(Saint-Jérôme) Announced Monday, the arrival of Geoffrey Cantin-Arku at the Montreal Alouettes camp was somewhat relegated to second place on Tuesday in Saint-Jérôme. That doesn’t mean the organization wasn’t happy to welcome its first pick from the last draft.
Cantin-Arku, a defensive back chosen with the ninth overall selection on April 30, spent the weekend at the NFL’s Miami Dolphins mini-camp. Once the Levisian learned he was not accepted, he quickly took Interstate 95 northbound.
“I had a very good camp, I caused some turnovers. I made sure the coaches knew my name at the end of camp,” Cantin-Arku said. I put this experience in my backpack, but I have to keep moving forward. »
“He called me on Saturday to share the news of what had happened in Miami, that he was returning home and that he wanted me to contact his agent,” said Danny Maciocia, the general manager of the Alouettes. It took 48 hours. »
While he feels he did well with the Dolphins, was Cantin-Arku tempted to wait for another call from the NFL?
“These are conversations I had with my agent,” he admitted. It’s a possibility that I will still receive calls from NFL teams, but I am fully focused on the Alouettes and the goal of bringing home a Gray Cup again this year.
“I’ve been playing in the United States for five years. My family is speechless to see me return so quickly. I am very happy to be here. »
His main task will be to master the game book, but also to rediscover Canadian football.
“I’m on that; It shouldn’t be too long,” he assured.
“We will do our best to relearn Canadian football. I think he will be able to do it quickly, said head coach Jason Maas. But from what we know about him, from what we’ve seen on film, there’s a reason we drafted him so high. We wanted to see him quickly and we are excited that he is with us. »
“I still have some work to do, but it shouldn’t take too long [à apprendre le cahier de jeux]added Cantin-Arku. […] I’m focusing on one position for the moment, to maximize my chances of finding myself on the field. »
Does he think he can carve out a place for himself in the Alouettes’ well-stocked secondary?
“It’s my consistency on the field and my ability to make plays that will ensure that I find a place, but I am confident that I will see a lot of field. »