The Carleton Ravens men’s football team has parted ways with quarterback Nick Gorgichuk.
Gorgichuk, who started Carleton’s final six games last season, threw 69 per cent of Carleton’s total attempts in 2014, throwing for 1,399 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing four interceptions. His best performance came on Sept. 20th at the Panda Game, when he threw for 308 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, his quality performance in the marquee game of the season was overshadowed by the last-second Jesse Mills “Hail Mary,” which powered Carleton to its memorable victory.
“Nick will not be returning, as he needs to figure out academically what is best for him,” said Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. “We wish him all the best while he decides the next steps of his future.”
The Ottawa native was an accurate passer on short- and medium-range attempts, but lacked the arm strength of Mills and struggled mightily in Carleton’s make-or-break final week loss against Queen’s.
His departure puts the pressure of starting squarely on the right arm of Mills, a Maritimer entering his fourth year of eligibility with question marks of his own.
A transfer from Saint Mary’s University, Mills had a unsatisfactory debut at Carleton in 2013. The Halifax native then lost the starting reins in 2014 to Gorgichuk—a result of a pair of mediocre outings to start the year.
The other two quarterbacks on the roster are Adam Zussino and Jesse St. John. Zussino, entering his sophomore year, dressed in six games but did not take a single snap last season. St. John is an incoming freshman who spent last year playing for a junior college in Utah in an unsuccessful attempt to gain interest from U.S. schools.
With veritable weapons on the offensive side of the ball in all-star wideout Nate Behar and running back Jahvari Bennett, the Ravens look to be a starting quarterback away from seriously competing for a Yates Cup. Whether or not Mills—a 1B kind of OUA quarterback to-date—can be that full-time starter on a playoff team remains to be seen.
Mills will see his first game action on August 22nd, when the Ravens will travel to Sherbrooke to face the Vert & Or in pre-season play.
