Guelph adds an out-of-province commit to their Class of 2018.
Uriel Kalenga, a linebacker from Champlain College Lennoxville, has dreams of going pro, and he has full confidence that the University of Guelph Gryphons can open doors for him.
βGuelph prepares a lot of athletes to get to the professional level,β Kalenga said. βThe facilities are incredible. I felt like (it was) a Division 1 NCAA university, but in Canada. I was really impressed. Guelph made me feel like I was home!β
Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Kalenga also found comfort in the schoolβs proximity to where he was born and raised. While he now lives in Gatineau, QuΓ©bec, he has been playing with the Champlain College Lennoxville Cougars (RSEQ Division 1) in Sherbrooke, QuΓ©bec, for the past few years.
With facilities and location aside, Kalengaβs primary concern was finding a school with a program he found interesting. βWhen I visited Guelph, we sat down and took a whole talking about school and they had what I was looking for,β he said. He added that he wants to take leadership in organization management with a minor in sports management.
Kalenga wasnβt solely looking at academics on his visit. He noticed something that stuck out to him about the Gryphons. βI really enjoy watching how the coaches at Guelph are like brothers. Family is important to me and they send that vibes to the players,β he said. βI think thatβs how you gain the trust of the coaches. It makes a better and stronger team.β
Standing at 5β11, 195lbs, the SAM linebacker has been playing football for ten years. While with the Cougars, he has won a Bol Dβor off an undefeated season. Kalenga said that he wants to get one last one with the Cougars this coming season. Before playing with the Cougars, he played high school ball at AcadΓ©mie les Estacades.
Before entering his final cΓ©gep season, and then taking his first steps into U Sports, Kalenga has some people he has the utmost gratitude towards. βI want to thank my family, they have always supported my decision, and my best friends, my brothers, Gabriel, Medard, Victor and Abdu. They always encourage me tor each my ultimate goal, to be a pro,β he said.
βI am excited for whatβs coming next.β
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