On Friday, the CFL held its Invitational Combine presented by New Era at the University of Waterloo’s Feridun Hamdullahpur Field House where eight players have advanced to the CFL Combine which takes place from March 19-24. Here are the players that have advanced to the combine.
Nicholas Gendron is six foot one and weighs 185 pounds. A native of Gatineau, Quebec, made 31 catches for 535 yards, and two touchdowns in eight games for the Ottawa Gee-Gees in 2023 on his way to being named Second Team OUA All-Star.
Gendron has played five seasons at the University of Ottawa (2019-23) making 69 catches for 1,120 yards, and five touchdowns in 22 games for the Gee-Gees. At the combine, Gendron benched 14, a 4.59 in the 40-yard Dash, 7.14 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.13 in the Shuttle Drills.
Kaine Stevenson is six foot and weighs 203 pounds. A native of Windsor, Ontario, made 29 catches for 372 yards, and three touchdowns in eight games for the Guelph Gryphons in 2023. At the combine, Stevenson benched 15, a 4.82 in the 40-yard Dash, 7.62 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.57 in the Shuttle Drills.
Stevenson has played five seasons at Guelph University (2019-23) making 48 catches for 547 yards, three touchdowns, 101 carries for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and 14 punt returns for 206 yards in 23 games for the Gryphons.
Before Guelph, Stevenson played two seasons for the Westshore Rebels (CFJL) making 45 catches for 606 yards, two touchdowns, 27 carries for 350 yards, three touchdowns, 23 kick returns for 630 yards, 10 punt returns for 61 yards, 11 tackles (9 solo, 2 assists), one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in 16 games.
Ethan Kalra is six foot two and weighs 309 pounds. The native of Acton, Ontario, played four seasons at the University of Waterloo (2019-23) playing left guard and left tackle in 29 games for the Warriors. In 2023, the Warriors averaged 20.89 points per game, 180.1 rushing yards per game, 195.44 passing yards per game, 355.1 average total offense, and 20 touchdowns.
At the combine, Kalra benched 23, a 5.54 in the 40-yard Dash, an 8.28 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.96 in the Shuttle Drills.
Owen Mueller is six foot five and weighs 285 pounds. A native of London, Ontario, played ten games for the Lancers in 2023. Mueller has played four seasons at the University of Windsor (2019-23) playing 15 games, of which eight were starts for the Lancers.
In 2023, the Lancers averaged 32 points per game, 443.6 yards per game, 233.1 passing yards per game, and 23 touchdowns. At the combine, Mueller benched 26, a 5.28 in the 40-yard Dash, an 8.15 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.97 in the Shuttle Drills.
Yani Gouadfel is six foot three and weighs 200 pounds. A native of Mitry-Mory, France, made 36 tackles (22 solo, 14 assists), 2.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions for 32 yards, one touchdown, 12 pass breakups, and one fumble recovery in 10 games for the Gaiters.
He was named an AUS Defensive All-Star in 2023. At the combine, Gouadfel benched 16, a 4.69 in the 40-yard Dash, a 7.2 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.3 in the Shuttle Drills.
Gouadfel has played three seasons at Bishop’s University (2021-23) with 61 tackles (40 solo, 21 assists), 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, eight interceptions for 75 yards, one touchdown, 19 pass breakups, one fumble recovery, one carry for seven yards, completed one pass for 17 yards, one punt return for seven yards, punted the ball 136 times for 5,142 yards (37.8 AVG) with a long of 78 yards, three touchbacks, 25 from inside the 20-yard line, and 25 from 50-plus yards in 20 games.
Dawson Marchant is six foot two and weighs 195 pounds. A native of Surrey, British Columbia, made 26 tackles (21 solo, 5 assists), one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, and one blocked punt in 11 games for the Rangers. At the combine, Marchant benched 15, a 4.66 in the 40-yard Dash, a 7.06 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.4 in the Shuttle Drills.
Marchant has played two seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State (2022-23) making 60 tackles (43 solo, 17 assists), two tackles for loss, one interception, five pass breakups, and one blocked punt in 21 games for the Rangers.
Before Northwestern Oklahoma State, Marchant played one season at Simon Fraser University in 2019 with 27 tackles (15 solo, 12 assists), eight pass breakups, and one fumble recovery in 10 games for the Red Leafs.
Then, Marchant left Simon Fraser to play for the Langley Rams (CJFL) in 2021 with 12 tackles (9 solo, 3 assists), three interceptions, and five pass breakups in seven games helping the Rams win the CJFL Championship.
Jackson Sombach is five foot nine and weighs 195 pounds. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, made 32 tackles (25 solo, 7 assists), one interception for 21 yards, and four pass breakups in eight games for the Rams in 2023. At the combine, Sombach benched 15, a 4.58 in the 40-yard Dash, a 6.97 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.27 in the Shuttle Drills.
Sombach has played five seasons at the University of Regina (2018-23) with 103 tackles (74 solo, 29 assists), 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions for 21 yards, 15 pass breakups, and one fumble recovery in 27 games for the Rams. He was named a Canada West All-Star in 2022.
Jason Janvier-Messier is six foot three and weighs 230 pounds. A native of Beloeil, Quebec, missed most of the 2023 season with an injury but did play two games for the Lions making four tackles (4 solo), four tackles for loss, two sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one blocked punt. At the combine, Janvier-Messier benched 19, a 4.83 in the 40-yard Dash, a 7.27 in the Cone Drills, and a 4.5 in the Shuttle Drills.
Janvier-Messier has played three seasons at York University (2021-23) with 55 tackles (39 solo, 16 assists), 12.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, five pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, one fumbler recovery, and one blocked punt in 15 games for the Lions. He was named to the OUA All-Rookie Team in 2021.
