After walking off the field at the end of the 2017 season, quarterback Jakob Loucks was unsure whether he乌鸦传媒檇 ever play football again.
Finding a balance between life, education and sports was presenting its share of challenges for the 20-year-old product of Cornwall, Ont.
That all changed this spring when the Okanagan Sun invited the highly-touted Loucks to pay a visit to Kelowna and see what the had to offer.
乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 think I was going to play again until I took a visit out here and fell in love with the place, the team, the coaches, the scenery,乌鸦传媒� said Loucks. 乌鸦传媒淪o I was like, yeah, I think I乌鸦传媒檒l give this one more shot.乌鸦传媒�
All eyes were on Loucks over the weekend in Kelowna, the most auspicious of the 105 players to take to the field at the Sun乌鸦传媒檚 2018 spring camp.
The in 2016, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound pivot started the last two seasons for the Mount Allison University Mounties in Sackville, NB.
With a solid resum茅 and two years of university ball under his belt, the Sun, not surprisingly, have high expectations of Loucks.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e really impressed with Jakob,乌鸦传媒� said Sun head coach Ben Macauley. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a tough task, coming in with a lot of pressure on you. He乌鸦传媒檚 one of the top recruits in Canada and he乌鸦传媒檒l be expected to perform that way乌鸦传媒e have high expectations for him and so far he乌鸦传媒檚 handling that very well.
乌鸦传媒淥verall, he乌鸦传媒檚 been very impressive physically and mentally.乌鸦传媒�
"I'm extremely excited to add Jakob Loucks to the family for 2018 and beyond. He is one of the top young players that Canada has to off. He embodies what we expect of our players: smart, tough, and high character. He is ready to come in and compete." -
乌鸦传媒� Okanagan Sun (@okanagan_sun)
As for those expectations and living up to the hype, Loucks plans to simply focus his efforts on playing the game.
乌鸦传媒淚 kind of don乌鸦传媒檛 let that stuff affect me, I just put my helmet on and go play football,乌鸦传媒� said Loucks, who passed for 2,859 yards and 16 touchdowns over two seasons at Mount Allison. 乌鸦传媒淧eople can expect what they want, but I乌鸦传媒檓 just going to get on the field and give everything I have.乌鸦传媒�
Other quarterbacks taking reps at Sun camp included Gabe Oliveras, the backup last season at UBC, and Matthew Mahler, who returns from last year乌鸦传媒檚 club.
Nick Wenman, who attended his third spring camp with the Sun, took over as the club乌鸦传媒檚 starter part way through last season. However, Wenman is seriously considering transferring to the university level this fall with Mount Allison.
Thanks to an aggressive and thorough off-season of recruiting by the Sun, Macauley said the coaching staff had an ample crop of intriguing prospects to watch over the course of the three-day camp.
Unlike past years, when the Sun has been hard pressed to find enough talent to line up in the trenches, Macauley said the offensive line could well be the club乌鸦传媒檚 strength in 2018.
Calgary乌鸦传媒檚 Daniel Townsend and Brendan Barnes, both with university experience, along with Danil Balan, from Montreal, are among those expected to bolster the O-line, complimenting the talents of returnees such as Marshall Klein and Liam Hamlyn.
乌鸦传媒淎t this time of the year, to have some strength in numbers along the offensive line is a huge feather in our cap,乌鸦传媒� said Macauley. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e going to work hard to maintain that.乌鸦传媒�
The Sun plans to invite 85 players back for the club乌鸦传媒檚 main training camp beginning July 17.
Okanagan kicks off the 2018 B.C. Football Conference season Aug. 5 in Kamloops.
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