VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds are getting their share of accolades as the Canada West announced the 2026 major award winners Thursday morning, headlined by
Marvyn Larozar being named Rookie of the Year.
Third-year
Caleb Cunningham has also been honoured as the Canada West Outstanding Lineman while
Blake Nill has earned his first Coach of the Year honour in his 12 year tenure with the T-Birds.
One of the most dynamic freshmen in UBC Thunderbirds Football history, Larozar now stands as the conference's nominee for the U SPORTS Peter Gorman trophy.
Finishing his first collegiate season with a remarkable 891 total yards in just seven regular season contests, the Ottawa native led the entire country in both rushing yards and touchdowns. Scoring nine times on the ground, the product of Asheville School in North Carolina added a receiving major for an even ten on the year.
"What stands out most for me about Marvyn is his toughness," said Nill of his rookie sensation. "He carried the ball a lot and most of those were inside runs. When you look at his film, yes he's had a couple breakouts and he can certainly stretch, but most of his yards come in the middle where he's making an initial guy miss before he's gang tackled.
"We didn't expect (this early success) at all, he caught us by surprise. We knew what kind of kid we were getting and felt very fortunate he chose UBC, but he's still an 18-year old kid. To come in and take control of that position like he did is very unusual. This is a deserved honour for Marvyn and a big feather in the cap of Coach
Shomari Williams and his network and his ability to attract top talent."
Boasting 149.3 all-purpose yards per game, tops in the conference, 'the missile' also threw a touchdown on his only throw attempt of the season, a 90 yard catch-and-run to
Trey Montour.
Bursting onto the scene in his first home game at Thunderbird Stadium, Larozar rushed for 285 yards and four touchdowns, the fifth-highest single game total in UBC history.
Larozar is the third Thunderbird under
Blake Nill's tenure to be named Canada West Rookie of the Year, joining quarterback Garrett Rooker (2021) and current defensive lineman,
Deacon Sterna (2022).
Third-year offensive lineman,
Caleb Cunningham, joins a list of some of the very best athletes UBC Football has produced in winning the conference's Outstanding Lineman award.
A native of Kelowna, B.C., Cunningham has proven himself to be a leader both on the field and in the locker room. Starting at left tackle, the Okanagan Sun alumnus has played every game the last two seasons and led an exceptional O-line in 2026 which paved the way for one of the country's most prolific offensive units.
Cunningham and the T-Birds allowed just six quarterback sacks all season. Building a solid resume, he was named a first team All-Canadian in 2025 and earned a Canada West All-Star nod for the second time last week.
"
Caleb Cunningham is the next in line at UBC to make a reputation for himself," said Nill. "You look back at guys like Dakota Shepley, Diego Alatorre, obviously Theo (Benedet) and Giovanni (Manu), Arvin Hosseini – now here comes Caleb. He has certainly established himself in Canada West as a very formidable athlete.
"He's become a leader in the locker room and I feel very fortunate he's a UBC Thunderbird. I really appreciate his work to continue to be as good as he is while making our program as good as he can. Caleb has really flourished under Coach
Pete Buckley and he will continue to do so until he's ready to be a pro."
The Canada West nominee for the J.P. Metras Trophy, Cunningham is the first T-Bird to win conference Lineman of the Year since Theo Benedet earned back-to-back awards in 2022 and 2023.
Leading the UBC Thunderbirds to a 6-2 record and a first place finish in the regular season,
Blake Nill has been named the 2026 Canada West Coach of the Year.
The second time in the last four seasons the veteran coach has guided his squad into the Hardy Cup Final, this marks Nill's first Coach of the Year nod since joining the blue and gold in 2015.
Nill and the T-Birds led the conference with a +83 point differential in 2026, establishing one of the country's most balanced offensive attacks while boasting a stifling defence.
"I'm so thrilled for Blake to be recognized as Canada West Coach of the Year," said UBC Managing Director of Athletics,
Kavie Toor. "While his resume over the last few decades speaks for itself, perhaps what impresses me most about Blake is his tireless work and passion to develop quality football players but even more importantly, helping guide young men into quality characters and leaders.
"Blake's worth ethic is unparalleled. Whether it's on the recruiting trail, preparing his athletes and coaching staff or working in the gym with our strength and conditioning team, no one outworks
Blake Nill and the results are shown both on and off the field. We are so lucky to have Blake leading UBC Football and I can't wait to see what the rest of this year and the coming years have in store."
Closing in on 100 total conference wins, this marks Nill's fourth Canada West Coach of the Year award having won three times with the Calgary Dinos.
"Moreso than ever in this day and age, the reason we have the talent we do falls on our coaching staff," said Nill after receiving word of his award. "The reason our defence is 12 points a game better is because of our coaching staff. When you see a long return in a game or when you see someone like
Marvyn Larozar have this kind of year running the ball, it's in large part due to the work of the coaches. As the head coach, you get the acclaim but it's so diverse nowadays, the true recognition has to go to the recruiters, the staff, the positional staff that make all the difference to your wins and losses.
"I certainly recognize the challenges that all coaches have in this country in the sport of football and when your peers recognize you in this manner, it does mean a lot, and it's taken very graciously."
A three-time Vanier Cup champion head coach, winning with the T-Birds in his inaugural season on the west coast, the Hanna, Alberta native has booked his ticket to a sixth Hardy Cup final with UBC, looking to hoist the trophy for a ninth time.
The Thunderbirds host the Regina Rams Saturday, November 14 for the 89
th Biosteel Hardy Cup. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium with
tickets available now!
