McGill QB and coach invited to attend Alouettes rookie camp
MONTREAL - McGill quarterback Jonathan Collin and Redmen head coach Clint Uttley have been invited to attend the Montreal Alouettes rookie camp, which is slated to open on June 3 in Lennoxville, Que.
The invite is part of a new initiative from the Alouettes to develop CIS talent and coaches. The team has extended an invitation to all six head coaches from the Quebec conference as well as coaches from Ottawa, Queen's and Carleton to attend part of training camp in the company of head coach Marc Trestman and his staff.
This is a big step for Collin, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior from Greenfield Park, Que., who sat out virtually all of the last two years after suffering a devastating knee injury in McGill's 2010 season opener.
"I'm pretty stoked about this opportunity to attend the camp," said Collin, who started in 2009, his freshman campaign and was voted rookie of the year in the RSEQ conference. He rushed for seven touchdowns in eight games, setting single-season school records for most TD scored by a freshman and a quarterback.
"I feel pretty good and am probably at about 90 per cent of where I was physically before the injury. Perhaps I'm not as fast and agile as I was before but my health is improved and everything else is fairly good considering what I've gone through. My arm strength and throwing accuracy is back on track, and so is the mental toughness to compete at a high level."
Collin suffered two torn ligaments (ACL and LCL) in his left knee in addition to having muscle damage and a stretched nerve which caused numbness in his left foot. The injury occurred on Sept. 5, 2010, during a third-quarter sack by Laval's Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, a six-foot-three, 250-pound lineman, who landed full force on Collin's knee. At the time, it was feared that he might never play again.
After missing the remainder of the 2010 season, Collin dressed for all games last year but only saw action once, in the second half of a 12-4 loss at Laval on Sept. 25, 2011.
"I indicated to the Alouettes that my goal was to be ready for the coming season at McGill and I probably wasn't going to go full out at this camp as I don't want to jeopardize my senior year with the Redmen," he said. "But I feel it is important to absorb as much as I can, to enjoy the experience and learn from attending a pro camp."
Collin will be among one chosen pivot from each of the invited CIS schools and will get to practice with the Alouettes quarterbacks, including Anthony Calvillo and Adrian McPherson. They are also expected to attend team and position meetings with Coach Trestman and new offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.
The university coaches are slated to interact with the Alouettes coaching staff and attend the two-a-day practices. They will also have a Q & A session with the coaches and get the chance to review film. McGill is scheduled to open their training camp in mid-August and their first preseason game will be at Queen's in Kingston on Aug. 26.
SOURCE:
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McGill University
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