The Hec Crighton trophy is presented to the most outstanding player of each U SPORTS football season. Each conference (AUS, RSEQ, OUA, CW) submits their own MVP and an overall winner is chosen out of the final four. Since the inception of the award in 1967, the trophy has been presented to a number of athletes, at a number of positions, across every conference.
Broken down by position, the Hec Crighton has been presented to a quarterback 35 times, a running back 14 times, a wide receiver seven times, and even one defensive player back in 1974.
Broken down by conference, the Hec Crighton has been presented to a player from the OUA 30 times, Canada West 13 times, the AUS nine times, and the RSEQ five times.
The top three schools to produce Hec Crighton winners are as follows, Western with seven, Calgary with six, and McMaster with five.
Below are my preseason picks for Hec Crighton favourites in 2025.
Evan Hillock, QB, Western Mustangs
Evan Hillock is as decorated as they come. The four-year starter has an elite resume with a career stat line of 42 games played (both regular and post season), a 66.9 completion percentage (CMP%), 9873 passing yards, 76 passing touchdowns, and only 19 interceptions. He has two OUA all-star nods, which includes a First Team OUA All-Star in 2022 and a Second Team OUA All-Star in 2023. The 6'3" pivot has also led the Mustangs to great team success. During his tenure the Mustangs are three time Yates Cup champions (2021, 2022, 2023), and Vanier Cup champions (2021). Despite all of Hillock’s success, two things remain just beyond his grasp: an All-Canadian selection and a Hec Crighton nomination.
A combination of factors could drive Hillock’s chances toward an OUA MVP and eventual Hec Crighton trophy in 2025. The first is the fact that last year’s OUA MVP, Laurier’s Taylor Elgersma, is now out of the equation. This automatically opens the door for Hillock to reassert himself as the top pivot in the OUA as he did in 2022. The second factor is that Western’s two leading rushers from 2024, Keon Edwards and Keanu Yazbeck, will not be back in purple and silver in 2025. The loss of this two-headed monster will have the Mustangs looking to replace 1510 yards of rushing offence and 15 rushing touchdowns. While history tells us that Western’s stable of talented running backs is always well stocked, they could also ask their fifth-year QB to shoulder some of that load. The table is set, now we wait and see if Hillock can cook up a storybook ending in his fifth and final Mustangs season.
Jackson Tachinski, QB, Manitoba Bisons
Jackson Tachinski is the reigning Canada West MVP. His 2024 regular season included a stat line of 65.9 CMP%, 1664 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and six interceptions. Additionally, he provided the Bisons’ offence with a dynamic element on the ground with 71 rushing attempts for 570 yards and six touchdowns. While the numbers may not be eye popping, Tachinski was able to lead the Bisons to the top ranked Canada West scoring offence and a first place 7-1 record. The athleticism he showed on the field was also enough to garner a training camp invite with the CFL's Edmonton Elks this offseason as a wide receiver.
While the early playoff exit in 2024 was certainly disappointing, it could provide some fuel for a fifth-year run. Manitoba has many returning weapons in 2025, including running back Breydon Stubbs, who had 162 rushing attempts for 931 yards and a school record 14 rushing touchdowns last season. The Bisons will surely be in the hunt at the top of the extremely competitive Canada West standings this season. If they hope to reclaim the top spot, they will certainly need their QB to deliver an even greater season than his 2024 Canada West MVP campaign. Another interesting nugget to watch is that Manitoba is one of only seven schools who have never had a Hec Crighton winner.
Arnaud Desjardins, QB, Laval Rouge et Or
Arnaud Desjardins had a good 2024. He threw for 2373 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to his first RSEQ MVP, his second Dunsmore Cup, and his second Vanier Cup championship. If there’s one thing we know for sure about the 2025 U SPORTS football season, it’s that Laval will be a contender. Yet another veteran QB entering his fifth and final university season, Desjardins will have the championship pedigree around him as he looks to put together another successful season.
In a conference that feels like a two horse race, (Laval and Montreal have played each other for the Dunsmore Cup every season since 2013) the last two years have shown similar consistency in the RSEQ MVP race and Vanier success. In 2023, Université de Montréal star QB Jonathan Sénécal won the nomination as the conference’s top player on his way to the Hec Crighton and a U de M victory in the Vanier Cup. Desjardin’s 2024 was almost identical, with an RSEQ MVP and a Vanier Cup victory. Although successful, Hec Crighton honours eluded him. While the team success is ultimately what matters, especially at a school like Laval, I’m sure that Desjardins will have a little extra motivation in 2025 to not only defend the Rouge et Or’s national title, but also prove that he can be the most outstanding player in the nation.
Justin Quirion, QB, Bishop's Gaiters
Justin Quirion destroyed the Atlantic University Sport conference last season. In the regular season the AUS MVP threw for 2307 and 18 passing touchdowns with a completion percentage of 64.8. The Gaiters were able to secure both the top offence in the AUS and a perfect 8-0 record on their way to a Loney Bowl championship. Now, anybody that knows anything about U SPORTS football will tell you that the last decade has not been the greatest representation of competition in the east. The conference has not won a game on the national stage since 2007. Having said that, it is impossible to deny that Quirion had a phenomenal season, throwing for over 300 yards on five separate occasions. This included a Loney Bowl performance against Acadia where the third year QB put up 364 yards and four passing touchdowns.
Although the Gaiters were knocked out of the Uteck Bowl by a visiting Laurier Golden Hawks team (Laurier 48, Bishop's 24), Justin Quirion was still able to show his talent on the national stage. Against a stout Laurier defence that did not give up a touchdown against Laval in the Vanier Cup, Quirion threw for 283 yards, 2 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. In what will be his fourth season, third starting for the Gaiters, I fully expect Quirion to dominate the AUS competition and possibly even improve on his 2024 stats. If he is to pull it off, it would be the school’s first Hec Crighton trophy since 2013, and the conference’s first since 2007 (Bishop's transferred from the RSEQ to the AUS after the 2016 season).
Honourable Mentions
Breydon Stubbs, RB, Manitoba Bisons
Ryker Frank, RB, Saskatchewan Huskies
Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald, QB, McGill Redbirds
Olivier Cool, WR, Laval Rouge et Or
Charles Asselin, RB, Ottawa Gee-Gees
Ethan Jordan, WR, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
O’Shae Ho-Sang, RB/Returner, Bishop's Gaiters
Silas Fagnan, QB, St. FX X-Men