Ryan Collins admits becoming an聽Argonauts fan was almost a rebellious act.
Growing up in Hamilton, his parents were huge Tiger-Cats fans. The rivalry at home was so intense that they threatened to kick Collins out of the house if he didn鈥檛 toe the line. He obliged but, deep down, his heart was with the CFL team in Toronto.
Collins played high school football for Hamilton’s St. Jean de Br茅beuf Braves, where he was named MVP three straight seasons, before moving on to the University of Toronto. By the time the six-foot-five, 235-pound linebacker showcased his skills at the CFL combine and the Argos聽expressed some interest, it was his parents鈥 turn to adjust.
鈥淭hey were going to make a jersey that鈥檚 half Hamilton and half 海角社区官网with my name on the back, so they can still cheer for both teams,鈥 Collins said.
The 25-year-old went undrafted, but his parents will have to follow through with their plans. Collins got a call last week from the defending Grey Cup champions, just a week before the end of training camp.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing feeling,鈥 Collins told the Star after his first practice with the team Monday in Guelph.
Collins’ opportunity to play in the CFL is a product of his dedication to improve his game during four seasons with the Varsity Blues. The kinesiology major dressed in 29 regular-season games in his U of T career, posting 100 tackles, five sacks, four interceptions, six pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
Collins is the second Varsity Blue to sign a professional contract this year. The B.C. Lions took running back Luka Stoikos聽in the eighth round of the entry draft.聽
Collins follows in the footsteps of a handful of Blues who have gone on to play for the Argos in the last decade. They include:聽
鈥⒙Albert Awachie: The undrafted running back played 10 games for the Argos last season after spending his whole career with Saskatchewan, starting in 2017.
鈥 D.J. Sackey:聽The offensive lineman was drafted by the Argos in the second round in 2016 and played three seasons in Toronto. He鈥檚 now the offensive line coach for the York Lions.
鈥 Llevi Noel: The Argos selected Noel in the fourth round in 2016, and the wide receiver stayed with 海角社区官网until 2021. He was with Ottawa and Edmonton in 2022, and retired the following year after signing with Hamilton.
鈥⒙Kevin Bradfield:聽The Argos drafted him in the seventh round in 2015, and he played in 海角社区官网for two seasons.
Varsity Blues head coach Darrell Adams is happy for the players who get the chance to play in the CFL.
鈥淏oth (Stoikos) and Ryan worked their tails off, and I鈥檓 lucky to have worked with them in my first year as a head coach,鈥 said Adams, a former CFL and NFL player.
鈥淚 flat out wish I had more time with Ryan聽鈥 He鈥檚 the ultimate team player, has a great work ethic and is a guy that really is a sponge in learning the game of football and recommitting himself to the grind. I have no doubt he鈥檒l have a successful career in the CFL.鈥
Collins is eager to learn and contribute with the Argos.
鈥淚t was really good just to see them winning the whole thing last year, and just coming in and seeing the winning culture that they have here, I don鈥檛 know if shock is the right word but it鈥檚 definitely been motivating for me,鈥 he said.
鈥淪eeing everybody working hard and working for one goal, it definitely pushes me to get in the playbook every chance I get and do all the little things right.鈥
The Argos host their final pre-season game against the Tiger-Cats on Friday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph before beginning the regular season in Montreal on June 6.聽
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