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Published Oct 30, 2025 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 2 minute read
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Kick returner Trey Vaval, who played a little defence on the side, is a finalist for the Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Awards. Photo by Winnipeg SunArticle content
Only one Winnipeg Blue Bomber is up for a CFL player award this year, but he was so good he could come home with two.
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Kick returner Trey Vaval, who played a little defence on the side, is a finalist for the Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player awards.
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The league finalists were unveiled on Thursday, just hours before the Bombers boarded a plane to Montreal, where they take on the Alouettes in a crossover East Division semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
Vaval will play a key role in the game and again during Grey Cup week in Winnipeg, regardless of what happens on Saturday. But first things, first.
The 25-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo., didn’t dress for the final regular-season game and earlier this week said the rest did wonders for him.
“I feel amazing, man. I for sure needed that,” he said. “This is the most games I’ve ever played in a season. I had a month-long camp, two pre-season games. So yeah, I sure needed that rest. I for sure felt it in my body.”
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The most games Vaval ever played in a college year was 14, two of them playoff games.
The pressure of a win-or-go-home scenario doesn’t seem to bother him.
“Nothing is guaranteed,” he said. “So not taking nothing for granted. There’s a lot of people that have been to Grey Cups and made runs in the playoffs here, so I’m just trusting my guys around me and just following them.
“It’s exciting for me. I don’t really feel nervous. I like big games. I like the pressure. So no nerves in this. I’m just super juiced.”
Vaval will stack up his league-leading four return touchdowns against Canadian linebacker Devin Veresuk of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the top rookie award.
Veresuk, the second-overall pick in this year’s draft, burst onto the scene with 67 tackles, two quarterback sacks, an interception for a touchdown and a fumble recovery for another major.
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Vaval chipped in 21 tackles and an interception for the Winnipeg defence.
For the top special teams player award, he’ll face competition from a former Bomber, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, who booted an Argos record 57 field goals, the fifth-best total in CFL history. Hajrullahu’s 12 field goals from 50 yards or more was also a record.
The rest of Winnipeg’s nominees were shut out from the awards, including Brady Oliveira as most outstanding player and top Canadian, both trophies he won last year.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke is the West nominee in both categories this time.
Rourke will face Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell for the top prize, and is up against Montreal D-lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund for the best Canadian award.
The top defensive player will be either Mathieu Betts of B.C. or Julian Howsare of Hamilton.
While Winnipeg’s Stanley Bryant isn’t up for another top O-lineman award, his former teammate, Jermarcus Hardrick of Saskatchewan, is. The East nominee is the Ticats’ Brandon Revenberg.
The coach-of-the-year finalists are Corey Mace of the Riders and Jason Maas of the Alouettes.
Awards night is the Thursday of Grey Cup week at the Club Regent Event Centre.
paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca
X: @friesensunmedia
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