You’d be hard-pressed to find a more decorated Canadian rookie than Kevin Mital.
The 25-year-old entered the CFL this season with a list of accolades longer than most Costco receipts, including a Hec Crighton Trophy and a Vanier Cup MVP award. However, when asked to choose his greatest accomplishment on Sunday, Mital did not hesitate.
“That touchdown today,” he said, beaming in the aftermath of the Toronto Argonauts’ victory in the 111th Grey Cup. “That’s top. That’s one.”
The native of St. Hubert, Que. caught just two passes for 23 yards in his first CFL championship game but left a lasting impression, hurdling into the end zone to give the Argos a lead midway through the third quarter. The East Division champions never trailed again, beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24 to capture the franchise’s 19th Grey Cup banner.
For Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft, it also marked the first touchdown of his professional career. Mital had just 18 catches for 201 yards throughout the regular season and never sniffed the goal line, but knew as soon as the play was called in the huddle that he was going to find pay-dirt in the Grey Cup.
“Ryan Hunter told me, ‘We got 18 yards, we got this.’ I turn around, I look, I get the ball — all I see is green grass and one blue jersey to beat. He didn’t make the tackle. For sure I was getting in that end zone and I did,” Mital recalled.
“Unreal, just unreal. I knew if that play was called, I was getting in, so I had to — I did. I’m proud of this thing. I’m proud of me.”
The 17-yard screen pass generated one of the most memorable images of the 111th Grey Cup, as Mital hopped over top of a diving Terrell Bonds to complete the score. The receiver says he will get one of those pictures blown up and framed to hang in his house, but the football he scored with will go to his parents.
“They sacrificed so much for me to get to this point, to bring me to private school, get me to football teams. They had to pay all the way along. I never had a full scholarship, except in university,” he explained. “This weekend, it’s all paid. I told them, ‘It’s the result of what you put into me. Now you’ve just got to sit back and watch.”
Mital has been a champion before, leading the Laval Rouge et Or to a Canadian university title in 2022. This one simply means more to him after a professional season that was nearly three times as long and fraught with new challenges.
“It’s crazy right now. First year, first Grey Cup. First touchdown at the Grey Cup. We talked 10 months ago at the combine, I would have never thought I would be here today,” he mused.
“It’s a way longer season. It came with ups and downs. I was injured at the start of the season. I’ve been on the roster, I’ve been off the roster. I’ve been on special teams only, I’ve been on offence. Being in the Grey Cup, just getting to wear that jersey and help my team get this win, is a crazy feeling.”
