Commits believe UBC a ‘premier program’

UBC welcomes one local commit and one out-of-province commit to their team.

When the new season dawns, athlete Theo Benedet from Handsworth Secondary School and quarterback Tommy Yanchuk from the Edmonton Huskies (CJFL) will be looking to make a difference on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Theo Benedet

Theo Benedet found nothing he disliked about his new school. “UBC is one of the premier programs in Canada. It is going to give me a chance to win,” he said. “Also, UBC is one of the best academic schools in Canada, so it is perfect for pursuing both my athletic and academic interests. I love the UBC campus too.” He added that he is interested in history, political science or English.

Never settling, Benedet is hungry for those Ws. “Head Coach Nill is a proven winner. I know that with him I’m going to UBC to win,” he said. “I liked that the coaching staff had a plan for me and that lets me know they are committed to helping me develop as a player.”

Benedet was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in Vancouver, BC. He spent three years with the Handsworth Royals (BCSSAA) where he was a 2018 conference and provincial all-star. In 2017 he was the best defensive grade 11 in the Pacific Conference. Standing at a towering 6’6, 225lbs, he primarily plays as a tight end.

Appreciative of those around him, Benedet said he would like to thank his parents, his coaches, White, Shareef, Benning, Milan, Tim, Sasha and Omar, and everyone who helped him get to this point.

#BlueChip .. @HandsworthHSS athlete Theo Benedet makes it official .. 6’6 athlete will compete in 2019 for @ubctbirds .. dynamic athlete has potential as TE .. on both lines of scrimmage .. pic.twitter.com/otiQWpLNfS

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) December 17, 2018

Tommy Yanchuk

Tommy Yanchuk is from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, where he played with the Holy Rosary Raiders (WFL) in 2015 and 2016. He then joined the Edmonton Huskies. In 2018 he played eight regular season games where he had 108 completions and 192 attempts with a 56.2% completion percentage. He had 1523 yards averaging 7.9 yards on each attempt. He also had 190.4 passing yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions.

#BlueChip .. highly touted Lloydminster pivot decides @ubctbirds .. @Edm_Huskies ‘s Tommy Yanchuk to bring “gun slinger” mentality to tough @CanadaWest ..https://t.co/cWJ16rfAN1 pic.twitter.com/FfJRR7uy72

— Blake Nill (@CoachNill) December 6, 2018