Danny Laramee could have his choice of which university football program he wants to work for in Ottawa.

Less than two years ago, Laramee turned down an opportunity to be the coach of the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Ottawa native could get another chance to say yes or no very soon.

A source told the Sun Ottawa U athletic director Luc Gelineau met with Laramee Thursday morning, hoping to convince Laramee to take the Gee-Gees job. Edmonton Eskimos running backs coach Jamie Barresi turned the job down earlier this week, saying he felt committed to the CFL team for this season.

But later in the day, it’s believed Laramee met with Carleton Ravens coach Steve Sumarah about his team’s vacant defensive co-ordinator job. Carleton had been chasing Leroy Blugh, the former Bishop’s coach and current defensive line coach with Queen’s. But Blugh may have recently turned down a second overture from the Ravens.

Has to be frustrating for the Gee-Gees brass, however (according to The Citizen) it appears as though the message has gotten through.

…though the U of O will be elevating the football program, and others, to “Flagship” status in the coming months, meaning more resources will be allocated to the program. It will also bring the coaching salaries more in line with other CIS programs in Ontario.

OTTAWA – The Carleton Ravens have taken another positive step forward in building their coaching staff for the return of football in 2013.

Chris Coulson joins the Ravens staff after 10 years of coaching with the Ottawa Gee-Gees, serving as their offensive coordinator for seven of those seasons.

A teacher at Brookfield High School in Ottawa, Coulson was the offensive coordinator for the East Ontario U17 team from 2006-09. Under his watch, the provincial squad earned a national championship in 2009.

Born in Belleville, Ont. and listing Thomasburg, Ont. as his hometown, the Acadia University graduate (1998 Kinesiology/Education) was an Axemen captain for two of his five seasons (1994-98), where he played on the offensive line. Coulson also spent some time as a guest coach with the Ottawa Renegades and Buffalo Bills.

“Having someone of Chris’s knowledge and experience on the staff will compliment JP Asselin in building a first rate offence,” said Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. “Chris is a well-known and respected coach in the CIS and having him come on board at such a key position, offensive line, is vital to the success of our program.”

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to join coach Sumarah and the Carleton Ravens football program,” said Coulson. “Through conversations with coach Sumarah and other members of the program, it is apparent that Carleton is creating a competitive environment that will allow for sustained success. Although it was not an easy decision to leave the uOttawa program that I’ve been a part of for over a decade, I’m very confident that I’ve made the best decision for my family and my coaching career.”

With kickoff set for 2013, this off-season is a critical time for recruiting and developing the players that have already committed to be part of the Ravens program.

The Annual AIA Bowl (at least in my mind) serves as the unofficial kickoff to the football season.  A couple of weeks from now, the Invaders and the varsity versions of Myers Riders and Cumberland Panthers will take to the road to get their respective seasons underway.

Coverage of the Bowl Game always seems to be hard to come by so the Sun’s article below is appreciated.  Whatever else I come across will be added at the bottom.

It was a night of heroics for Team Red in the Athletes in Action high school all-star football game at Minto Field.

And in this, the 38th version of the annual game, there were plenty of heroes in Team Red’s 19-7 win over Team White.

There was Nathaniel Hamlin, with an interception and a 70-yard return of a missed field goal.

There was Hamlin’s St. Francis X teammate, Tunde Adeleke, voted most improved Red player.

There was Devon McFarland, the offensive MVP.

There was John Biewald, the defensive MVP.

There was Trevor Thompson, his team’s lineman of the game.

And there was explosive receiver Ricky Lamadeleine, the Red MVP and winner of the Rod Woodward award.

Not to say Team White didn’t have good performances in this city and valley matchup of the best vs. the best.

QB Duncan Lurie was his team’s offensive MVP, Joel Corbin was the defensive MVP, Olivier de Repentigny was his team’s lineman of the game, Alex Johnny was his team’s most improved player and Riley Baines won the Gerry Organ award/

“It was a great experience,” said Team Red’s Thomas Rowlands, from St. Pius, who had a very solid game. “It’s great to see all the other guys who are serious about football.”

Hamlin admitted he was a bit nervous, but quickly lost the jitters.

“I was just able to treat it as a normal game,” he said. “It was great and prepared us for future stuff.”

Full rosters are listed here.

I believe the name stated is Rick Worman, in which case I believe it is the gentleman described below (bio lifted from the Tiger-Cats website, following his hire by that team last year).

Rick Worman enters his first season on the Tiger-Cats coaching staff as the team’s Running Backs Coach.

Worman most recently spent seven seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos, working as a West Coast Scout for four years before joining the coaching staff as Quarterbacks Coach in 2007. He added the title of Offensive Coordinator in 2008.

