Carleton Ravens football head coach Steve Sumarah didn’t know what to expect on Jan. 20 as he made his way to the Fieldhouse for the Sunday afternoon open football tryout.
“When we first talked about doing this, we had no idea where it was going to go,” he admitted.
Maybe around 40 players would show up, he thought.
Instead, 85 players arrived hoping to impress the Ravens coaching staff and win a place on the reborn squad.
“The turnout was tremendous,” Sumarah said afterwards. “It just re-emphasizes how excited people are that football is back on campus.”
With so many players on hand, there was even some doubt as to whether or not there were enough footballs to go around. But the pigskin scare was resolved, and things were all set to get going.
The Tryout
After a quick warm-up, the players had a chance to showcase their speed and agility in both the 40-yard dash and shuttle run. As each man whipped past the finish line, offensive line coach Chris Coulson announced his 10-yard split time.
Some players greeted the number with a fist pump, while others could only muster a disappointed shake of the head.
The 85 hopefuls then broke off into separate groups to work with the respective positional coaches – each of Carleton’s nine coaches was in attendance on the day.
As defensive co-ordinator Ryan Bechmanis worked with a large group of defensive backs at the far end of the field, quarterback Jesse Mills and receivers coach Josh Sacobie tested the skills of the wide-outs – by far the largest group on display.
All the while, Sumarah and offensive co-ordinator Jean-Philippe Asselin scanned the field, spending time examining each group.
“There was a lot of good talent out here today,” Mills said of the receiving core. “There were quite a few guys who stuck out, and I think you’ll see at least a few of them make the cut.”
Sooners Shining
The Ravens have already had success finding talent in similar fashion, as Sumarah snapped up wide receiver Dexter Brown after he made an impression during an open practice with the Ottawa Sooners last year.
If Sunday’s tryout was any indication, Brown may not be the only Sooners wide receiver to suit up with the Ravens – former teammate Stanley Victor made a strong case for a spot on the roster.
At 6’2” and 200 pounds, Victor made an impression right from the get-go with his imposing physical qualities. He then proceeded to back that up with a number of impressive catches during the tryout.
“I was really excited coming in today and it ended up being a lot of fun,” said Victor, a first-year student majoring in marketing and business. “A few of the coaches are aware of my abilities from my time with the Sooners, and I know I did my thing out there.”
Lining up alongside a number of Carleton recruits with the Sooners this past season, the Ottawa native finished the year with four receptions, 66 yards and one touchdown, while also seeing some time in the return game.
“Yes, no, or maybe”
The tryout closed with a full hour of one-on-one drills that saw receivers and running backs line up against a defensive back or linebacker and show off their ability to run a good route and make a catch in tight coverage.
While the drill is tailor-made for the offence, the defenders did manage to make a number of impressive plays – each of which brought about a big cheer from their peers on the sidelines.
The tryout ended just as it started, with the players gathered around Sumarah to get instructions on how things would proceed.
After thanking them all for their efforts, he told the group that they would be informed by email whether or not they have made the cut.
That email from the coaching staff will come with one of three words on it: yes, no or maybe. The former is a guaranteed invite to training camp, which opens on August 15.
For Sumarah, the “yes” and “no” decisions will be the easy ones.
“In these situations, generally the cream will rise to the top and then with the other guys who don’t have the experience it becomes a pretty easy evaluation for us,” he said. “But it’s those middle guys that you just don’t know about, so those are the guys that we’ll invite back for another workout to try and get a closer look at.”
Heading into the tryout, Sumarah said the coaching staff was expecting “maybe a handful of guys that we could work with,” noting that positions weren’t as important as finding the “best athletes.”
By day’s end, he said at least ten players were in the running for either a roster spot or a second workout.
As of Jan. 25, the coaching staff was still sifting through their numbers and evaluations, trying to determine who would be given another chance to showcase their skills.
“I’m just hoping to get that email,” Victor said.
