Brooks stars Ajou Ajou and Matthew Peterson among those eligible for CFL Draft

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Two football talents from Brooks…

Two very different paths taken by them to reach the 2024 CFL Draft.

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So when Ajou Ajou and Matthew Peterson met at last month’s CFL Combine in Winnipeg, there were certainly some memories of the good old days in the Brooks Community Football Association.

“It was crazy back then,” catcher Ajou said. “I wish we could watch our high school movie, because we used to go crazy. We also had others: all the boys. We were so good.

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“I think it’s in the air, not in the water. “It’s the Lakeside Packers, so it could be the smell.”

How they acquire their skills on the field is of little concern to CFL scouts.

As long as they are given life in the professional game after they are selected during the annual pick-em that meets on Tuesday (6 p.m., TSN).

And Ajou and Peterson are among those eligible for the Canadian draft with great potential.

“The NFL is a dream, but… you know… the CFL is a goal too, right?” running back Peterson said. “I have played football most of my life. So to be a part of this is absolutely amazing.”

Ajou came in as the No. 17 draft prospect in the CFL Scouting Bureau’s winter rankings, but he’s a bit of an unknown after a pretty crazy journey to get to this point in his football life.

Born in Calgary, Ajou played his minor baseball at Brooks before moving to Edmonton to play at the high school level for the heralded Harry Ainlay Titans.

Wanting more exposure, he then took his talents to the world-renowned Clearwater Academy International in Florida, where he completed his high school experience earning many NCAA offers.

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However, his time as a bright prospect with the NCAA’s high-profile Clemson Tigers did not go as planned and he eventually joined the NCAA’s South Florida Bulls.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ajou said. “It was amazing at Clemson, like he was there with some of the greats in football right now, like Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. It was great to be in a winning culture to learn what it takes to be a pro before you are one and how to move and how to dictate to yourself and all that.

“But in the end, I was an 18-year-old kid who made some impulsive decisions, who wasn’t really willing to trust the process, and just wanted that instant gratification. And I will take responsibility for that. I was trying to get it now, trying to have it now, and that’s not how life works. You know… you have to earn things.”

However, that proved difficult once the lanky receiver landed in South Florida, as a sports hernia, and subsequent surgery, limited his time on the field.

So Ajou opted to go the college route to reinvent himself, doing so as a tight end and finishing strong in 2023 with the JUCO Garden City Broncbusters in Kansas.

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“I love football,” said Ajou, who caught 17 balls for 186 yards and two touchdowns in seven games with Garden City. “You know… I love what he brings. I love what he teaches. “My journey was just about maintaining the love for the game and maintaining the passion.”

And here he is, having been granted eligibility for the CFL Draft, ready for whatever comes next.

“I am where they need me,” Ajou said. “There has been a lot of talk and a lot of unknowns with Ajou, so it will finally be a lot of fun to ride. I just can’t wait to prove it to them, prove some people wrong. You know… some people are talking, but once they turn on the tape, they can see that I am who I say I am.

“I’m super physical,” the 6-foot-3, 210-pound man continued. pass catcher. “You know… I’m not avoiding any intensity, any contact. I live for that. I would like to impose my will on the defensive backs, because I am a great receiver. People like to mistake me for being slow, but my feet get moving. My catch radius is also very high, so you can put the ball anywhere and I’ll go get it.”

Meanwhile, Peterson, the reigning Canada West Player of the Year, will pass the ball through you.

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That’s his modus operandi after taking a completely different route than his former teammate Brooks toward this draft opportunity, which has intensified in recent days with 3DownNation.com ranking him among the top three running backs on CFL teams. that they selected on Tuesday.

In fact, Peterson’s path was more conventional, with just a four-year stop with the U SPORTS Alberta Golden Bears.

“Not only can I run on the rock, but I can also go pro and run on the road,” the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder said. Peterson, who was one of the top college running backs after rushing for 1,317 yards on 158 totals for an average of 131.7 yards per game in 2023.

“When you get to the highest level of football, especially U SPORTS and CJFL, you start to compete a lot more. And then I developed this mentality, where the only thing you have to do is win by any means necessary, kind of like that ‘dog mentality’.

“And I also learned to be calm, cool, and collected,” continued Peterson, a native of Rock Island, Illinois. “When you’re in a game and you’re too emotional or too high, that makes you feel bad.” overthinking and not playing the game to its fullest. So learning to stay calm and collected definitely helped me throughout my journey.”

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Peterson and others in his position have also been helped by the Canadian running backs who came before them and paved the way to the CFL.

Legends like Jon Cornish, Jerome Messam and, Peterson’s hero, Andrew Harris, come to mind.

“When you talk about a Canadian running back, those are the first people that come to mind,” Peterson added. “You’ve seen them come from a small program to the CFL and not only be a Canadian running back but be the face of a Canadian running back. I watch Andrew Harris’ game and what I take away is the physicality of him, the way he runs the ball, the way he’s patient… So I’m definitely eliminating those things and building my own repertoire. It definitely helps me.

“I want to show that the Canadian backs are improving.”

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