Two Canadians win College Football Playoff National Championship with Ohio State Buckeyes

Photo courtesy: Ohio State Buckeyes

A pair of Canadians have won the College Football Playoff National Championship, as the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 34-23.

True freshman tight end Maxence Leblanc of St-Bruno, Que. and junior punter Anthony Venneri from Hamilton, Ont. did not see action in their team’s run through the inaugural 12-team playoff but now join a short list of players from north of the border who have an NCAA title ring.

Leblanc was the top-ranked Canadian recruit in the class of 2024 and saw a handful of snaps across four games with the Buckeyes this year, but did not record any stats. Venneri transferred from the University at Buffalo, where he was a two-year starter, but did not dress for a single contest.

Ohio State surrendered a touchdown on the first drive of the game but took control from there, carving out a 31-7 lead by midway through the third quarter. After a late push from Notre Dame, quarterback Will Howard found outstanding freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard gain to set up a final field goal and cap the school’s ninth national championship.

The Fighting Irish had three Canadians on their roster in the loss. Defensive lineman Armel Mukam, a redshirt freshman from La Prairie, Que., appeared in 11 games this season, recording four tackles. Fellow redshirt freshman defensive lineman Devan Houstan from Mississauga, Ont. dressed for two games and made one tackle, while true freshman defensive tackle Sean Sevillano Jr. made four tackles in three appearances.

Prior to tonight, just eight Canadians had been part of a national title win since the introduction of a definitive college football championship game in 1998. Only two of those occurred in the College Football Playoff era, as defensive lineman Alessandro Lorenzetti won with Michigan in 2024 and receiver John Metchie III helped Alabama to victory in 2020.

Before Metchie, no Canadian had won since LSU 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, as well as defensive lineman Miguel Robede.