The Carleton Ravens football team may still be a few months away from returning to the field after a 15-year absence, but they are making sure the future of the program is secure by continuing to add new recruits.
Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah and offensive co-ordinator J.P. Asselin announced the commitment of offensive tackle Stéphane Tanguay to their football program for the 2014-15 season, at a press conference held at l’École secondaire catholique Embrun on April 3.
“[Tanguay’s commitment to Carleton] puts us in a really good situation moving forward,” Sumarah said. “He’s rated one of the top 20 to 25 kids in the country and to be able to get him to commit at this point says a lot about the direction we are going and that he liked what we had to offer.”
Tanguay’s decision to commit to the Ravens comes around two months after he scheduled a visit to the Carleton campus.
Tanguay said Sumarah’s hunger for success and the school’s burgeoning science program helped push it ahead of several other universities vying for his services.
“I liked everything that I saw,” Tanguay said. “I had been in talks with four or five other universities, but I went to Carleton and it just felt right.
“[Sumarah]’s been trying to get the best players, the best coaches and you can tell that he really believes in what he is doing. That was a big selling point,” he said.
The six-foot-six, 305 pound offensive lineman starred for the Cumberland Panthers of the Ontario Varsity Football League last season.
Ravens offensive line coach Chris Coulson said he was able to get an in-depth evaluation on Tanguay due to experience coaching him at various camps and clinics in the Ottawa region.
“He’s got a really good combination of size, strength, and athleticism. Especially for someone his age,” Coulson said. “That gives you a really good starting point with a young offensive lineman.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Sumarah, who said he believes Tanguay’s impressive footwork, athleticism, and ability to block rushers will help him succeed at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level once he gets stronger.
Coulson said he expects Tanguay to compete for a starting spot on the Ravens at guard or at one of the tackle positions when he joins the team next summer.
With the first member of their 2014 class now committed, Sumarah said he believes the Ravens have sent a “strong message” to those who doubted their ability to attract Canada’s best football players.
