The Larry Haylor Award is a representation of excellence on the football field in Ontario. It was named as such in 2022, as a tribute to the late, great coach at Western, Larry Haylor, after his passing. Haylor coached the Mustangs from 1984 to 2006 and led them to 185 wins, eight Yates Cup championships, and two Vanier Cup titles, which he helped win in 1989 and 1994. Haylor was also a significant cog in helping to bring current head coach, Greg Marshall, back to Western after his departure from the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
With such reverence attached to the trophy and its illustrious name, it is an honour unlike anything else to be its recipient. The last two seasons have seen the same winner, former Laurier Golden Hawks quarterback Taylor Elgersma, but he is now in training camp with the NFL's Green Bay Packers, so it is time to kickstart the conversation of what a new winner could look like, and who that could be. Here are six potential players, in no particular order, that we see as Larry Haylor Trophy favourites entering 2025.
1. Evan Hillock, QB, Western Mustangs
Evan Hillock has a penchant for winning, and he has shown that during his dominant career with the Western Mustangs. Three consecutive Yates Cup championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and a Vanier Cup victory in his first full year underscore the man's abilities to lead a team in vital moments.
His numbers throughout his Mustang tenure are awe-inspiring, with 9,873 passing yards, a staggering 76 passing touchdowns, and a total completion rate of 67 per cent; a very effective mark for a quarterback who has seen a ton of regular and postseason snaps.
The 6'3", 215-pound quarterback is coming off a 2024 campaign where he threw for 2,915 yards (includes regular and postseason games), 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. The Mustangs' season ended with a Yates Cup loss to Elgersma's Golden Hawks by a final score of 51-31. Amazingly, 2024 was the first year in which Hillock was on the losing side of a Yates Cup game, as he won three in a row preceding this latest matchup.
Hillock has a legitimate shot at winning the Larry Haylor Trophy because the Mustangs will be seeing a lot of meaningful returnees, except for their two leading rushers, Keanu Yazbeck and Keon Edwards. Those are two vital contributors to Western's offensive prowess that will be noticeable absences, but he does get the luxury of his top two receivers from last year coming back.
Seth Robertson and Brayden Misseri were a dynamic pass-catching tandem the previous season, with Robertson even ranking third in the country for receiving touchdowns (nine) through eight games. Robertson also has back-to-back seasons where he notched 10-plus receiving touchdowns, and Misseri's size and athleticism make him a threat everywhere, particularly in the red zone. The offensive line should be another formidable strength, as it usually is for the Mustangs, giving Hillock the protection he needs to dissect defences surgically.
His talent and consistency in and of itself is enough to garner a spot on this list, but the return of some of Ontario's most dangerous pass-catchers to London, ON, for 2025 will certainly aid his chances. Evan Hillock is a gamer with an ice-cold mentality that he brings to every game. He can put the cap on one of U SPORTS' most distinguished and complete careers in history by taking home the Larry Haylor Trophy in 2025.
Photo: Brandon VandeCaveye/Mustangs
2. Tayshaun Jackson, RB, Laurier Golden Hawks
Tayshaun Jackson was a lightning bolt for the Golden Hawks in his first full year in 2024 and was one of the province's most entertaining players when he was on the field. Listed as a running back, Jackson performed his ground duties very well and was also versatile enough to be the Golden Hawks' primary returner in 2024. If last season was any indication of what is to come from him in the future, 2025 should bring about a massive leap forward in his development.
Splitting carries with Tanner Nelmes and Darion Bacik-Hadden, Jackson put up 304 yards on the ground off 34 attempts. He also recorded three rushing scores and averaged 8.9 yards per carry, demonstrating his athleticism and great awareness on the field. His return numbers from 2024 are bewildering, with a combined total of 1,016 yards and two touchdowns, including a 108-yard kick return touchdown that came against the Guelph Gryphons back on Sep. 7.
Jackson should see the majority of the carries at running back in 2025 thanks to the departure of Tanner Nelmes. With his increased usage in the backfield, it is not a certainty that he will be the Golden Hawks' leading return man this year, as sustaining his health will be a priority across the whole season. The offensive line will see the return of some key pieces, notably guard Josh Rietveld, which will undoubtedly aid in Jackson's transition to being the full-time running back.
The Windsor native is equally as dangerous in the open field as he is in close proximity to tacklers, as he can use his straight-line speed to pull away from defenders with the former and can use his quick-twitch and field instincts to get out of dangerous situations in the latter. One other subtler detail to keep in mind is that the Golden Hawks will be starting a new quarterback in 2025, and he may need to alleviate pressure on himself.
