when they watched him play in the 2012 Football Canada Cup for Team Ontario East. Ellis had earned his place on the roster after capping an impressive season with the St. Mark Catholic Lions.
“When I saw [Ellis] play, you could see he ran well, he caught the ball well, he made plays. He had a skill set and a package that we were interested in going after” Sumarah said.
Ellis’ team-high 14 receptions during the tournament was enough to convince the Ravens coaching staff that he not only belonged in the upper echelon of Canadian recruits, but also on the Ravens’ roster.
His reputation as a tireless and committed athlete didn’t hurt his chances either.
“You’re going to get a hard-working guy,” Sumarah said. “He’s going to run good routes, he’s going to give everything he can on every single play. He’s got a little bit of an edge to him. He’s not going out there just to play, he’s going out there to win. We like that about him, we like that characteristic.”
It is that kind of effort that will put Ellis in good stead when he makes his Ravens debut this September against the Western University Mustangs. Ellis has been spending the last few months preparing for the upcoming season by training with King Football, an Ottawa-based training centre that works with a number of football players to improve their core strength and athletic ability.
It is a worthwhile commitment to Ellis, who is determined to succeed with a team he believes is a “perfect fit” for his talents.
“When you know the situation is right, you know. I just knew [that Carleton] was [the] right [choice].”
