York University Lions head football coach Warren Craney announced on Monday the commitment of two big recruits to the program for the 2016 season.
The Lions closed 2015 by signing defensive lineman Skye King from Calgary and linebacker Damian Jamieson from Oakville, Ont.
“We’ve had a strong start to the off-season, and having Damian and Skye commit just before the end of the year is huge for our program,” said Craney. “Our focus this year has been on recruiting big men to join the young skill players we added last season, and we are off to a great start. Both of them will make an immediate impact on our team and I am looking forward to having them with us for the next five years.”
King, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound tackle, is the latest in a strong group of players from Calgary who have chosen to head east to play for the Lions. He was teammates with Lions receiver Colton Hunchak – who recently completed his first season at York by being named an OUA all-rookie team member – on the prestigious Notre Dame High School team that has dominated Alberta football in recent years. While playing for the senior team for two seasons, he helped the Pride win back-to-back provincial championships in 2013 and 2014.
In 2015, he was selected for Team South for Alberta’s 26th Senior Bowl, and this past season he played for the Calgary Colts in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).
Jamieson, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker, is a local product who played high school football at White Oaks Secondary School. He also spent multiple seasons in the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) with the Halton Cowboys and, most recently, the Mississauga Warriors. He was the recipient of the team’s Warrior Award last season and also won the top linebacker award at York’s high school camp last summer.
King and Jamieson join a recruiting class that also includes standout defensive end Rossini Sandjong-Djabome and running back Kayden Johnson, who have both represented Canada on the junior national team, as well as offensive linemen Braedon Ashford and Scott Powers, linebackers Andrew Batman, Matthew Becks and Tyler Paul, defensive backs Spencer Agard and Kadeem Thomas, quarterback Steven Aichele and kicker Enzo Lariccia.
The recruits will make their Lions debut along with the rest of the team on Sunday, Aug. 28, when the squad hosts the Waterloo Warriors in their season opener at York Stadium.