Huskies Drafted

Two Huskies selected in 2021 CFL Draft

Toronto - In the midst of many unknowns in the world of sports these days the Canadian Football League held its annual entry draft in a virtual capacity Tuesday evening on TSN.  It was a great night for two of our Saint Mary's Huskies as they both received the call from their respective teams; marking a return to the CFL draft for our Huskies Football student-athletes.

First to be chosen was 4th year linebacker Jarek Richards (Arts/Chateauguay, QC) who was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the fourth round with the 36th pick of the draft.  The 6'1" 200 pound linebacker was the heart and soul of the Huskies defense amassing 52 total tackles in 2019,

Richards commented "It's a surreal feeling. Hard to put into words, being at SMU gave me the opportunity to grow as a person on and off the field.  The program also gave me the support system to do what I needed to do to succeed and I made the most of it."

4th year offensive lineman Peter Kourtis (Arts/Toronto, ON) was then selected by the Edmonton Football Team in the fifth round - 41st pick.  The 6'5" 300 lineman was a 2019 AUS All Star for the Huskies.

Kourtis reflected on his accomplishment by saying "It feels great to be drafted and see all the hard work pay off.  The morning mat drills, the lifts and the tough practices.  I am extremely proud and excited to get started in Edmonton.  My time at SMU means a lot to me - I saw that it was possible if I worked hard on and off the field I could achieve my goal of being drafted and graduating."

This marks the first two student-athletes to be drafted from Coach James Colzie III early recruitment class when he joined the Huskies.  Colzie states " These are two guys who went through the entire process and excelled in the classroom and on the football field.  I have asked a lot of Jarek and Peter over the last four years while being with the SMU football program.  This is a direct reflection of how hard they worked."

"They will be great professional CFL players and will always carry the SMU brand everywhere they go."

Saint Mary's University and SMU Huskies are proud of these two student-athletes and wish them luck and best wishes as they take their next step in their careers.