Ontario Prospect Challenge Profile: Wild for Football

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Positions: Offensive Line
Height/Weight: 6’2, 285 lbs
Teams: Metro Toronto Wildcats (OVFL)
Commitment: None
Official Visits: Queen’s
Considerations: Wilfrid Laurier, Queen’s, Windsor, Carleton, York
Class: 2015

About eight years ago Declan de Gouveia was signed up for the North York Grizzlies of the North York Minor Football Association, and he immediately fell in love with the game.

The past three years of the offensive lineman’s career have been with the Metro Toronto Wildcats of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL).

“My life has revolved around football for the past couple of years whether it’s watching games, playing in them or constantly talking about football,” said Gouveia. “There have been some ups and downs, but I feel my football life has been very rewarding and challenging in a good sense.”

During the offseason the Wildcats standout plays different sports, such as rugby and hockey, to keep his athletic abilities in shape. He also trains with his high school rugby coach with the goal of improving for the upcoming season, and takes the time to break down game film and look for ways to improve.

Gouveia is looking forward to the upcoming Ontario Prospect Challenge.

“My goals for the Ontario Prospect Challenge (OPC) are not only to make Team Central, but to showcase my talents to coaches and other players alike,” commented the Wildcat. “The OPC is the perfect opportunity to get my name out there and come closer to my goal of playing post secondary football.”

Another goal of Gouveia’s is to be on the CFC 100 list in his graduating year.

“It shows where I rank compared to other players so I can see where I need to improve to better my game,” added the offensive lineman.

Moreover, he loves to play football because of the contact and how physically demanding the sport is.

“I’ve always loved contact sports like hockey and rugby, but football is constant hard nosed hitting,” explained the Wildcats standout. “I especially love playing on the offensive line because it is the front line to where a play starts and there is always contact in every type of play.”