Cyrille Hogan-Saindon, a passion for football that did not want to die

It crossed my mind to quit football several times. I think it’s normal. At times, I couldn’t see the end. I wondered if it was worth continuing launches Cyrille Hogan Saindon at the end of the line.

The giant size athlete from Quebec tells his story without feeling sorry for himself. On the contrary, he said, he wouldn’t change a thing. On Tuesday evening, the footballer will be where he always wanted to be. Surrounded by his loved ones and his teammates waiting for his name to be pronounced at the CFL Draft. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It’s a big step and the start of something new. I can’t wait to see who’s going to take a chance on me.

Ranked 18th best prospect by the CFL’s recruiting office, the 24-year-old footballer seems virtually certain to become the 20th offensive lineman in Rouge et Or history selected in the professional ranks. His career at Laval University, however, is unprecedented.

A passion that came late

It must be said that football arrived rather late in the life of Cyrille Hogan-Saindon. It was only in Secondary 5, at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, that he put on the shoulder pads for the first time.

I was a hockey player and a skateboarder. I had a good size and the guys at my school had been asking me to come and play football for several years. I always said no. When I finally accepted, I immediately had the stinghe says.

Used on the offensive and defensive lines by his coaches that year, Cyrille Hogan-Saindon had to learn the basics of the oval ball in a hurry. At the start, it’s rare that we are good, but my coaches were former Rouge et Or and they immediately saw the potential I had.

Enough for the Élans de Garneau to invite him to continue his apprenticeship with the team, then three years later, Glen Constantin in turn recruited him for the Rouge et Or.

Four years without playing a game

Laval was not the only team interested in the services of the colossus of 1m94 (6’4”) and 136 kg (301 pounds), but he did not see himself playing anywhere but in his hometown. The Rouge et Or had just won the Vanier Cup and was recognized as the team with the best offensive line in the country.

Hogan-Saindon learned it a bit the hard way when he arrived. During his first three seasons with the team, between 2017 and 2019, the coaches never dressed him for a match. Other players were ahead of him in the Rouge et Or organization chart. Then just when his turn seemed to be coming, the pandemic hit and the 2020 season went through the wringer. A few times he thought about hanging up his shoulder pads for good.

” I hung on because I still liked it, practicing. I love football so much and just being on the pitch with my friends every day and trying to get better, I never got tired of it. »

From reserve to star player

Improving is what the center tried to do by working hard in the training room during the year of enforced football hiatus. When the first game of 2021 finally arrived, at the end of August, the business administration student was not only in uniform, but going.

When I learned that I was leaving, it was very emotional. It’s a dream I’ve had for so long and throughout the season I’ve really enjoyed every moment. I was on the bench watching for so long that I knew what it was worth.

On the field, Hogan-Saindon quickly proved that he was not only capable of getting by, but often of dominating the defensive linemen in front of him. Years of practicing in the shadows against future pros like Mathieu Betts and Vincent Desjardins were paying off.

The coaches of the Quebec university network noticed it. Enough to name him on the all-star team of the circuit at the end of the season. Suddenly, CFL teams began to inquire about the man who had never played a college game a few months before.

A polishing diamond

Cyrille Hogan-Saindon did not miss his chance. Invited to Combined of the CFL in Toronto, the 24-year-old athlete dominated the physical tests. Both in the bench press, where he beat all the other offensive linemen present, and in the agility tests.

At the end of the day, every team on the Ambrosia Tour wanted to talk to him. A few weeks later, he jumped up the rankings of the best hopes for the draft, ahead of all the other Quebec university players.

The center player now sees his inexperience as another card in his game. He is something of a diamond to polish for CFL teams. An exceptional athlete whose full potential is still untapped.

It has often been difficult over the last few years, but I think nothing happens for nothing. That adversity transformed me as a football player and led me to where I am today. I am healthy, fit and ready to prove myself in the pros.