CFL Combine Season Attendance by U Sports School

As we begin 2020 the calendar turns and so too does the focus from the Grey Cup and previous season to the next crop of free agents and draft eligible players.

The CFL - domestic - combines are not far away and while working on a related project I thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at the history of CFL Combine invites by U Sports school dating back to 2001. We begin with all combines, regional and national.

As expected the traditional powers of U Sports football are present in Calgary and Laval, while Manitoba and Manitoba fill out the top four. McMaster and Saskatchewan lag close behind. Canada West has the most top ten appearances and the most invitees overall with Calgary while the OUA has three teams in the top ten of invitees led by Western.

Quite often the regional combines yield a few gems but are full of long shots, the national combine roster is filled with only the best of the best. Here are the U Sports invites since 2001 for the big show.

Laval, Laval, and Laval again. Ottawa punches above its weight alongside Laurier here as several of the Canada West schools who receive many Western regional invites fade in the national invitation standings.

This is all time, but what about all combines over the last five years?

Here we find Laval - despite continued on field success - has dropped below four schools in recent invites including Guelph while Carleton has creeped into the top ten after rejoining the Canadian football scene.

As the CFL continues to travel this winter in search of global talent the Canadian talent will prepare for their chance to post a number and make a name for themselves if and when their name is called in this years round of combine invites.

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Marshall Ferguson is a former U SPORTS Quarterback, now serving as TSN 1150 Hamilton morning show host, voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and CFL.ca analyst