Laurier has an outstanding treasure trove of weapons to use, and Jackson can be a massive relief for a green signal-caller as he can hand or dump the ball off to number 23 when in need of a play. These circumstances should certainly help increase Jackson's overall production. His talent is extraordinary and is more than worthy of capturing the Larry Haylor award. Expect Tayshaun Jackson to be a familiar name passed around with excitement on OUA and, more broadly, U SPORTS game days in 2025.
Photo: Richard Coffey/Golden Hawks
3. Keagan Hall, QB, York Lions
Keagan Hall is one of the most precise quarterbacks in the nation. After spending four years at McMaster, where he made his name as a top passer in Ontario with a team offensive MVP and an OUA Second Team All-Star nod in 2024, Hall has chosen to spend his fifth year with a resurgent York Lions squad led by former CFL pro, Dexter Janke. The Lions are one of two U SPORTS programs to never win a conference, along with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, but Janke's hiring saw the best season for York since 2018. Another big hire that has helped transform things is the arrival of former McMaster defensive coordinator Greg Knox in 2024.
In his four years at Mac, the 6'5", 230-pound ace totalled 4,927 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and an average completion rate of 66 per cent, which is often most illustrative of an accurate passer. In 2024 alone, Hall threw an average of 316.1 yards per game, ranking second in the entire country in the regular season behind Laurier's Taylor Elgersma (330.4).
That average was good for a total of 2,529 yards, the second most in all of U SPORTS last season, and, with a 70 per cent completion rate last year, Hall shot himself to the top echelon of U SPORTS quarterbacks as he joined Montreal's Jonathan Senecal (71.5 per cent), Elgersma (74.5 per cent, and Laval's Arnaud Desjardins (75.9 per cent) as the only signal callers to complete at least 70 per cent of their throws through eight games.
Hall has the leadership tools to make a struggling team around him better and will find himself surrounded by some dangerous pass-catchers, including Avery Ford, who recorded 527 yards and five touchdowns last year and Avontae McKoy, a smooth player that saw time at both receiver and running back in 2024, while Melchis Ilunga will provide support from the backfield.
Factoring in the talent he is now aided by, a head coach with professional experience that has already started the program's turnaround, and his unmatched qualities, Keagan Hall is a legitimate contender to win the Larry Haylor Award in 2025.
Photo: Courtney Caird/Marauders
4. Tristan Aboud, QB, Guelph Gryphons
Coming into his third year of U SPORTS eligibility, and just coming off a CFL Internship program with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Tristan Aboud has a golden opportunity to insert himself into the conversation of who the best quarterback in Ontario is. The Gryphon's signal-caller is an exceptional talent and has shown why so far during his relatively short tenure at Guelph.
In just 13 games, Aboud has racked up almost 3,000 yards passing, 20 touchdowns to only eight picks, and hovered around 67-70 per cent for his completion rate. At 6'4" and 210 pounds, Aboud has the tall frame to scan the field at the line of scrimmage and go through his reads while also having the requisite weight to hang tough in the pocket and take off when needed. In 2024 alone, Aboud helped lead the Gryphons to their first postseason appearance since 2019 on the hinges of 1,959 yards, 13 touchdown passes, and a 69 per cent completion rate, falling just short of the lonely 70 per cent club. He also ranked second nationally in yards per attempt with 10.8, falling just short of Taylor Elgersma's 11.3. To say the talent and mental strength are present with Aboud would be a severe understatement.
With such a strong team and a leader at quarterback ready to seize the moment, Guelph will enter 2025 as a genuine contender for the Yates Cup. Aboud will have a true number-one receiver to target in Willem Arseneau, who recorded 645 yards and seven receiving scores, which were suitable for sixth and fourth place respectively in the nation through the regular season. He will also have two reliable safety options in running backs Donavin Milloy and Caleb Sargeant. The situation around Aboud is stable, and head coach Mark Surya has been excellent in developing him into what he is now: a genuine Larry Haylor Award candidate. For a team such as Guelph, which ranked fourth in the entire country for total yards per game with 491 last season, this version of Aboud, fresh off a CFL Internship, is precisely what the Gryphons need to reach the next stage of the playoffs: the Yates Cup.
