In the greatest discretion, another Quebec player caught the eye of NFL recruiters this season. Guard Sidy Sow, who played as a defensive lineman in his debut with the Cégep Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars, could also be drafted into the big league.
Discretion is a word that fits perfectly with the Bromontois who has just completed his university course at Eastern Michigan. Not because his performance on the pitch left him in the shadows, quite the contrary.
For the second year in a row, the quality of his game even earned him a first team selection of the NCAA’s Mid-American Conference (MAC) last fall.
His discretion is rather due to the fact that he is recognized as a very reserved individual. Many times this season, The newspaper tried to get an interview with him without success.
Since he is at the Combine of the NFL, the opportunity is great to look back on his journey with his last head coach in Quebec, Jean-François Joncas, of the Cougars.
“He’s actually a very reserved guy,” he laughed. But not on a football field! “, he hastened to add.
“He’s very into his business and NFL teams want kids who will never have a problem off the field. »
Healthy change
In Lennoxville in 2015, Sow made a name for himself by shining on the defensive line. American scouts who came to observe him immediately liked him, but suggested that he become an offensive lineman.
“In practice, defensive linemen often simulate the offensive lineman position to practice with each other.
“The defensive coaches came to see me to tell me that on the offensive line, he would be our best! He blocked very easily and yet we had excellent players. It shows how much he was already a super athlete, ”said Joncas, amused.
A high potential
Although he was playing in an entirely different position at the time, Sow was already demonstrating outstanding athletic skills that pointed to a promising future.
Joncas knows something about it, he who has already seen two of his proteges, tight end Antony Auclair and offensive lineman Philip Blake, end up in the NFL.
“I could make comparisons and I could see he was even more athletic than Phil. With all the work he did afterwards in Eastern Michigan to progress, the credit goes to him. It takes a lot of determination to learn a new position at that level, in the NCAA,” praised the coach.
“For our program, it’s a great feeling of pride and it reflects on Quebec football as a whole. »
Generally speaking, Sidy Sow is seen as a prospect who has the potential to be selected on the last day of the draft, in rounds 5-7, or to be hired as a free agent.