Prior to joining the Eskimos, Worman spent time as the Head Coach of Arena Football League 2’s Fresno Frenzy in 2002 and the Offensive Coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2001. That season, the Bombers led the league in virtually every offensive category en route to a 14-4 record and a Grey Cup appearance.

As a player, Worman enjoyed a six-year CFL career as a quarterback with the Calgary Stampeders (1986-88, 1990), Edmonton Eskimos (1988-89) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (1991).

Worman put together an outstanding collegiate career at Eastern Washington, where he threw for 2,842 yards as a senior and set 10 school records including career completions (378) and yards (4,964). He would later be selected by the Jacksonville Bulls in the 11th round of the 1986 USFL Draft.

Edit: The Ottawa Sun has an article specific to this now.

…Former CFL QB, coach and scout Rick Worman has been working for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group since mid-March, scouting the U.S. college football scene.

And while that initially may sound odd, the Ottawa CFL team will be allowed to participate in next year’s Canadian college draft — but will only be able to select fourth-year Canadians who have been redshirted and who have used up only three years of eligibility. Ottawa will pick ninth in the college draft, then last in each round. Some CFL teams shy away from these players until the later rounds because usually the kids stay in school for another year.

Ottawa will be able to select up to six from a pool of 17 eligible kids, including two Ottawa-area players — offensive lineman Brander Craighead (Texas El-Paso) and defensive end Connor Williams (Utah State).

“Who’s going to be available with the ninth or 18th pick in the draft? I don’t know. But of the 17, four or five have the potential to be starters,” said Worman…

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind adventure for Worman — lots of time in airports and in rental cars.

“I’ve been from Virginia to Florida to Alabama to North Dakota to Indiana to Michigan to Utah to Oregon. I was in 10 states in 10 days. It was crazy. It seems like I’ve been everywhere,” said Worman, who spent last season as running backs coach in Hamilton.

With a mutual CFL connection, Worman and OSEG’s Jeff Hunt started talking in January.

“We couldn’t let this opportunity pass,” said Hunt. “We’ve always believed time is an asset and this is a start.”

“I wasn’t going back to Hamilton with the coaching change, so this really intrigued me,” said Worman. “I know a lot about the league, I was part of it for 15 years. The CFL is ingrained in my blood.

“Jeff’s motivation was to hit the ground running. It wasn’t like I get my jollies out of travel, but they wanted me to put together a plan of attack. This is really intriguing, starting this thing from ground zero. I was part of an expansion team in Fresno (Arena Football League), and we started with Ricky Ray as our quarterback.”

It was important for the Ottawa CFL group to get some eyes watching the U.S. college spring camps, with about a six-week window to do it.

“Some of these guys are good players at big schools in a backup capacity,” said Worman. “So it’s hard to evaluate a guy if you don’t have video. In spring camp, every guy gets time on the field. It’s a big deal. There were 40,000 people at the game in Oregon. This gives me a chance to watch them and list them one to 17.”

The Wettges Conference, which houses Myers and Cumberland, won the game 25-23.  Participants are listed below, along with their high school (a feature I love to see).

QB Michael Arruda, Philemon Wright
DB Nathaniel Hamlin, St Francis Xavier
DB Jordan Gorgichuk, All Saints
RB Stefano Napolitano, Sacred Heart
WR Julien DaSilva, St Matthew
LB Ethan Goulet, Mother Teresa
WR Kevin Duprey, Philemon Wright
DL Matt Cook, St Peter
LB Jacob Pierscianowski, Colonel By
DL Joey Belanger, Holy Trinity
OL Tyler Young, Sacred Heart
WR Andrew Ellis, St Mark
DL Alexandre Vendette, Embrun

Pretty nice distribution.  Good to see a player from CSDCEO champion Embrun sneak in there too.

Arruda earned Offensive MVP recognition, Young received the Offensive Line MVP nod and Belanger received the same for the defensive line.

Just some of the names to file away for future reference as the 2012 season gets set to begin.

Not the pick,but the claim that Bilukidi’s from Ottawa.  Here’s how the Ottawa Sun summarizes his younger years.

Bilukidi played three years at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He was born in Angola and lived in France and Brazil before moving to Canada and attending St. Patrick’s High school in Ottawa, where he played only one year of football. He then attended an American junior college — Eastern Arizona.

One year.  This sounded like one of these deals where as long as he was doing well, he was “from” Ottawa.  Had he been caught with a car trunk full of performance-enhancing drugs, he’d be “Angola-born” Christo Bilukidi.

But I looked up his Georgia State bio and wouldn’t you know it, it lists Ottawa as his home town.  Clearly then there’s more to it then just trying to bask in the guy’s glow a bit.  The Sun article mentions that Bilukidi was a four-year starter on St. Patrick’s basketball team so evidently he spent a fair amount of time here.

Good for him then.  He is also considered a prospect in the CFL draft so we’ll see what being chosen by the Raiders does for him there as well.

