Samuel Ducharme spent the late spring showing off his offensive lineman skills to the Montreal Alouettes and that has him revved up for his final season at Bishops University.
The St-Hippolyte, Que., native impressed the coaching staff at pro camp, where he was part of a Canadian Football League program that sees each team bring in local university talent for some skill development and experience.
Now 25, the lineman left pro camp with a head full of new ideas and skills.
“The technical steps, as an O Lineman we have a lot of technical steps to do, I’ll have to really work on that, and toughness,” said Ducharme, who will be a free agent after this CIS season. “Those guys are pretty big, I have to work hard, I have to push hard so I want to bring toughness to the game.”
Ducharme played his final Homecoming game with the Gaiters last weekend at Coulter Field, losing 10-7 to Mount Allison, after receiving an extended year of eligibility due to the lost COVID-19 season in USports.
The Gaiters veteran brought his winning attitude to the field, showing he can compete with the best. He put on a blocking show and was everywhere trying to rally his team to their first homecoming victory since he has joined the team in 2017.
Ducharme was extremely humbled by the opportunity to have been in the training camp with the Alouettes.
“My pass protection is something I really need to focus on and really improve,” said Ducharme.
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Ducharme loves the culture the Alouettes have established and felt welcomed by coaches and players alike, the opportunity to practice in front of friends and family 45 minutes north of his hometown is a bonus.
“All the guys were really nice with me, the coaches and players made me feel like I was part of the family” said Ducharme. “Veterans who really supported me through the camp were guys like David Foucault, Sean Jamieson. and Kristian Matte”.
The opportunity to be a part of the official team’s roster for the Montreal Alouettes would be a dream come true for the Quebec athlete, but before he makes the jump the CFL, he hopes to leave a lasting impact on and off the field with the Gaiters, being named one of the offensive captains this past Friday.