VANCOUVER – Perhaps the most highly anticipated football draft season in UBC program history is rapidly approaching. With multiple T-Birds catching the eyes of scouts on both sides of the border, UBC Football is hosting a Pro Day this Friday, March 29 at BC Place Stadium.

Both Giovanni Manu and Theo Benedet – UBC's twin towers on the offensive line – have generated plenty of interest from a bushelful of NFL teams, and both will be on hand Friday in front of more than a dozen scouts as they're put through the paces.

Joining the two graduating offensive tackles will be eight of their teammates, all of whom are eligible for the upcoming CFL Draft. Linebacker Ryan Baker, defensive linemen Mitchell Townsend and Kyle Samson, long snapper/tight end Brad Hladik, defensive backs Jerrell Cummings and Max Kennedy, running back Lucas Mastrodomenico and receiver Edgerrin Williams-Hernandez will all also be taking part.



"We need to make sure that as a program we're doing everything we can for our athletes during their tenures, after their tenures and even as alumni," said UBC head coach Blake Nill who will enter his tenth season with the blue and gold this fall. "From a program perspective to have the kind of turnout we're expecting from both the CFL and especially the NFL, it's obviously going to resonate well with the young up and coming kids that are going to be part of the future recruiting classes. We want to do it right. It's a win-win-win for UBC, for the athletes and for the future of the program."

Starting out with official measurements at 10:30 a.m., the draft hopefuls will complete a standard series of test events including bench press, vertical jump, and a 40 yard dash followed by position specific on-field drills.

Ten NFL teams and five CFL programs have confirmed their attendance for what will be a true showcase of UBC's incredible talent.



"I think there's an opportunity that we may see one or both of (Manu and Benedet) drafted (to the NFL) which would just be an incredible acknowledgment of the recruiting effort, the strength and conditioning effort, the personal coaching that's gone into them," added Nill. "Combine that with the academic support to make sure they continue to succeed in the classroom as well. This resonates well for so many different components for Thunderbird athletics but also for UBC as a whole."

Much of the hype rightly surrounds Manu and Benedet – the latter of which is the only offensive lineman in U SPORTS history to win the JP Metras Trophy twice – but 2024 could prove to be one of UBC's most prolific CFL drafts in the 100-year history of the program.

The 2024 NFL Draft takes place April 25 through 27 with the annual CFL Draft set for Tuesday, April 30.