KINGSTON, Ont. – Fourth-year UBC Thunderbird Theo Benedet made history Thursday night receiving the J.P. Metras trophy for a second straight year as U SPORTS' Most Outstanding Lineman, the first offensive lineman to ever earn the honour more than once.

Presented at the 2023 Vanier Cup Awards Gala at Kingston, Ontario's Market Square Hotel, Benedet was also named a first team All-Canadian for a second year running and was joined by Tight End Lucas Robertson.

Left tackle Giovanni Manu was named to the second team All-Canadian squad along with defensive tackle Kyle Samson and special teams rush/cover Skyler Griffith.
 

?? FB | @theobenedet71 picked up his 2nd straight J.P. Metras Trophy Thursday night in Kingston, becoming the first offensive lineman in @USPORTSca history to receive the award more than once! pic.twitter.com/jRIGKoasCb

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 24, 2023

Starting every game for the Thunderbirds since his rookie season in 2019, the North Vancouver native burst onto the national scene last year while becoming the first Thunderbird to win the J.P. Metras Trophy since 1999 and the first offensive lineman to do so since McGill's Laurent Duvernay-Tardif in 2013.

Benedet's abilities have grown more still over the past season, thanks in part to working closely with veteran offensive line coach Dan Dorazio.

Last February, the 6-foot-7, 305 pound right tackle was the lone Canadian invited to participate in the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl, North America's premiere college all-star showcase, held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.



Benedet entered the 2023 season as the top rated U SPORTS CFL draft eligible prospect, ranked third overall.

While much credit for UBC's high flying offence rightly goes to quarterback Garrett Rooker and an outstanding receiving and running back core, the efforts of Benedet as a leader on the front line cannot be discounted, providing critical protection for the top offence in the conference while helping lead the Thunderbirds to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 2015.
 

?? FB | Congratulations to @ubcfbl's first team All-Canadians, Lucas Robertson and Theo Benedet! pic.twitter.com/trCW4AYQ9F

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 24, 2023

Benedet, Manu, and Samson all earned All-Canadian status for a third straight season while UBC's five selections in total match their haul from 2022.

Having already been preparing since early this week for Saturday's Vanier Cup matchup with the Montréal Carabins, the T-Birds' quest for a fifth U SPORTS Championship is less than 48 hours away.
 

?? | A huge congratulations to @ubcfbl's 2nd team All-Canadians: Skyler Griffith, Giovanni Manu and Kyle Samson! pic.twitter.com/nntDDc2ONO

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 23, 2023

Kickoff for the 2023 Vanier Cup is set for 10:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, November 25 at Richardson Memorial Stadium. The game will be available live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.

COMPLETE 2023 VANIER CUP AWARD RECIPIENTS