X-Men sign recruits from three provinces

Recruits from Ontario, New Brunswick and Alberta join AUS team’s 2015 class.

The St. Francis Xavier (St.FX) X-Men have announced that three recruits have committed to the football program.

John Comeau, Griffin Seeley and Gordon Whyte will all join the X-Men for the 2015 AUS season.

“Our entire staff and athletics administration here at X is excited about the first commits of the 2015 class,” commented X-Men Head Coach Gary Waterman.  ““X15” The program has so many great things on the horizon and recruits are taking notice.”

JOHN COMEAU:

The 6’3, 220 pound fullback/tight end from St. Albert, Alberta was the first commit for the X-Men’s 2015 class.  Comeau recently played for Bellrose Bulldogs of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA).

X-Men Offensive and Recruiting Coordinator Steve Snyder released the following official statement regarding Comeau’s commitment:

“John is a big, strong, physical player who really enjoys the physical preparation required to become a great football player. We want to continue to build our program around, intelligent, tough and passionate student-athletes. John fits that description to a T.”

“John has a brother on our team; our starting center James Comeau recently received his X-Ring.  Mr. and Mrs. Comeau were on campus to celebrate the X-Ring ceremony with James and they came by the office to talk with Coach Waterman and myself. They were so thankful to St.FX and our football program for playing such a large part in James’s maturation; they’re thrilled to be sending another son to such a great university.”

“John is a 6’3 220 pound player who could really play a number of position’s, he is currently playing high school basketball and remains dedicated to the strength and conditioning element of football. We welcome John as the first commit of the 2015 X-Men recruiting class.”

For his part, it is a dream realized for Comeau to have the opportunity to suit up alongside his brother while carrying on a sibling tradition within the football program.

“For starters, being the younger brother of current St.FX offensive lineman, James Comeau has sparked a dream to one day play together on the same offence for St.FX,” expressed the St. Albert native.  “Especially since the school is known for producing extremely talented pairs of brothers like Henoc and Cauchy Muamba, or Jesse and Jerome Stevens.”

Moreover, he was impressed on his official visit to the Antigonish, Nova Scotia campus as well as what Waterman had to say.

“Another reason I chose to commit to St.FX was because I met Head Coach Gary Waterman in person on his recruiting trip across Canada; all the wonderful things he spoke about the school, campus, football program immediately put them on my radar,” added Comeau.  “Just last February, I was fortunate enough to fly down to Antigonish and experience things for myself.”
“The school campus is absolutely stunning and the whole trip was immediate incentive to start training harder and getting the grades it takes to get into their distinguished Kinesiology program.”

There were a couple of additional factors that tipped the scale towards the X-Men.

“The school has five St.FX Alumni who are active players on (my home team) the Edmonton Eskimos,” said Comeau.  “I’ve done my research and found truth that St.FX football produces professional level players which is a big part of what I want from a school.”

GRIFFIN SEELEY:

The 6’2, 230 pound defensive lineman from Saint John, New Brunswick will be making the move to Nova Scotia to suit up for the X-Men.  Seeley recently completed a stint with Saint Malachy’s Saints of the New Brunswick High School Football League (NBHSFL). This past season, he racked four blocked punts, five forced fumbles, recorded seven sacks and two touchdowns.

“Griffin is a tough player, who really has room to grow,” commented Snyder.  “We are excited about where Griffin can be after a year in our strength program.”

“He is a very hard working young man, a great student who comes from a very respectful, disciplined family. It was a pleasure having Griffin, his father and grandfather on campus. We have had a success with blue collar type of players coming from Saint John, New Brunswick. We want to continue that pipeline. Griffin’s visit was fantastic. We could tell right away this was going to be a great fit for both us and Seeley family. Griffin really gravitated to the StFX brand and the academic side of things. He committed shortly after returning home to New Brunswick.”

Ultimately, the strength of both the academic and gridiron programs were the decisive factors in Seeley’s decision.

“I picked St.FX because I know I will get a great education in the course that I wanted to take,” explained the Saint John defensive lineman, who has also played at both the fullback and long snapper positions. “The campus was amazing and residence was very nice, it is a place that I believe I could call home.”

“As well as getting a great education and comfortable living, I have a chance to play on a great team. The St.FX football program is a great and strong program that is getting stronger.  It has awesome tradition and the team seems like a family. I look forward to help this program anyway possible and be a part of that family.”

GORDON WHYTE:

The 6’2, 230 pound linebacker from Toronto, Ontario recently completed his high school career with St. Michael’s College Kerry Blues of the Conference Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA).  This past season, Whyte registered 60 tackles (led the team, recorded three sacks, caught an interception and also had a forced fumble. He also was a captain for the team.

Moreover, the linebacker has also played for both the Toronto Jr Argonauts of the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) and Metro Toronto Wildcats of the Ontario Varsity Football League.  Whyte was ranked on the first edition of the CFC 100 and has been named as CITY TV Athlete of the Week.

“Gordon is a St. Michael’s College standout, and we think he is an excellent addition to X-Men football,” expressed Snyder.  “Gordon has been coached by former X-Men Frank Trentadue, current head coach at St. Michael’s.”

“He has responded well to coach Trentadue’s passionate approach to coaching and that excites us. At 6’2 230 pounds Gordon has had tremendous experiences playing football. A team captain at St. Mike’s, Metro Toronto Wildcats Offensive MVP and Toronto Junior Argos, this young man has put in work.   We really enjoyed having Gordon’s family on campus. As soon as Gordon got back to Toronto we received a phone call, he was all in and ready to become an X-Men. Gordon really seemed to respect and embrace the great traditions here at StFX.”

Overall, the atmosphere, reputation and tradition of the Antigonish campus appealed to Whyte.

“Not only did I choose St.FX because of its beautiful campus, but because of the tradition they have with their football program,” said Whyte.  “Walking through the halls while visiting and talking with some alumni, it felt like a brotherhood between athletes.”

“Not just with athletes but between everyone in the school. It’s somewhere you can fit in easily and get to know a lot of new people.”

Furthermore, academics played a significant part in his choice.

“Another reason for choosing this school was because of the programs in which I will be studying,” added the Toronto linebacker.  “Going into the visit, I was not specifically looking at a certain program but I was trying to decide between Business and General Arts.”

“Following the visit, it gave me a better perspective as the programs are very broad so there’s no need to rush into deciding what to study. Each program opens you up to new thoughts about likes and interests so when second year comes around I will have a better idea of what I would like to study and focus on.”

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