It was a dream come true for CFC100 Class of 2017 DE Luiji Vilain out of Wake Forest, who signed on the dotted line with the Minnesota Vikings after the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Ottawa, ON native began his youth career locally with the Cumberland Panthers and South Gloucester Giants, but it didn’t take long for his career to take a turn down south. Vilain landed at Episcopal in Virginia, and was named the second ranked prospect on the CFC100 Class of 2017 High School Rankings earning over 30 NCAA DI scholarships by the time he left. The high school standout dominated his competition leading Episcopal to a 8-1 record in 2016, and totaled over 100 tackles in his senior and junior years. Eventually he landed in the Maize and Blue of Michigan, but that’s not where he’d finish his time in the NCAA.
CFC100 CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGSĀ
Things didn’t go according to plan at Michigan with the injury bug catching up Vilain, but he’d find his calling at Wake Forest which changed his draft odds drastically. The 6’4″, 252lbs prospect finished last season with 34 tackles and a team high nine sacks, then put down a blazing 4.75 40 yard dash at the Demon Deacons pro day which caught the eye of NFL scouts. He might not have got the chance to hear his name called from the podium, but the Vikings will be lucky to have Vilain roaming the building in July.
Vilain was selected by the Toronto Argonauts with the 25th pick in the 2021 CFL Draft.
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