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Kelowna Secondary School grad, Taylor Loffler, was selected in the third round — 19th overall — by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in today’s 2016 Canadian Football League’s draft .
Loffler, who starred at quarterback and defensive back for the Kelowna Owls from 2009 to 2011 under head coach Roy Anderson, led the University of B.C. Thunderbirds with 42 tackles during the past regular season.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound free safety also led the team with 7.5 tackles in the CIS championship win over the University of Montreal Carabins in the CIS Vanier Cup.
Ranked at No. 11 among prospects for the CFL draft, Loffler played 21 games at KSS, putting up 4,166 combined rushing and passing yards and accounted for 65 touchdowns while with the Owls.
Moving on to Boise State University after high school, he was forced to miss 2012 with a knee injury and 2014 with a hip injury. Healthy in 2013, he was able to turn in a full, productive season on the Broncos’ defence.
He came away from Boise with a business degree before moving on the UBC.
Meanwhile, Brennan Van Nistelrooy, the Okanagan Sun's co-MVP in 2015 and a Canadian Junior Football League all-Canadian in the defensive backfield, was a sixth-round selection — 48th overall — of the B.C. Lions.
Van Nistelrooy has signed a letter of intent with the University of Calgary Dinos.
Nistelrooy is no stranger to the Lions, having attended their evaluation camp in 2014 and 2015. Tyler McLaren, the BCFC’s vice-president and BC Lions liaison,, said on Facebook:
“We couldn't be happier that Brennan is a BC Lion! One of the best people I have ever been around in football. All the best Van. Can't and wait to see you at training camp! You have worked so hard, and it's awesome to see!”
Last season Sun safety Dexter Janke was selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL draft. Both Van Nistelrooy and Janke have been training together in this offseason in preparation for the coming season.
As Van Nistelrooy built up muscle, strength and speed in the gym, Sun defensive backs coach Andre Knights honed his technique in the secondary. Knights a draft pick himself in 2006 by the Stampeders saying he’s “so proud” of Van Nistelrooy and his commitment to the game. He has had a big hand in the development of Van Nistelrooy and Janke.
The next step for Van Nistelrooy is the Lions rookie camp on May 26 at a familiar venue. The Lions will once again hold their camp at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, the home of the Broncos, a foe Van Nistelrooy has faced numerous times over his Sun career.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders added a major building block by selecting Oklahoma offensive lineman Josiah St. John with the number one overall pick in the draft.
The 6-foot-6, 309-pound tackle from Ajax, Ont. is a potential cornerstone for the Riders, a franchise taken over and rebuilt from the ground up by Chris Jones and his staff this off-season.
Highly touted for his size and ability to play tackle, something few other offensive linemen in the draft can offer, St. John was the fifth-ranked player on the April CFL Scouting Bureau rankings and the top-ranked offensive lineman.
The Montreal Alouettes have added size and strength to their offensive line, adding Laval’s Philippe Gagnon with the second overall pick.
Gagnon is known for his strength and a bit of a nasty streak, something he proved at the CFL Combine in March with 40 reps to lead all competition.
A 6-foot-3, 317-pound guard, Gagnon is one of three highly-touted Laval offensive linemen on the board, the ninth-ranked player on the April CFL Scouting Bureau rankings and the third-ranked offensive lineman.
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