CFL.ca will profile a number of key Canadian university prospects leading up to the CFL Evaluation Camp from March 12-14 in Toronto. Today we feature a pair of receivers from The University of Ottawa.
Brian Snelgrove
CFL.ca
When he was ten years old he moved with his family to Ottawa, thousands of miles from his hometown of Accra, Ghana.
The year was 1999 and his mother had been posted to the nation’s capital as part of her duties as a diplomat for the Government of Ghana. The family packed up and headed for the Great White North.
“I had no clue at all about Canada when I first heard that is where we were going,” says Cyril Adjeity. “The only thing I knew is that someone told me they had a lot of snow.”
The only football Adjeity was familiar with was played with a round ball and without equipment. That would change within a few months.
“Shortly after we arrived in Canada, a friend of mine said he was going to play football, and asked if I wanted to come along,” he says. “I assumed he meant soccer-style football, so I said sure. We got there and started putting all these pads on. It was definitely not what I expected. The coach basically explained all the rules to me, and said ‘here take the ball and run as fast as you can to the other end.’ So I did.”
Adjeity has been running ever since.
Last year the 20-year-old wide receiver from The University of Ottawa was named a first team OUA all-star and a second team All-Canadian. He is one of two Gee-Gee receivers invited to this year’s CFL Evaluation Camp.
“I loved football right away,” says the fourth year Biochemistry student. “My parents thought it was too rough but I convinced them to let me play. The learning curve wasn’t that difficult. There were a lot of rules but the more I played the less complicated it became. You realize however that the more you progress the more you need to put in the time to understand it.”
Adjeity’s Lester B. Pearson High School did not have a football program so he played in a City of Ottawa amateur league. “I started in the mosquito division and just kept moving up,” he says. “I played all the positions: receiver, running back, quarterback. I even played on the defensive and offensive lines.”
His first year at Ottawa he was back-up quarterback to incumbent Josh Sacobie. He played in a few games but in his second year made the conversion to wide receiver.
“I think my overall balance and understanding of the game and the coverage really helped me,” says Adjeity. “Plus I have the speed when I need it.”
The 6’2” 205 lbs. athlete has become a premier receiver for the Gee-Gees. In 2007 he had 17 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns. The next year he had 33 catches for 473 yards and three majors. Last year, despite missing a game, Adjeity set career marks in all three categories with 37 catches for 672 yards and seven touchdowns. His seven TD receptions led the league.
“Cyril is proof that hard work pays off,” says Jean Philippe Asselin, assistant offensive coordinator for the Gee-Gees. “He hadn’t played much before coming to Ottawa and he has turned into a great, great football player.”
“He is a demon on special teams,” says Asselin. “That is a lot of what they will be looking for at the next level. He is also very physical and a technician of the game.”
“E Camp should be a nice experience and sort of an example of how to apply for a job at a higher level,” says Adjeity who would like to go into medicine one day. “It should be a great experience in how to present yourself and how to sell yourself. I am looking forward to it.”
Adjeity will be joined at E-Camp by teammate and fellow receiver Steven Hughes.
“I’ve learned a lot from Steven,” says Ageity. “He is a great player and with both of us there, that gives us a better chance to represent The University of Ottawa.”
Prior to enrolling at Ottawa, Hughes spent two years at York where he established himself as a serious aerial threat. In 2006 he had 35 receptions for 420 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In 2007 he was second in the league with 44 receptions, good for 593 yards and one major. The 22-year-old was forced to miss a year when he transferred to Ottawa in 2008.
“I had a pretty good relationship with the Ottawa coaches and there was a lot of change and turmoil at York,” he says in explaining the transfer.
Last year Hughes continued the outstanding play he had exhibited with the Lions. He was second in receiving in the OUA with 41 receptions for 685 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“I’m not really overwhelming as an athlete,” says the Ottawa native. “I’m more of a crafty receiver, good at running routes and finding a soft spot in the defense. I guess if anybody in the CFL, I’m a similar type player to Andy Fantuz of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”
“Steven has one of the best set of hands I have ever seen,” says Asselin. “He has tremendous natural ability, he is very athletic and a smooth receiver. He has the speed to match Cyril and is much quicker than he looks. Last year was his first year here and he has shown he has very good football knowledge.”
“I’m pretty excited about E-Camp,” says Hughes. “I’m one of the few players going that didn’t go to last year’s East-West Bowl. I hope to be solid in all the testing.”