It’s also a good recap of the club’s achievements in its relatively short existence.  Read on:

The Gatineau Vikings are pleased to announce that four of its former players have made it to the final cut of the Quebec U-18 provincial Football program.    The process started in March with 450 players across Quebec trying out for the Provincial team.   There are currently 100 players left for the last camp in June.   At that time, 50 players will be selected to represent Quebec at the National Championship to be held in London Ontario in July.

The players and positions are as follows

Mike Aruda   QB
Griffin Harding  DL
Pat Davis  OL
Mathieu Bradley  R

All four of these players played with the Vikings for 4 seasons or more.   Also the Vikings had four former players ( Mike Aruda,  Griffin Harding,  Pat Davis and Thomas Carrier) selected for the 2011 Quebec U-17 Challenge Wilson Cup all-star team.    Both Pat Davis and Griffin Harding would be eligible to participate at the U-18 level in 2013 as well as they are just 16)

The Vikings enter its 7th season as a club participating in the National Capital Amateur Football Association.   The club has yet to win an A cup, but that has never been the sole goal.   We have always stressed developed of the player, over trophies.   At the present time, the club has fourteen players playing in the OVFL at 3 levels.    This year will also see our first crop of graduates take the field in Quebec CEGEP league.   Currently there are nine former players trying out with the Outaouais Griffons, who are coached by former Ottawa U Head Coach Denis Piche.

In 2007, the Gatineau Vikings started a tackle football house league for boys aged 8 to 12.   The slogan of the league was and still is,  “everyone hits, everyone plays”.  Teams are limited to 20 players, allowing for full participation, we have seen over 1200 boys and girls taste the sport during the last six years.   It’s grassroots football the way it should be.   Fun.   Interestingly enough, all the players that I’ve mentioned in the above paragraph either started or have played in the LFMO (La Ligue de football mineur de l’Outaouais).

Finally, the club is also proud to launch our post secondary bursary program.   All former players who have played for us at the pee-wee level are eligible to apply for a 1000 dollar bursary to attend a post secondary school or equivalent technical training program once they have graduated high school.  The club will be handing out 5 of these 1000 dollar bursaries a year.    We will be announcing the 2012 winners in August.

I then glanced over to the “related stories” box on the page only to see the press release about his hiring by Carleton University to the offensive coordinator role.

There were no times indicated on either release but the dates were the same.  There was no chance that the first had been sent out a day or two before and I’d missed it.  Clearly they were sent nearly one after the other.

Raise your hand if you thought this was a huge middle finger by Carleton to their in-town rival.  Who wouldn’t?

Apparently you’d be wrong.

I held off choosing a specific article about this move knowing there would be many and wanting to keep the most thorough one for future reference.  Instead, I’m going to pick bits from several.  Although, for the record, The Charlatan had the best coverage overall, in my opinion.

So let’s start with them.

In one of his first big moves as head coach, (Carleton Head Coach Steve) Sumarah and the newly revived Ravens football program announced the hiring of J.P. Asselin as the team’s offensive co-ordinator April 19 — less than an hour after the Gee-Gees announced Asselin’s resignation as their head coach.

“I’m sure once we get playing, there will be a rivalry, but right now it’s all about making Carleton the best football program that we can,” said Sumarah…

To suggest there was any gamesmanship involved with the hiring is “humorous,” he added.

I hope that Sumarah isn’t pretending that the reaction, or assumption, comes as a surprise to any member of Carleton’s program.  THAT would be humourous. Of course people will assume that very thing!

Would it have killed Carleton to wait until Monday or Tuesday to make the announcement?  Does the recruiting of a specific player hinge on Asselin’s presence?  I doubt it.  So what’s the hurry?  From the outside looking in, the only perceptible reason IS making your rival look like asses.

To be clear, I’m not getting into the head of a group of people that I’ve either never met or only spoken to briefly.  It may very well have been done innocently.  But the perception from media, fans, etc, have is perfectly normal and, frankly, should have been predictable.  So if you didn’t intend for it to exist, it could have been easily avoided.

That being said, the U. of O. might benefit from the jolt.  They’ve been the only game in town for a while now and may have gotten into too comfortable a groove as a result.

Let’s move to the Citizen for a second…

Asselin found it difficult to spend the proper amount of time coaching the Gee-Gees because his contract also made him responsible for program fundraising, alumni commitments, and other off-field duties.

He was offered the offensive co-ordinator coaching job at Carleton about 10 days ago by Ravens’ head coach Steve Sumarah and accepted it because it was strictly coaching.

…and back to the Charlatan:

Ultimately, Asselin said he made the switch because he wanted to get back to what he loved: coaching. As head coach of the Gee-Gees, he was too often bogged down with things like alumni development and fundraising.

