Sherbrooke stocks up, adds 5 commits

All commits are from Québec.

The University of Sherbrooke Vert & Or have had an active recruitment period to say the least.

In this latest round, they have picked up linebackers Albert Coté-Tessier from Cégep de Jonquière and Boka Cedrick from Champlain College Lennoxville. Receiver Bechir Janfaoui Vilsaint, nose guard Francis Perron from Le Cégep de Sherbrooke and guard Julien Leblanc from Le Cégep Beauce-Appalaches will also be joining the team for the upcoming season.

Albert Coté-Tessier

It will be a far trip for Albert Coté-Tessier to reach his new home. Coming from Arvida, Saguenay, Québec, which is a small community north of Québec City, it will take four and a half hours to drive to Sherbrooke. However, he will have one person who knows where he is from at least.

“Guillaume Boucher, the defensive coordinator, is a guy from Saguenay like me, so a lot of people here told me how great he was. I was with him the most part of my visit and he’s very very nice,” Coté-Tessier said.

While he has some comradery on the team, it was the academics that drew him south. The future chemical engineering student said, “First (I committed) for the university. Probably the best place in Québec to study in engineering. Second, when I saw the facilities, I felt like it was the place I wanted to be for the next few years.”

Having a head coach that you can believe in may have also helped him chose Sherbrooke. Coté-Tessier said, “Coach Lecompte is awesome! We had a talk together in his office. He told me about his philosophy and the way he wants to lead that program and I am with him a hundred percent.”

Standing at 6’4, 215lbs, he played with Les Gaillards du Cégep de Jonquière (RSEQ Division 3). He won a Bol d’Or in 2016 with the team. In high school, he played with Les Mustangs de l’Odyssée Dominique-Racine (RSEQ) for five years.

Boka Cedric

At the age of ten, Boka Cedric and his family immigrated from the Ivory Coast to Sherbrooke, Québec. He never looked back. Eight years later, the 18-year-old is looking to make his hometown team proud. “I am one year younger than everyone else who usually goes to Québec university,” he said. “I choose to commit to Sherbrooke because I feel a pride for this town. I want to defend the color of my town.”

He added that, “The team’s staff are extremely passionate people for what they do. They have a lot of experience that can be very useful in order to help me go to the next level.”

The Champlain College Lennoxville Cougar (RSEQ Division 1) was also motivated by academics. He will be looking into going into civil engineering. He said Sherbrooke is an excellent school for his chosen program.

Standing at 5’11, 210lbs, he spent three years playing with Les Harfangs du l’école secondaire du Triolet (RSEQ). In 2015, he played with Team Québec and won the tournament he competed in. He also won a Bol d’Or with the Cougars that year after an undefeated season.

Bechir Janfaoui Vilsaint

Bechir Janfaoui Vilsaint knows the town of Sherbrooke well. “I’ve been in Sherbrooke since I was ten-years-old and I like my city,” he said. “I’ve made really great friends throughout those years. I believe our team will give others great adversity.”

The administration student added, “I also believe that the coaching staff that we have will give everything to be the best. Some of those coaches trained me when I was in high school and some of them as played and/or coach for the Cougars of Champlain.”

The 5’8, 175lbs player spent his high school career playing at l’École secondaire du Triolet. He played with the Champlain College Lennoxville Cougars in cépeg (RSEQ Division 1). While he played as number seven with the Cougars, he will be switching to number eight in university.

Francis Perron
Francis Perron is already familiar with Sherbrooke as he already calls the city his home. He played cégep ball with Les Volontaires du Cégep de Sherbrooke (RSEQ Division 2).

Julien Leblanc
Julien Leblanc will be joining the team from Les Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches.