Earlier today, the nominees for the 2023 CFL Awards were announced with four Roughriders being nominated, including two multi-award nominees! The CFL Awards happen each year during the Grey Cup Festival. This year, the awards will be presented on Thursday, November 16th.
The nominees from the Saskatchewan Roughriders are: Larry Dean (Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player), Samuel Emilus (Most Outstanding Canadian), Adam Korsak (Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Most Outstanding Rookie), and Logan Ferland (Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman).
LARRY DEAN
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER/ MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER*
Middle linebacker Larry Dean is the model for consistency in a football player. For the second year in a row, he started and played in every game for the Green and White and recorded at least one defensive tackle in all of them. He logged a season-high 12 tackles in Week 16 against the Ottawa REDBLACKS and finished with nine or more tackles in four games. He finished with 104 defensive tackles to complete his second consecutive season with 100-plus defensive tackles, becoming just the second Rider to achieve this feat (first was George White in 2000-01). The captain of the defence, Dean added two sacks, two interceptions, four pass knockdowns, one forced fumble, and one tackle for a loss. His 114 total defensive plays ranks first on the Club and fifth in the CFL. Dean picked up several accolades during the season, such as being named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) Team of the Week in Week 2 and being recognized as the back-to-back run defender of the week in Weeks 5 and 6.
SAMUEL EMILUS
MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN*
If there was one way to describe wide receiver Samuel Emilus’ season, it would probably be something along the lines of “How did he do that?” The second-year Canadian had a breakout season in 2023, setting career highs across the board and moving into the upper echelon of CFL receivers. His high-flying catches and smooth hands were on display all year long as he finished the season with 70 catches for 1,097 yards and six touchdowns. Emilus ranked in the top 10 of most CFL receiving categories, including catches (9th), receiving yards (8th), touchdowns (5th) and second down conversions (9th). As well, his average of 15.7 yards per catch is 7th in the league. He is the fastest Canadian receiver in Rider history to record a 1,000-yard season and was named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the week in Week 2. This is Emilus’ first career award nomination.
ADAM KORSAK
MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER*/ MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIE*
Taken with the third overall pick of the 2023 CFL Global Draft, punter Adam Korsak blew all expectations out of the water in his first professional season. Coming off a collegiate season in which he won the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in NCAA football, Korsak continued to build on that in Saskatchewan. In his first CFL season, Korsak led or finished near the top in the CFL in most punting categories. He recorded 117 punts (tied for 2nd) for 5,609 yards (1st) with a 47.9 average (1st). He added six singles (tied for 2nd) and had nine punts downed inside the 10 (tied for 2nd). Korsak earned PFF Team of the Week honours in Weeks 3 and 16 as the highest graded punter.
LOGAN FERLAND
MOST OUTSTANDING LINEMAN
Home-grown offensive lineman Logan Ferland started all 18 games at right guard, setting a career-high in games played. Versatility is his calling card, as he can be trusted to man any spot along the offensive line. In Week 3 against the Calgary Stampeders, Ferland was forced to move to left tackle early in the game due to an injury-related adjustment. The Riders went on to win that game 29-26 in overtime. In the Labour Day Classic, an injury caused Ferland to shift to right tackle just before halftime. The line held its own as the Green and White upset the Blue Bombers 32-30. The 26-year-old helped open holes for Jamal Morrow, who rushed for 907 yards. Ferland recorded an 83.3 pass blocking grade in Week 20, finishing as the highest-graded offensive lineman in the CFL. This is the second consecutive Most Outstanding Lineman nomination for Ferland.
*denotes unanimous selection
In this first ballot, FRC representatives from each CFL city plus the respective head coach submitted votes for the six categories. Voters were asked to select players from their local CFL club who, through on-field performance excellence, best represent the awards titled – Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Canadian Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Most Outstanding Rookie, and Most Outstanding Special-Teams Player.
The division finalists for the 2023 CFL Awards will be announced on Wednesday, November 1.
