For Thunderbirds football, their 2023 season will go down in history as one of their most successful. Their resume includes a thrilling last-second win in the Hardy Cup, an appearance in the Vanier Cup (Canada’s national championship) and not one, but two graduates being signed to an NFL roster.
Yet, despite all that success, their season ended short of national glory, with a 16–9 loss in the aforementioned Vanier Cup. After getting tantalizingly close, the ‘Birds are faced with one very important question — can they do it all again? Head coach Blake Nill realizes this is no easy task.
“It's been 37 years since UBC has repeated as Hardy Cup champions … there's a reason why UBC hasn't been able to do that,” he said. “It's simply a mindset. When you want to repeat, you have to start believing you're just better than everyone.”
While last season was a promising start to instilling that winning culture, many of the key players from that group are gone, including NFL-caliber offensive linemen Giovanni Manu and Theo Benedet.
With Manu being drafted by the Detroit Lions and Benedet signing with the Chicago Bears, UBC has big shoes to fill. Yet, Nill is still confident in the cohesion of his group up front.
“Those two athletes will be the easiest to fill,” he said. “And that's only because the o-line is a unit, a true unit that involves five actual offensive linemen, but also at times running backs and tailbacks and tight ends.”
On the other side of the ball, however, that may not be the same story. Nill pointed specifically to the graduations of defensive linemen Kyle Samson and Kaishawn Carter as big losses.
“Defensive tackles are one of the toughest groups to replace based on the fact that you need physical maturity,” he said. “Right now we've got young men who are strong enough, young men who are athletic enough. They just are unproven.”
Despite the question marks surrounding the talent UBC has lost this offseason, Nill was quick to point out the influx of talent in the 2024 recruiting class. Led by recruiting coordinator Shomari Williams, who Nill called “the best in the country,” UBC picked up standouts such as Caleb Cunningham on the offensive line, Tyson Lewis in the defensive backfield and Caleb Yang as a tailback.
It’s also important to note that many of UBC’s strengths have remained consistent from last year. Quarterback Garrett Rooker, running back Isaiah Knight, receivers Sam Davenport and Shemar McBean and many more return from last year’s high-powered offence.
“I believe that I can put a quarterback room, a receiver room, and a running back room on the field that can match any program in the country,” said Nill.
When you come off a season like the T-Birds just did, expectations are higher, the pressure mounts and the margins for improvement are slimmer. But in Nill’s eyes, this team is more than up to the task.
“I truly believe this is a top five program in the country. And we have to work hard to keep it there and work hard each and every week to prove that. But based on my experience … we're legitimate. I don't mind saying that to anybody.”
Currently ranked third in the country, the Thunderbirds’ season starts on August 30 at Thunderbird Stadium against the seventh ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears.
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