Football is hot right now in Montreal.
The Alouettes won the 110th Grey Cup in dramatic fashion and the Carabins have made it to the Vanier Cup for the first time since 2019. And the city has produced an intriguing French-Canadian quarterback: Jonathan Sénécal.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he plays in the CFL one day. He’s a quality football player. He’s still got a couple of more years left. He’s got a big game coming up this week,” Als general manager Danny Maciocia said.
The 24-year-old led the Université de Montreal to a 29-3 win over the No. 1-ranked Western Mustangs at CEPSUM Stadium in the Uteck Bowl. The victory allowed the Carabins to advance to the U Sports football championship game where they’ll look to win a second national title in program history. Maciocia helped them win their first in 2014.
“That program is in great hands. When I look at their roster, it’s one of the best I’ve seen there since the return of the Carabins in 2002,” the former head coach said.
Sénécal completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards with 15 touchdowns against four interceptions this season and ran the ball 34 times for 394 yards (11.6 per carry) with six majors. The six-foot, 200-pounder led the Quebec conference (RSEQ) in every passing category and set a new school single-season record for passing touchdowns.
“He needs to keep developing, progressing, and making quicker decisions. I’m all about if you can diagnose defences pre-snap like [Anthony Calvillo], Ricky (Ray) that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with,” Maciocia said.
“If you know where the ball is going pre-snap, that’s what puts a great quarterback over an average quarterback. Once he understands that, he can slow down the game for himself and that’s where I think he can take that next step.”
When asked if Maciocia could envision a French-Canadian quarterback leading the Als someday, he said: “Only time will tell.”
Sénécal earned the 2023 Hec Crighton Trophy as the best player in U Sports football and can guide his team to a national championship in the same season. That’s only happened five times in history.
