This is a week to celebrate great performances and to look forward to a few more.

The CFL Awards on Thursday are a chance to highlight some of the league’s top performers after an exciting regular season. The 112th Grey Cup on Sunday, meanwhile, crowns the best of the best after a year’s worth of work for everyone involved.

CFL.ca’s writers pooled their picks together to choose a winner in each category for the CFL Awards, on Thursday, November 13.

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WHO WILL WIN MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER?

 

Kristina Costabile: Bo Levi Mitchell had an outstanding season, leading the CFL in passing yards (5,296), passing touchdowns (36), throwing just 11 interceptions and had a passer rating of 106.2. Mitchell missed out on winning MOP in 2024, and I don’t think he misses this year after leading his Ticats to the top of the East Division.

Jose Ferraz: Nathan Rourke. Even though Bo Levi Mitchell might be just as deserving, Rourke’s season was exactly what the Lions envisioned when they brought him back in 2024. The pivot gained close to 6,000 yards from scrimmage (5,290 passing, 564 rushing) while also scoring 41 touchdowns.

Pat Steinberg: My guess is Nathan Rourke. The roll he went on in the second half of the season was pretty spectacular, and the fact that he got the All-CFL nod at quarterback speaks to that.

Matthew Cauz: When you happen to be both the best passing and running quarterback in the league, the choice is an easy one. I expect Bo Levi Mitchell to get plenty of support, but there is no quarterback harder to defend against than the BC Lions starter.

Don Landry: I think that Nathan Rourke will wind up with the MOP trophy. His passing numbers are comparable to Bo Levi Mitchell’s, even with two fewer starts. And his rushing totals are impressive.

Marshall Ferguson: Nathan Rourke has been special this season, Bo Levi Mitchell‘s 2025 revival in Black & Gold can’t be denied but I believe the voters will lean Rourke.

Jamie Nye: Nathan Rourke. While Bo and Nathan’s passing stats point to Mitchell, it’s what Nathan has done running the ball that sets him apart.

WHO WILL WIN MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIE?

Costabile: Devin Veresuk started his first game in Week 4 against the Montreal Alouettes and immediately made an impact, scoring a pick-six. Ever since then, the first-year linebacker played at a high level, patrolling the middle of the defence in his first CFL season.

Ferraz: Devin Veresuk. It is very rare for a rookie to step into a starting role and perform as well as Veresuk did. The linebacker had a full stat sheet in 2025, registering two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and two defensive touchdowns scored (a pick-six and a fumble return).

Steinberg: I think Devin Veresuk takes it home with how he helped Hamilton’s defence from a high leverage position.

Cauz: Trey Vaval. Winnipeg’s newest special teams weapon is the clear winner. The leader in punt return yards, Vaval hit the magical return trifecta as he scored touchdowns on a kickoff, punt and a missed field goal.

Landry: Hamilton linebacker Devin Veresuk gets the nod for outstanding rookie. Not only did he earn a starting role very early in his rookie season, he took that role and made himself indispensable in the middle of the Ticats’ defence.

Ferguson: Trey Vaval was electric this season, he lifted the Bombers so often when they dearly needed the juice and his immediate feel for the CFL return game means this is anything but the end of the road for his return theatrics.

Nye: Trey Vaval. The wow factor of the plays Vaval made are too hard to ignore for the voters.

 

WHO WILL WIN MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER?

Costabile: Julian Howsare’s impact on the Tiger-Cats’ defence this season can’t be understated. Sure, he finished second in sacks (13), but even more important, he was constantly disrupting quarterbacks. Howsare ended the regular season with the most pressures, according to PFF, with 75 and had two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a pick-six.

Ferraz: Julian Howsare enjoyed a career season in his first year back with the Black and Gold. Not only did he finish second in sacks, but he also forced two fumbles, registered one interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown. He also led the league in pressures (75) according to PFF, five more than Mathieu Betts, who finished a close second.

Steinberg: This one is tougher to gauge, but with Betts leading the league with 15 sacks and four forced fumbles, my guess is he brings home this award for the second time in three years.

Cauz: I’ll go with Julian Howsare. How many members of the secondary who made the All-CFL team benefitted from the constant pressure Howsare applied?

Landry: Call it two for Mathieu Betts. Both he and Julian Howsare had tremendous campaigns, but lots of voters like sacks and Betts’ red-hot stretch run allows for recency bias to kick in too.

Ferguson: Mathieu Betts second half tear this season proves his top end is better than any pass rusher in the CFL. If he can sustain that for most of a season or most of it for his career the numbers by the end of either will be stunning and 2025 adds to his hardware collection.

Nye: Mathieu Betts. Betts was red hot down the stretch and with sacks being such an important stat, he led the league.

WHO WILL WIN MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN?

Costabile: Nathan Rourke will win Most Outstanding Canadian. Rourke had a sensational year, ending the year just behind Mitchell in passing yards (5,290) and touchdowns (31), averaging a whopping 10.6 yards per throw. He’s the best Canadian to play our game.

Ferraz: Nathan Rourke. Most passing yards ever by a Canadian, first Canadian to throw for over 4,000 and 5,000 yards. This one is a no-brainer.

Steinberg: If it feels like Rourke is the MOP frontrunner, then him being named MOC feels like the biggest shoo-in there is this year.

Cauz: Rourke. We all know it will be Rourke, so I’ll use this space for his excellent teammate, Mathieu Betts. For the second time in his career, Betts is your CFL sacks leader. Love seeing the 2023 version back in our game.

Landry: If I’ve got Nathan Rourke winning MOP, can’t very well have him NOT winning MOC as well. I mean, I could, since he’s up against a defensive player in this category. But, no, it’s Rourke.

Ferguson: Rourke is an unstoppable freight train of award recognition this November.

Nye: Nathan Rourke. You can’t win MOP and not win the other one!!