Canadian Football League on Thursday announced the finalists for its main awardhonoring the best of the best in the league. However, as usual, the end result left much to be desired.
Voting for end-of-year recognition in the CFL is a complex and sometimes flawed process that can be skewed by everything from neighborhood bias to name recognition. This often leaves deserving players on the sidelines.
We polled 13 3DownNation members to see who they would pick as 2025 stars and honorees. Unlike the CFL, there were no division requirements; the only requirement was to vote for the best available players.
Yesterday, we have announced the list of the 2025 all-star team. Today we present our main laureates.
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER: QB Nathan Rourke, BC Lions
The Canadian revolution is upon us as Rourke could easily become the fifth homegrown player in the league's history to win its top honor. While Hamilton's Bo Levi Mitchell won the CFL passing crown, the Victoria-born Lions center finished just six yards behind him with 5,290 despite starting two fewer games. Rourke also finished eighth in rushing with 564 yards on the ground—more than any Montreal or Toronto player—while scoring a total of 41 touchdowns. He surpassed the 300-yard passing mark in 12 of his 16 appearances, completed a league-best 40 throws over 30 yards and finished with the second-highest passing yards per attempt in CFL history. Sounds like a mop to us!
Runner-up: QB Beau Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats | RB Justin Rankin, Edmonton Elks
MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENDER: J.T. Jaylon Hutchings, Calgary Stampeders
This season's CFL Defensive Player of the Year didn't even receive a team nomination for the award from the Calgary media, which means you won't see him on stage in Winnipeg. It's an absolute travesty because Jaylon Hutchings' dominance in the defensive zone was something to behold. The Texas Tech sophomore made 39 tackles on defense, three tackles for loss and eight sacks despite being double-teamed and sometimes triple-teamed consistently. At 25, he doesn't have much time left in this league and it's a shame he doesn't leave with the laurels to match.
Runner-up: Tyrese Beverett, Montreal Alouettes | DE Julian Howsar, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN: QB Nathan Rourke, BC Lions
Wait, didn't we just go through this? Rourke is a surefire candidate for the league's top Canadian honor for the same reasons he is a legitimate player, but it's worth highlighting how ridiculous his record is compared to other homegrown passers. He broke 56-year-old Canadian Russ Jackson's passing record with 1,649 yards, or nearly half as many as Tre Ford. If Rourke keeps this up, by the time he's done, this award will be named after him.
Runners-up: Mathieu Betts, BC Lions | CB Tevon Campbell, Saskatchewan Roughriders
MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSER: RT Jermarcus Hardrick, Saskatchewan Roughriders
For years in Winnipeg, Hardrick was always the bridesmaid rather than the bride because he shared a locker room with Stanley Bryant. Now, at 35 years old, it’s time for him to retire. While Jarell Broxton's pass-blocking prowess makes him a serious talking point, Hardrick's 2.9 percent pressure rate is still in rarity among tackles, and he is arguably the best run blocker in the league right now. Combine those two factors and you can see why Saskatchewan had a thousand-yard rusher in AJ Ouellette and a 39-year-old back who (mostly) stayed upright.
Runner-up: LT Jarell Broxton, BC Lions | Psychologist Liam Dobson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER: RET Trey Vaval, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
There is a strong case to be made here for Lirim Hajrullahu and his 12 field goals over 50 yards, but as is often the case, it was the flashy performance that captured the hearts of our voters. In his first season in the CFL, Vaval had four kicks on goal in three different ways: two on a kickoff, one on a punt and one on a missed field goal. He made 11 big returns and totaled 2,266 yards while adding four special teams tackles on kicks.
Runners-up: PC Lirim Khairullahu, Toronto Argonauts | L.B. Tyrell Richards, Montreal Alouettes
MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIE: DB/RET Trey Vaval, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
At the risk of repeating myself, Vaval's accomplishments as a returning player were quite remarkable for a rookie. He didn't stop there, however, as he also played cornerback and made 21 defensive tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. This combined influence in two stages tilts the situation in his favor for the second reward.
Second place: D.B. Robert Carter Jr., BC Lions | OL Christopher Fortin, Calgary Stampeders
COACH OF THE YEAR: Corey Mace, Saskatchewan Roughriders
This was the tightest of all our medal races, with only one point separating Mace from silver medalist Buck Pierce. Both are worthy candidates, but it's hard to argue with the man leading the best team in the CFL. Mays has driven a wholesale change in Saskatchewan's culture over the past two years, commands arguably the league's most fearsome defense, and does it all with a smile in a media pressure cooker. It's a good thing they won't present this award until after the CFL combine, because the Port Moody, British Columbia native probably would have. keep it hard on the podium like a Gatorade shower.
Runner-up: Buck Pierce, BC Lions | Dave Dickenson, Calgary Stampeders
