Canadian defensive lineman Alessandro Lorenzetti has won the CFP National Championship as a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines.
Michigan defeated the University of Washington by a score of 34-13 on Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Tex. The Wolverines never trailed in the game and held star Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to 27-of-51 passing for 255 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in a dominant defensive outing.
A sophomore from Montreal, Lorenzetti has yet to see game action in two seasons in Ann Arbour and was not expected to play in the championship. The six-foot-five, 301-pound Quebecuer began playing football at Selwyn House School in his home province before moving to Connecticut’s Loomis Chaffee School for his final three years of high school. A consensus three-star recruit, he originally committed to Michigan as an offensive lineman but moved to defence this year.
The last Canadian player to win an NCAA championship game was Alabama receiver John Metchie III following the 2020 season, making him the only victor in the College Football Playoff era. Since the introduction of a definitive college football championship game in 1998, just seven Canadians have been part of a title winBeforeto Metchie, none had won since Louisiana State University offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski in 2003. He capped a three-year run of Canadians hoisting the BCS National Championship trophy, following Ohio State cornerback Mike Roberts in 2002. Four players from north of the border were part of the legendary 2001 Miami Hurricanes squad, including offensive linemen Sherko Haji-Rasouli, Joe McGrath, and Brett Romberg and defensive lineman Miguel Robede.
While Lorenzetti is the lone Canadian player on Michigan’s roster, he is not the only one on their sideline. Vancouver-born J.D. Johnson, the son of former B.C. Lions player and Simon Fraser University head coach Dave Johnson, remains with the team as a student assistant after he was forced to retire in 2020 due to a heart defect.
The former quarterback’s scholarship was honoured by head coach Jim Harbaugh at the time and he returned to the Michigan coaching staff after an unsuccessful attempt to resume his playing career in 2022. He works closely with quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell and provides guidance to starter J.J. McCarthy, who threw for 140 yards and rushed for 31 more in the victory.
The pair of Canadians helped the Wolverines complete a perfect 15-0 season and claim their first NCAA national title since 1997.
