Bombers’ Brady Oliveira named CFL’s outstanding player, top Canadian

By Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press on November 14, 2024.

VANCOUVER – Brady Oliveira stole the show at the CFL awards banquet.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back captured the George Reed Most Outstanding Player honour and was named top Canadian for a second straight year Thursday night. Oliveira led the West Division to four of the seven top individual awards.

Oliveira and the Bombers face the Toronto Argonauts in the Grey Cup on Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium. Winnipeg is in the game for a fifth straight year and chasing a third title.

Also honoured were Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. (defensive player), Edmonton’s Nick Anderson (rookie), Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (lineman) and Janarion Grant (special-teams) and Montreal’s Jason Maas (coach of the year).

Voting was conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and nine CFL head coaches. In total, 56 votes were completed.

Saskatchewan long-snapper Jorgen Hus earned the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award (possessing attributes of Canada’s veterans) while Winnipeg linebacker Adam Bighill received the Tom Pate Memorial Award (community service). B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman was presented the Commissioner’s award.

Carolyn Cody, B.C.’s vice-president of business operations and marketing, received the Jane Mawby Tribute award.

Oliveira, 27, of Winnipeg, earned a second straight CFL rushing title with 1,353 yards. A finalist last year, the five-foot-11, 222-pound Oliveira also topped the league in yards from scrimmage (1,829) for a second consecutive year in garnering 31 votes.

Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell was the finalist after leading the CFL in passing (career-best 5,451 yards) and TDs (32). The 34-year-old Texan won this award in 2016 and ’18 with Calgary.

Oliveira received 55 votes as top Canadian.

Montreal defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund was the finalist. The six-foot-two, 248-pound Dartmouth, N.S., native had a CFL-best nine tackles for a loss and team-high seven sacks while registering a career-best 36 tackles.

The five-foot-11, 200-pound Milligan received 35 votes after leading the CFL in interceptions and defensive takeaways (both eight) and registered 111 defensive plays (fifth overall). He was also third in special-teams tackles (20) and helped Saskatchewan rank first in forced turnovers (49), forced fumbles (17) and fumble recoveries (14) and second in interceptions (24).

Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette was the finalist. He made a CFL-high 137 defensive plays — including 102 tackles to stand fourth — and was second overall in tackles for a loss (eight) while adding five sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Hunter, of North Bay, Ont., received 40 votes in becoming the second Argo to be named top lineman as teammate Dejon Allen was last year’s winner. The six-foot-three, 315-pound Hunter played guard and tackle as Toronto finished second overall in rushing (121.3 yards per game) and third in offensive scoring (26.2 points) and net offence (368.7 yards).

Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland was the finalist. Ferland, of Melfort, Sask., started all 18 regular-season games, playing guard, tackle and centre.

Maas received 30 votes after guiding Montreal (league-best 12-5-1 record) atop the East Division for the first time since 2012 after leading the franchise to a Grey Cup title last year, his first as head coach. The Als last recorded 12 regular-season wins in 2010.

Corey Mace, who led Saskatchewan (9-8-1) to second in the West Division in his first season as head coach, was the finalist.

The five-foot-nine, 157-pound Grant is the second Toronto special-teams winner as Javon Leake earned it last year. Grant led the CFL in punt-returns yards (career-high 989), average (14.8 yards) and TDs (three) and total return touchdowns (four) while setting career highs in punt returns (67), kickoff returns (41) and kickoff return yards (1,000).

B.C. kicker Sean Whyte was the finalist after making 50-of-53 field goals — 94.3 per cent — for a second straight year while making 36-of-38 converts.

The five-foot-11, 242-pound Anderson finished tied with teammate Nyles Morgan for most defensive tackles (111) and second in both total tackles (116) and defensive plays (130) in 18 regular-season games.

Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges was the finalist. He had a team-high 83 catches (club record for first-year players) with 933 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.