Photo courtesy: James Hajjar/Carabins

A Vanier Cup victory has cemented Pepe Gonzalez as arguably the best first-year player in the history of Canadian university football, but he doesn’t seem to be satisfied yet.

“I’m gonna work extra hard in the offseason, hopefully put some pounds on me,” the 20-year-old told reporters as the confetti rained down on Saturday. “We’re gonna keep the same energy, the same attitude, and we set the bar high. We’ve just got to maintain it for next year.”

Gonzalez led the Montreal Carabins to a 30-16 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies in the 60th Vanier Cup. The Mexican-born passer, who immigrated to Canada at seven years old, took home the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game’s MVP, completing 27-of-33 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

For head coach Marco Iadeluca, it was the proverbial cherry on top of a remarkable season from the rookie sensation.

“We were hoping he’d have his best game of the season today, and I actually think he did,” he told 3DownNation. “The kid’s been outstanding. He’s got ice in his veins.”

The Carabins were supposed to be in a transition period this year after the graduation of Jonathan Senecal, their former Hec Crighton-winning quarterback. The seventh-round CFL Draft pick had been the driving force behind the team’s offence since transferring from UConn, leading them to a Vanier win in 2023.

Gonzalez’s ascendence to the starting job mid-way through the season opener changed that perception. He led the RSEQ in both passing yards and touchdowns, throwing for 2,284 yards, 19 TDs, and eight interceptions to win the Peter Gorman Trophy as the U Sports rookie of the year. More importantly, he upset the top-seeded Laval Rouge et Or in the Jacques Dussault Cup and knocked off Saint Mary’s in the Uteck Bowl to advance to his first national championship game.

That came on the road in Regina — the home province of the Huskies. A reported 8,896 fans were in attendance at Mosaic Stadium, the gross majority of whom were sporting green. While that was only a fraction of the crowd he played in front of at Stade Telus against Laval, the young QB admitted to feeling some butterflies.

“I was kind of nervous when we came out. I didn’t expect to see a lot of people, but at the same time, it’s so fun to play with so many people in the stands. We get fueled,” he said.

Gonzalez’ nerves did not show. After taking a moment to find his rhythm in the first quarter, he diced up the Huskies with repeated shots downfield. While two would-be touchdowns fell barely incomplete, he set up Brandon Gourgon for a diving 41-yard grab early in the second quarter and ended the third with a 32-yard dime to Hassane Dosso.

Even as Saskatchewan’s defence began to apply pressure late with Presidents’ Trophy winner Seth Hundeby, Gonzalez appeared undisturbed. He stood in against the blitz to deliver a seven-yard capper to Simon Larose late.

“They were playing cover three. They’ve been playing that the whole season. We saw it on tape,” he explained, dismissing his personal prowess. “Our coaches made a good game plan, and we just followed that game plan, and it went very well.”

Gonzalez’s victory makes him the fourth freshman quarterback in U Sports history to capture a Vanier Cup, following St. FX’s Terry Dolan in 1966, UBC’s Michael O’Connor in 2015, and Western’s Evan Hillock in 2021. Of the previous three, only Dolan was actually in his first year of university — O’Connor redshirted at Penn State before transferring, and Hillock attended Western during the cancelled 2020 season.

Given the uniqueness of Gonzalez’s accomplishment, it is worth asking just how high his ceiling could be. Even while basking in the championship glow, he is laser-focused on returning to Mosaic, next time as a CFL quarterback.

“Hopefully. I’m gonna keep working hard,” he said. “I have a couple of goals in mind this offseason, and I’m positive if I work hard, if I invest a lot of time into football, I can really play here.”