Jakub Szott
Offensive Lineman
McMaster
Height: 6’4
Weight: 305
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Twitter: @jakubszott66
Instagram: @jakubszott66
Jakub Szott grew up playing a number of sports, including tennis, badminton, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. He took up football in grade nine at Humberside Collegiate Institute where he played guard, tackle, tight end, fullback, and outside linebacker.
Szott found a permanent home at guard with the Marauders. He spent the past four years at the position, though he branched out to learn centre in practice.
Szott began learning to snap a football in 2018 following the departure of Cody Speller to the CFL. He remains close with his former teammate who recently won a Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as one of the club’s backup offensive linemen.
“[Speller] told me that every guy you’re going to go against [in the CFL] is like one of the upper-echelon guys in the OUA,” said Szott. “They all have the full package — they’re big and they move really quick. You’ve gotta have quick feet and find a way to win.”
Szott may lack the range teams covet at guard, but his quick feet and high football I.Q. make him the perfect candidate to play centre. Though he hasn’t played the position extensively, he practiced it to improve his team’s depth along the offensive line.
“Our centre, Wyatt Croucher, is one of the best in the OUA, but if anything happened to him we needed a back-up plan. I knew it’d be valuable for me moving down the line to learn to snap and play centre, so I was happy to do it. I already knew all the line calls, which made it easier to learn.”
CFL teams have already discussed the possibility of playing centre at the professional level with Szott, which is a challenge he would embrace with open arms.
“I’d be 100 percent comfortable moving to centre. I practiced it all season. If we were going against a bunch of 30-fronts, I probably would have been playing centre all year. It just made the most sense to leave me at guard.”
The commerce major has considered becoming a charted professional accountant (CPA) post-graduation, though the program would conflict with his football career. His fallback is taking over his father’s construction company where he’s worked for the past ten years.
The family profession has come in handy amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With athletic facilities closed, Szott has created a makeshift gym in his garage using cinder blocks for weights. He has also taken to pushing his father’s truck up his Toronto street.
Szott is stout, smart, and versatile, qualities that all teams covet in its offensive linemen. Look for him to be drafted in the draft’s mid-rounds, possibly by a team close to his home in southern Ontario.
Anonymous quote from a CFL scout: “I like that kid. Plays nasty and smart. He could be a good centre in our league.”
Projected round: 3-4
