Nothing sparks hope for the future of the CFL quite like the eager faces of draft hopefuls at the CFL Combine, but those who gathered in Regina last weekend might have fewer opportunities to crack a roster than their predecessors.
That’s due to a change to — or rather a modified interpretation of — the rules that govern training camp roster sizes, specifically regarding who qualifies for non-counter status. Those are players who are exempt from the roster tally until the final cutdown day, allowing them not to “count” against the 100, 85, and 75-man limits that are imposed at various stages of the pre-season.
Draft picks have always been considered non-counters for their first camp and that will continue, allowing Canadian rookies to develop without the pressure of being axed for numbers after a couple of days. However, teams were informed via a memo in November that players from previous draft classes who had been sent back to school to complete their U Sports eligibility would no longer be automatically granted this exempt status for a second training camp.
By the letter of the law enshrined in the collective bargaining agreement, this is the correct interpretation — players from past draft classes are only considered non-counters if they “have never attended a professional training camp in Canada or elsewhere.” But by calling out the mistake, the CFLPA has forced teams to change years of established practices and may end up costing some young Canadian players their pro football dreams.
“That’s a new one for us,” longtime Canadian scout and newly-hired Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ general manager Ted Goveia told the media last week. “We’re working through it. I think it’ll impact some young players’ opportunities, for sure. I don’t think necessarily that it’s great for the players, but it’s where we’re at.”
The change is hardly headline-grabbing, applying to an area of roster management that flies over the heads of even the most ardent fans and affects mainly the bottom of the roster. Still, it could have a significant effect on the livelihoods of some athletes, given the frequency at which drafted players return to U Sports.
Of the 72 players selected in the 2023 CFL Draft, 31 went back to school before re-signing with their team for 2024 in some capacity — a full 43 percent. Of those, 10 managed to make the roster on their second go-around and see action in regular-season games.
Fast forward a year and there are currently just 19 members of the 2024 CFL Draft class who are signed for 2025 after returning to university football — three of whom were undrafted to begin with. While some of that reduction is cyclical due to the ’24 Draft having more players crack rosters in year one, it is clear that teams are being more decisive with who they bring back.
Those hanging on to roster spots now aren’t guaranteed to keep them either, especially once the 2025 draft fleshes out weak position groups. Alberta safety Jonathan Giustini is one example of a player who re-signed with the team that drafted him only to be cut by the Ticats for space in the middle of the offseason. He’s found a new home with Edmonton for now but others won’t be so lucky.
For as long as it’s been an option, the ability for players to go back to school has been a net benefit for all parties. Some athletes just need a little extra seasoning after experiencing a pro training camp, while others simply have to return in order to complete degrees that will make them more money in the long run than football ever will. Sean McEwen famously returned to the University of Calgary after being drafted third overall and there are a handful of players who make similar intentions known in every draft class, including intriguing linebacker Seth Hundeby this year.
“It’s always a question that’s asked during the interview process with the players or through the draft process if they’re planning to go back to school,” Goveia explained. “Some guys are in different programs, so if a player is in engineering or a master’s student, sometimes the coursework requires them to go back in session in the fall. We’d have to accommodate that or prepare for that as we pick the team at the end of camp.”
Teams are more likely to plan their roster around top prospects putting pro football on hold for academic reasons, either using one of the two additional non-counter spots on them that were previously reserved for undrafted free agents or not bringing them in for camp in their draft year at all. It is the later-round draft picks in need of development who will bear the brunt of the change and that could have a greater impact on Canadian talent than many realize.
Take, for example, the case of Anthony Vandal. The Sherbrooke offensive lineman struggled during his Combine and fell throughout the process, eventually going to the Toronto Argonauts at 72nd overall in 2023 — the very last pick in the draft. After being sent back to the Vert et Or, the CFL’s Mr. Irrelevant got a second chance and somewhat unexpectedly earned a depth spot on the league’s best offensive line. He went on to start the final 10 games of his rookie year, plus three more in the playoffs to help the Argos win a Grey Cup.
When I spoke to the native of Sorel-Tracy, Que. ahead of that game, he described how the experience of returning to school after a pro training camp opened his eyes and helped him lay out a plan for his development. There is no telling whether he would have been given a chance to carry that plan to fruition without non-counter status or if the numbers game would have resulted in him packing his bags after a couple of days of rookie camp, if he was even brought back at all.
“I think there is that potential (for it to erode Canadian talent), for sure. But the other thing is, you do come to training camp and get a chance to show who you are,” hedged Goveia. “If we really think you’re good enough, we’ll bring you back. We’ll find a way. You do get a chance to make an impression.”
The CFLPA raised the issue of the misinterpreted rule because too many of those players succeeded in making that impression, challenging for the jobs of experienced, dues-paying members on what some considered to be unequal footing. But those same complainants are hurt by the change because for every extra U Sports fifth-year that a team wants to bring back for a second look, they have to make space. Bubble Canadian veterans hoping to extend their careers are the first to go and the last to be signed, with teams trusting they’ll still be available if the rookie doesn’t deliver on his shot.
The end result is the same: there will be a handful fewer Canadians competing for jobs in every training camp going forward. In a league where homegrown talent is the lifeblood, that doesn’t benefit anyone — though it should be noted that the clarified non-counter rules also discovered that all National quarterbacks are automatically exempt, not just rookies as previously thought. That means that while the next Anthony Vandal will have to earn his way through two additional rounds of roster cuts, Tre Ford and Nathan Rourke will cash their starter pay cheques without affecting the training camp limit.
Fortunately for those two, they are already safe. The next young underdog might not be.
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