WHERE ARE THEY NOW: “Best decision of my life” – CFC100 Dubois

#88 Marco Dubois (photo credit: Dorothée Harvey)

2014 was the first year that canadafootballchat.com (CFC) put out a top prospects list; the CFC100.

With this upcoming year, many of these players are entering their fourth year of their collegial football career. We thought it would be fun to see where these players are at now and get some insight as to how their football experience has been to date, what kind of advice they would give to incoming recruits, and give them a chance to acknowledge any coaches or support people that have helped them along the way.

On a stacked Laval roster, Marco Dubois has established himself as a core special teams player as well as earning a few starts during his time with the Rouge et Or. Because of the depth they have on their roster and their ability to bring in top recruiting classes year in and year out, it’s not uncommon for players at Laval to not see significant playing time until their third and fourth seasons with the team.

Many of the athletes who are backups at Laval, could easily start at other programs all across the country. This speaks volumes to the quality of their program and their depth. Dubois falls into this category.

The 6’4, 212-pound receiver from Vieux-Montreal, has 11 catches for 221 yards averaging 19.5 yards per reception for his career stats as a receiver. His rookie year, he started one game against Concordia on the punt return unit. His second year, he started the season opener against Montreal at wide receiver, and the rest of the year and the playoffs on the punt return and kickoff return units. This past season, he started every game on the punt return, kickoff, kickoff return units, and by the third game of the season, Special Teams Coordinator, Mathieu Bertrand, made him start on the punt unit for the rest of the season and all playoff games. 

I’ve been playing football since I was 12 years old and never won any championships. This year was my first ever by winning the vanier cup with Laval as a team captain. I’ve learned a lot the past 3 years at Laval, on and off the field,” he explains. “Being a part of that great program has made me a better player and a better person. To compete against the best players in the country every practice was the best thing I could ask because it gave me the opportunity to get better every day.”

#88 Marco Dubois (Photo credit: Mike Campbell)

To play football in Quebec City was the “best decision of my life”, Dubois says. If he could pass on some advice for other recruits deliberating on which school is the best fit for them as they go into their senior season of high school football, he would say, “make it your choice”.

Make sure the coaches that recruit you have a clear plan for you. Don’t look at depth charts, if you go to a school and want to compete it’s your job to put it on tape,” he adds. 

With so many people that influence young players nowadays, Dubois says his high school coach from Dalbé-Viau Aigles d’or, Dominique Ménard dedicated countless hours to their program. He would also like to thank his strength coach, David Lavoie (Do more training). Lavoie pushed Dubois to the “limit” every training session and was instrumental in getting him back to the field after his knee injury. 

Some other people that Dubois would like to acknowledge for his success to this point are Chérif Nicolas who was his Cegep coach at Vieux at that time (now head coach for the Bishop’s Gaiters) and gave him his first chance in his third year on the team by making him a starter and believing in him.

He adds, “I’d like to thank Mathieu Bertrand, my special teams coordinator at Laval who has always been there for me, always believed in my abilities on the field and made me enjoy playing on special teams.”

And finally, “I’d like to thank also coaches Spiro Feradouros and Brad Collinson who recruited me at Laval and gave me the privilege to play for the great organization that is the Rouge et Or.”

(thumbnail photo credit: Dorothée Harvey)

 

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

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