It didn’t take long for Antoine Pruneau to embark upon his next chapter after announcing his retirement from the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday.
The 33-year-old has accepted a coaching position with his alma mater at the Université de Montréal where he will serve as assistant defensive coordinator in 2023. He will work alongside defensive coordinator Denis Touchette and defensive backs coach Marc-André Paradis.
Pruneau has worked previously with Carabins’ head coach Marco Iadeluca as the pair coached Team Canada together in 2017 at the International Bowl. He also coached the University of Carleton Ravens on an interim basis in 2022.
The six-foot, 200-pound defender was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft, joining the Redblacks for their inaugural season. He would go on to record 79 total tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble as rookie, becoming a cornerstone of Ottawa’s defence for the better part of the next decade.
The Montreal native retired as the Redblacks’ all-time leader with 122 games played and 448 total tackles. He also recorded 10 interceptions, four sacks, and four forced fumbles over the course of his career, earning East Division all-star honours in 2016. Ottawa won the Grey Cup that same year and also made title game appearances in 2015 and 2018.
Pruneau was a three-time RSEQ all-star during his playing career with the Carabins as well as a two-time second-team All-Canadian.
