The NFL via Nova Scotia? This Malden native hopes his unconventional path pans out
Antigonish isn’t much of a college football town.
Located on the far northeastern coast of Nova Scotia’s mainland—100 miles from the nearest city—it would be hard to mistake it for Gainesville or Ann Arbor. Outsiders are perhaps more likely to visit Antigonish to see competitors in kilts than in helmets and pads.
Nevertheless, the rustic Canadian town is home to St. Francis-Xavier University, a 5,000-student college from which Malden native Vernon Sainvil is making his approach toward a career in the NFL.
Other than having 12 players a side, three downs, larger fields, goalposts on the goal lines, and the single-point rouge, Sainvil says playing in Canada isn’t much different from American football.
Maybe that’s because the 6-foot-6, 330-pound offensive lineman can pretty much push around anyone no matter which side of the border he’s on.
“Other players who play my position are usually either strong or fast,” Sainvil told Boston.com. “To me, I’m both of those.”
Sainvil began his career at Malden High School, where he said coach Joseph Pappagallo convinced him to trade in his basketball shoes for football cleats—and a shot at playing for a potential college scholarship.
Aided by his size and footwork from basketball, Sainvil “anchored the offensive line at Malden High, allowing six total sacks” over two seasons, according to a Boston Globe report in 2013. There, he also caught the attention of a football recruiter for Holland College, a community college on Prince Edward Island.
Sainvil says he considered Boston College, but opted to play in Canada to save his family money. After two seasons at Holland, he transferred to St. Francis-Xavier, also known as St. F.X., where his dominance continued. In his four seasons in Antigonish, Sainvil became just the fourth player ever at the Nova Scotia school to be named a three-time All-Canadian athlete by the country’s national collegiate sports governing body, U Sports, formerly known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
After finishing his senior year at St. F.X., Sainvil became the only Canadian player to be invited this year to the second annual Tropical Bowl, a national collegiate all-star game later this month in Daytona Beach, Florida. In its inaugural year, 38 players in the 2016 Tropical Bowl went on to sign with an NFL team.
Sainvil is hoping his participation in the January 15 showcase could help him do the same.
“I think my chances are high,” he said.
Apparently, at least some already have taken notice. According to Sainvil’s agent Mike Jennings, the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins have already contacted him about “Vern.”
“He’s been a bit under the radar due to going to school in Canada mostly, but the Tropical Bowl should be huge for getting his name out there to the rest of the NFL,” Jennings said, adding that Sainvil also plans to participate in the NFL regional combine in Minneapolis this March.
While still uncommon, the NFL by way of Canada is becoming a slightly less desolate path.
In 2016, David Onyemata and Elie Bouka joined NFL teams after playing for the University of Manitoba and University of Calgary, respectively. In 2015, Sainvil’s former teammate at St. F.X., linebacker Ron Omara, was invited to the Giants’ mini-camp, before ultimately being drafted by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Jennings says CIS/U Sports, as well as the CFL, is becoming a “scouting hotbed” for the NFL. Among other CFL-to-NFL stars, defensive end Cameron Wake most recently spent two seasons wreaking havoc north of the border, before jumping back to the States and making five Pro Bowls with the Dolphins.
Jennings says that all of the teams in the Canadian Football League have also expressed interest, but because Sainvil is not a Canadian citizen, he is not CFL Draft eligible. Rather, he would have to join a team as a free agent.
For now, Sainvil is keeping his eyes set on the NFL, and Jennings is confident he’ll make a roster. But the 24-year-old says his experience playing college football north of the border has taught him to be open to less-traveled paths.
“Even if things do not go your way, there’s always something similar that will fit you,” he said. “In my case, not going to a D1 school, but I still got the chance to play D1 in Canada and had a great four years playing it.”
And yet, as he spoke recently via cell phone through blustering winter winds on the Nova Scotian college campus, Sainvil said he is looking forward to playing in the more temperate conditions of Daytona Beach next month.
“Who doesn’t like warmer weather?”
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