MISSISSAUGA (CFL.ca wire) — The Toronto Argonauts added some of the best talent the CIS has to offer by signing 2007 draft pick and East-West Shrine Game participant Éric Maranda as well as OUA All-Star Scott Evans.
“We have been excited about Eric for quite some time now but after watching his last year at Laval, it proved to us that not only is he a tough competitor but has the finesse and smarts to make him a solid player in this league,” said Argos head coach Rich Stubler. “Scott is a player who we have seen before, however, he has returned with maturity, size and strength which should make him an even better tackle.”
Maranda was the Argos’ fourth round pick (29th overall) in the 2007 CFL Canadian Draft. He is only the second player in Laval history (Carl Gourgues, 2004), and one of just four CIS players in 2008, to be invited to the annual East-West Shrine Game that will be played on January 19 in Houston, Texas. He returned to Laval in 2007 for his fifth season where he was simply dominant. The 6-foot-1 linebacker led the team with 35.5 tackles, was named CIS First Team All-Canadian, QUFL Defensive Player of the Year and was named the conference nominee for the President’s Trophy which is awarded annually to the country’s best defensive player.
In 2006, Maranda was named a QUFL All-Conference Defensive All-Star en route to his third Vanier Cup championship (2003, 2004, 2006) and the Ted Morris Memorial trophy as the game MVP. In 2005, he was invited to play in the CIS East-West Bowl at the end of the season despite missing a significant portion of the year with an abdominal injury.
“We have been following Eric’s career for three years now and every year we are blown away by how much he improves,” said Argos assistant general manager and director of player personnel Greg Mohns. “He really matured as a football player in his final year at Laval and now he enters our system with a huge upside. He is a feisty defender that brings his lunch pail to work everyday and has the potential to really develop into a solid inside presence.”
Current Argos who also participated in the annual East-West Shrine game include running back/full back Kojo Aidoo in 2002 and linebacker Mike O’Shea in 1993.
A strong and gifted offensive lineman, Evans originally joined the Argos for training camp last season but returned to Wilfrid Laurier to play out his final year of eligibility. He capped off a promising college career by being named OUA Lineman of the Year and earning First-Team All-Star honours in 2007. In 2006, he was named a First Team OUA All-Star in addition to being named a CIS Second Team All-Canadian at offensive tackle.
“We see huge potential in Scott,” Mohns said of Evans. “He is an athletic player that could really turn into an outstanding CFL lineman. He is a player that we brought to training camp last season but felt he could use another year in the OUA. It worked out best for all involved as he had a tremendous season at Laurier in 2007 and we are extremely excited to have him back in the Argos fold.”