Photo: Kyle Rodriguez/Gryphons
5. Ethan Jordan, WR, Laurier Golden Hawks
It is hard to watch Ethan Jordan play and not have your jaw hit the floor at how effortless he makes being a wide receiver look. The centrepiece of the Golden Hawks' receiver room is back for his last year of eligibility after his record-breaking 2024 season that saw him and quarterback Taylor Elgersma take over the entirety of the OUA with their connection.
Basically every major receiving category was led by Jordan in 2024. His 1,000 receiving yards in the regular season were a first in Golden Hawks history, and he became only the 18th U SPORTS receiver to do so. On a nation-leading 59 receptions, Jordan totalled 10 touchdowns and had an astonishing 125.0 yards per game average, which was 24 yards higher than the next receiver, St. FX's Zachary Houde. In the most significant moments, he has proven to be a top performer, as evidenced by his performance in the 59th Vanier Cup with 11 catches and 179 yards against Laval. He was unequivocally the country's best wide receiver in 2024 and barring anything unforeseen, will be again in '25.
The last receiver to win the Larry Haylor Award was another Golden Hawk: Kurleigh Gittens Jr., in 2017. That year, Gittens set the record for most receiving yards in a single season with 953, which Jordan eventually broke last year. Gittens also notched a record 75 receptions and six touchdowns. In terms of a production comparison, Jordan's numbers outrank Gittens' in his MVP year, except for the receptions total.
In 2025, Jordan also has an opportunity to move up the list of all-time Golden Hawks receiving yards as he currently sits at third with 2,392. That figure is only 290 yards behind second-place, where Gittens Jr. resides at 2,682. With 725, Jordan would surpass former Golden Hawk receiver and current Marauder head coach Stefan Ptaszek for the most in program history.
Ethan Jordan is a maestro at his position. Watching him run routes is a near-supernatural experience as he can carve up defences and find space to make plays with the ball in his hands. His talent is unmistakable, and his consistency game to game will play a big part in his chances of winning the MVP. Whoever starts at quarterback for the first game will feel immediate reassurance to see number four lining up to his side.
Photo: Tiffany Luke/Golden Hawks
6. Charles Asselin, RB, Ottawa Gee-Gees
In just his third year, Ottawa's Charles Asselin proved himself to be one of Ontario's best and most efficient running backs in a season that saw starting quarterback Josh Janssen split snaps, and eventually take the reins from Ben Maracle. He led the province in rushing yards (892), ranked second in rushing touchdowns (eight) but first among running backs, and came second in rushing yards per game with 101.1, behind Golden Gael Jared Chisari (112.1). His consistency was shown through those totals mentioned above, while also having the most carries out of any back in Ontario with 138.
Coming into his fourth year, and based on 2024, the 5'11", 180-pound Asselin is the premier running back in Ontario in 2025. His production took a massive leap forward in 2024 as he received the bulk of the carries for the first time, jumping from 21 carries to 138. Asselin has excellent speed, and he is a very athletic player, as evidenced by his duties as a kick returner for the Gees, recording 501 yards. That return figure is quite impressive to comprehend, given that he was also leading Ontario in rushing yards and ranking close behind in every other rushing category. His receiving totals are an indicator of his surehandedness when needed, as he reeled in 20 catches for 190 receiving yards. In some sets later in the season, Asselin even lined up as a full back alongside backup Souleymane Camara, which provided Janssen an enticing option in the passing game.
The Gees open the new season at Waterloo and then play at home the following week against York before going to London to take on the Mustangs. Both Waterloo and York ranked in the bottom half of U SPORTS football programs in yards given up per game in 2024, with at least 450 each. What is interesting about those three teams being scheduled this early on is that the Gees opened against those same three last year, but just in a different order. What were Asselin's rushing marks over those three games? Three straight 100-yard rushing days and four touchdowns.
Asselin is a dynamic ball-carrier who can fill multiple roles when needed, much like Laurier's Tayshaun Jackson. His quick-twitched movements, elusiveness, blazing speed, sure hands, and consistency are a few of his hallmarks that will undoubtedly be on full display in 2025. If he even improves by the slightest bit from last year, Asselin will surely be right in the conversation of players that can win the Larry Haylor Award in 2025.
Photo: Charles Fortin/Gee-Gees
Honourable Mentions.
Seth Robertson, WR, Western Mustangs
Elijah Barnes, QB, Carleton Ravens
Willem Arseneau, WR, Guelph Gryphons
Alex Vreeken, QB, Queen's Gaels