TSN and SportsCage analyst Glen Suitor is not surprised Canadian receiver Ajou Ajou signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
"We shouldn't be surprised," Suitor told the SportsCage. "Honestly, I'm surprised if there's any surprise -- it's that the NFL hasn't, sooner than they do now, dug deeper into the Canadian Football League athlete."
During his one season with the Green and White, Ajou played 12 games while recording 20 receptions for 307 yards and two touchdowns. The six-foot-three, 218-pound pass catcher was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the seventh round, 59th overall during the 2024 CFL Draft.
"For Ajou Ajou, I'm always happy for these guys because if they can go down there and do the exact same thing and make five million, ten million dollars a year, good on him," Suitor said. "I hope Ajou Ajou gets reps in camp, I hope he gets a chance, he's a good kid and a good athlete."
Meanwhile, Wilfrid Laurier quarterback Taylor Elgersma became the first U Sports QB to be invited to the Senior Bowl. The game's purpose is for athletes to be seen up close by NFL scouts. In his senior season, the six-foot-six, 212-pound quarterback played 13 games, throwing for 4,011 yards with 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He won the 2024 Yates Cup and game MVP honours; the 2024 Uteck Bowl and Nike Offensive Player of the Game award. Not only that, but Elgersma won the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy, which is given to the top U Sports football student-athlete.
"That almost never happens because of politics not because of the quality of athletes," Suitor said referring to Elgersma.
"I talked to [Denver Broncos] head coach Sean Payton about recruiting in Canada and he said: 'We've done it for a long time. I mean, we are always looking up there.'"
In Suitor's opinion, one reason CFL and more Canadian university players are not in the NFL is behind-the-scenes politics. He hopes that some NFL teams will change their minds in the future.
"There's so many guys up here that could play in either league and have that ability, but, for a long time, the politics in the NFL wouldn't allow for it," Suitor said. "When the NFL gets rid of their politics more and more as time goes on, we're gonna see more guys up here getting an opportunity down there. Maybe it starts becoming a real opportunity with a lot of reps and practice and training camps."
Suitor believes most Americans who make the trip up north enjoy the Canadian game because it can still make their pro football aspirations a reality.
"They want to keep their dream alive," Suitor said. "They come up here, they play and honestly, most of the Americans come up here, fall in love with our game, fall in love with our country, the cities and the fans. They don't fall in love with the smaller paycheque than they would get but they do fall in love with the country and the league.”
