The Montréal Carabins are quite familiar with exceptional pivots from College André-Grasset. Vanier Cup champ and Hec Crighton Trophy winner Jonathan Sénécal won a Division 1 Bol D’or title during his time at the school, setting a CEGEP record for passing yards (3,116) in 2017, while earning MVP honours the next year.
Following the graduation of Sénécal in 2024, the Carabins tapped into the Phénix program once more, signing highly-touted pivot José Alejandro Gonzalez Garza. Two weeks into their conference schedule, the true freshman has cemented himself as the starter.
Gonzalez Garza won a spirited competition with veteran Rakim Canal-Charles for the starting job, earning the number one spot after the first game of the season. It’s been business as usual for the storied program all throughout the process.
Gonzalez Garza (who also goes by Pépé) leads the RSEQ in passing touchdowns, with six, helping the Carabins to a 2-0 start with blowout wins over Concordia and Sherbrooke.
The 6’2”, 185-pound gunslinger has thrown majors to five different players, and the Carabins are third in the nation in points per game, at 42.5.
“At the beginning of camp, it’s hard to come in as a freshman and expect older guys to trust you, especially at quarterback. You have the ball every play. You have to know the system pretty well. But I think through camp and through the first two games that I proved to my teammates that they can trust me,” said Gonzalez Garza.
“I’ve just felt relaxed being surrounded by a good offensive line and veteran players I feel comfortable playing behind. Rakim and the other quarterbacks are very supportive. They help me with my reads, they help me in practice when I have questions. I’m still the youngest in the quarterback room, and they understand that. They help me to be a better player, and I try to help them as well.”
'It’s been my routine’
Gonzalez Garza entered U SPORTS with plenty of hype. He was a regional and state champion in high school in Quebec, as well as a league MVP.
At the CEGEP level, he was a First Team All-Star, and he won a gold medal as starting quarterback with Team Canada at the U20 World Junior Championships in 2024.
At the high school level, Gonzalez Garza was recruited by all of the top D1 programs. He chose College André-Grasset, in part because they “passed the ball a lot.”
“As a quarterback I want to be able to stretch the field,” he recalled. “I want to be able to utilize all of my receivers. Grasset was the best option for me at that point.”
In his senior year of CEGEP, Gonzalez Garza certainly spread the ball around. He threw for 2,572 yards and 26 touchdowns, adding to an incredible football career that’s been cultivated and honed from a young age.
A native of Mexico – where football is extremely popular – Gonzalez Garza started playing the sport when he was three years old.
When he was seven, his family moved to Quebec, where he continued to develop and shine in one of the most passionate and competitive football provinces in the country.
Gonzalez Garza played elite youth baseball in Montreal alongside football, with a fastball topping out at 90 mph. Photo: James Hajjar/Carabins
“All my life it has been part of my daily routine. Go to school and then football practice. Me not playing football is something I couldn’t see myself doing. The first thing when we moved to Canada was to find a school and the next was figuring out where I was going to play football. Every season I took that very seriously. It’s been my routine.”
A student of the game, Gonzalez Garza can make any throw on the field, and he’s got a cannon for an arm. His mechanics are also on point, aided by a competitive baseball background as a pitcher.
On the mound, Gonzalez Garza’s fastball reached 90 miles per hour, and he also had a nasty slider.
“I only stopped playing baseball about two years ago,” he noted.
“It helped me with the rotation of my hips and throwing the football. I was a pitcher, so I was able to throw fast. I think it complemented my game. I can throw the ball pretty far. People look at my shape, I’m not the strongest guy, but I can launch the ball pretty far. Baseball helped me with that, the motion, the rotation of my hips, body weight control and everything.”
‘I just knew that Montreal was the right fit’
In a full-circle moment, Gonzalez Garza is surrounded by coaches with a connection to André-Grasset.
His offensive coordinator, Gabriel Cousineau, held the same duty for the Phénix, and was the one who originally recruited him to the CEGEP school.
Cousineau also won a Vanier Cup as quarterback for Montréal where head coach Marco Iadeluca (who also coached Sénécal at André-Grasset) was his offensive coordinator.
A familiarity with the coaching staff (Iadeluca was also offensive coordinator for Team Canada in 2024), and a chance to play right away, were key factors in Gonzalez Garza’s decision to commit to the Carabins.
Gonzalez Garza could make it two U SPORTS Rookie of the Year awards in a row for the Carabins — wideout Enrique Jaimes Leclair won the award after recording 475 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Photo: James Hajjar/Carabins
“In the back of my head, I just knew that Montreal was the right fit. Jonathan Sénécal was leaving just as I was going into university so that helped a lot with my decision. As a player I want to see the field as fast as I can. It didn’t take away from the fact that I was going to compete regardless, but with Jonathan Sénécal not being there the spot was open.”
So far, so good for Pépé and company.
He threw his first career U SPORTS touchdown pass just over 18 minutes into his first game, a 41-14 win over Concordia. It’s been an upwards trajectory since, with just five incompletions in week two, a 44-7 win over Sherbrooke.
Gonzalez Garza’s first touchdown pass was a storybook moment, as he connected with captain Brandon Gourgon for 51 yards.
“Brandon is one of the veteran receivers, and obviously throwing the first touchdown to him, it was a play we repped so much in practice, it was just a great moment. I was happy it was to Brandon,” he said.
“He’s one of the captains, I would say he’s the best teammate you can ask for. He’s doing the speeches, he’s a very vocal leader and a great example to follow. He knows the playbook very well, he helps me get better. He’s the kind of teammate you want. That’s why it was a special moment for me. He helped me feel at home when I first came. Delivering the first touchdown to him was very nice.”
All eyes will be on the Carabins this week, as they battle defending Vanier Cup champ Laval on Friday night at CEPSUM.
The two powerhouse schools have represented the RSEQ in the Vanier Cup in 13 of the last 14 seasons and enter this weekend once again among the shortlist of Vanier Cup contenders.
It’ll be the ultimate quarterback battle, with proven winner, fifth-year Arnaud Desjardins going toe-to-toe with the rookie sensation for the first time. Rest assured, the true freshman is ready.
“Nobody will want to miss that game,” he smiled.