As summer begins its final stretch, university football teams across the country are beginning training camps. Early mornings, sweltering heat, and endless meetings await all 27 teams across U SPORTS, and the St. Francis Xavier X-Men are no different. The X-Men officially opened their training camp this past Friday (Aug. 8) on their campus in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
It will be the first time since 2021 that the program will not be looking to defend a Loney Bowl title from the previous season. The 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons all saw the X-Men dominate their AUS competition with a regular season record of 22-0 and an in-conference playoff record of 5-0. 2024 was certainly a different story in Antigonish, as St. FX found themselves with a 5-3 record (losses @ Bishop’s, vs. Acadia, and vs. Bishop’s) during the regular season and were quickly eliminated from the AUS playoffs in a first round home loss to Saint Mary’s (21-17).
Heading into 2025, head coach Gary Waterman is excited to see how this group gels together. According to Waterman, who has held the St. FX head coaching job since 2009, every year holds new challenges and every team must overcome adversity in their own way. With 104 players heading into training camp this year, there will surely be some new faces that come forward to help meet this adversity. However, if the X-Men want to put together a redemption campaign it will ultimately fall on a group of veteran players who certainly will be hungry for another chance at a championship.
One of these hungry veterans will be fifth-year running back, Malcolm Bussey. After his 2024 season was derailed by injury, Bussey will be back running the rock for St. FX this fall. Bussey, who rushed for over 1000 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, will be a welcome addition to an offence that already ranked second in points scored during the 2024 AUS season.
While Bussey will definitely give the X-Men a boost in the ground game, it may be another offensive star who ultimately steals the show this season. 2025 will see the return of QB Silas Fagnan for a fifth season. Fagnan is a four-year starter for the X-Men and has managed to bring home the AUS Most Outstanding Player award twice (2021, 2023). He has also led his squad to the Jewett Trophy (presented to the winner of the Loney Bowl) three times (2021, 2022, 2023). Statistically, Fagnan has a 68 per cent career completion rate, 7,353 yards passing, and a 47-23 touchdown to interception ratio. The combination of Bussey and Fagnan should definitely excite St. FX fans this season as the X-Men set their sights on regaining control of the Atlantic conference.
After a week of training camp, St. FX will host a pre-season game on Saturday August 16 at 2:00 p.m. ADT against the Saint Mary’s Huskies. They will officially begin their regular season campaign two weeks later on Saturday August 30 at 2:00 p.m. ADT on the road versus the Acadia Axemen.