…

And with his new job, Asselin said he won’t even have to take a pay cut. Neither party involved would comment on the specifics of the three-year contract, but the Ravens advertised a salary of between $55,000 and $65,000 per year in the job posting for the position.

So…you were offered more (or equal) money with fewer responsibilities? And the tasks that you are still responsible for are the ones you prefer?

I don’t doubt that there was a difficult aspect to the decision.  A number of people (students, coaches, etc) have made life-altering decisions based on your presence and position within the program.

But who could refuse an offer to do only the parts that you enjoy of your current job for equal or greater money?

From that perspective, Asselin would have been a fool to turn down the offer.  At the end of the day, as geegeesfan fan points out in comments to prior articles, the U. of O. is going to have to clue in that they need to raise their game to another level.

So where do we go from here, and what can we expect?  Let’s add the Ottawa Sun to the mix:

Charlatan: Currently, Sumarah said he has about 20 verbal commitments from players hoping to join the Ravens when they return to Ontario University Athletics competition in 2013…

But hiring a defensive co-ordinator is next on his to-do list. Sumarah said he hopes to have someone in place within the next month.

Ottawa Sun: The Ravens interviewed four of the 34 applicants for the two co-ordinator positions. It’s believed former Bishops coach and Queen’s defensive line coach Leroy Blugh was one of those four and is high on Carleton’s wishlist.

Ottawa Sun: After deciding he was leaving for the Ravens, Asselin called some of the Gee-Gees’ top recruits to let them know about his decision and told them that they should continue with their commitment … that “they chose the school and they should go with that school.”

The Gee-Gees’ spring camp next week has been cancelled, but the players have talked privately about going through with the workouts on their own.

And as stated in their press release, the Gee-Gees will appoint a head coach in an interim position for 2012 and seek a new “full time” head man for 2013.  The rumour is that Marcel Bellefeuille, coach of the 2000 Vanier Cup winning Gee-Gees team, is tight with the current U. of O. brass and would be a favourite.

Mitch Graham – 5’10″, 185 lbs. – Defensive Back (Kanata, Ont.)
Mitch Graham adds to a growing list of Axemen recruits from the Ontario East Canada cup team. An aggressive and versatile player, with the ability to play outside linebacker or defensive back in the Axemen defense. A highly decorated football player Mitch was an invitee to the US Army All-American combine and was a standout in the Football University Camp where he was named a FBU “top gun”.

James Mau – 6’0″, 220 lbs. – Linebacker – Myers Riders (Ottawa, Ont.)
James Mau comes to the Axemen after completing two stellar seasons with the Myers Riders Junior football program in Ottawa. James is recognized as being one of the most aggressive and physical linebackers in the OVFL. James was named as an OVFL All-Star and the Athletes in Action All-Star game defensive Most Valuable Player.

Connor McCrudden – 6’, 220 lbs – Defensive Line – St. Marks High School (Ottawa, Ont.)
Connor is an athletic and physically strong defensive lineman who is willing to work just like so many other great D linemen

Elie-Joseph Maroun – 5’9″, 175 lbs. – Defensive Back – Champlain CEGEP (Gatineau, Que.)
Elie comes to the Axemen after two seasons with the CEGEP Champlain Cougars. Elie is a very intelligent and athletic defensive back who will push to see action in the 2012 season. With great cover skills and the will to compete, Elie is another great addition to the defensive backfield.

Brad Hinton – 5’ 8″, 165 lbs. – Defensive Back – Myers Riders (Ottawa, Ont.)
Brad is known by his coaches as an incredibly physical and hard hitting free safety. With an understanding of the game and desire to compete, Brad rounds out an impressive defensive back recruiting class. Brad is an OVFL All Star and three time Canada Cup team member

As usual, I’ll look around to see what else I can find out about these guys and add whatever I find to the info above.

JPA, you’ve made things interesting around here again, that’s for sure.

OTTAWA – Carleton University’s department of recreation and athletics is pleased to announce that Jean-Philippe Asselin has been named the offensive co-ordinator of the Ravens varsity football program.

Previously, Asselin was the head coach of the Ottawa Gee-Gees for the 2010 and 2011 seasons and their assistant offensive co-ordinator from 2008 to 2009. During that time, he boasted an overall regular season record of 12-4 and made the Yates Cup in 2010.

“I am extremely excited that our program was able to attract a coach of JP’s ability and knowledge,” said Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah. “He knows what it is like to be a leader of a winning program, and to do that in Ottawa is fantastic.”

“JP is a proven recruiter, not only in the Ottawa area, but also across Canada,” Sumarah added. “His addition, along with the beginning of construction of a brand new locker-room and the exciting new stadium upgrades, are key facets in building the program.”

“I am very excited to be part of such a promising football program and I am looking forward to working with coach Sumarah,” Asselin said.