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Ben Massey \/ University of Louisiana-Lafayette Athletics<\/p>\n
Winnipeg\u2019s Trae Tomlinson of the Lousiana Ragin\u2019 Cajuns says being a bit smaller than a typical college defensive back pushed him to work harder to get where he wanted to go.<\/p>\n
Five Manitobans scored invites to this weekend\u2019s CFL Combine in Edmonton, and three of them \u2014 offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro, defensive back Trae Tomlinson and defensive lineman Nathan Carabatsakis \u2014 used to walk the halls at St. Paul\u2019s before closing out their high school careers at Clearwater Academy International in Florida to get a taste of competing at a higher level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked up to those guys, especially Brady, and seeing his journey has been great,\u201d said Tomlinson. \u201cBut St. Paul\u2019s, having us three go to the CFL will definitely be a bit of a change. Hopefully we\u2019ll have the same type of impact they\u2019re having on the league. So it\u2019s pretty exciting for Winnipeg and St. Paul\u2019s in itself. I know they\u2019ll be very proud of all three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Receiver Nathan Udoh (Dakota) and offensive lineman Victor Olaniran (Vincent Massey) \u2014 both members of the Manitoba Bisons \u2014 are the other hometown products with a chance to impress.<\/p>\n
For Tomlinson and Carabatsakis, their connection goes back to when they were around 12 years old when they were leaders on defence for the St. Vital Mustangs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to have had that journey with him, and honestly, I\u2019m just happy that Winnipeg and Manitoba as a whole is getting more respect across Canada for the calibre of football players. I think that\u2019s awesome because obviously, Ontario and Quebec kind of dominate the space in terms of guys going down south and playing in the states. But I think it kind of proves that Winnipeg is becoming a hot spot and a powerhouse for producing good football players,\u201d said Carabatsakis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m obviously grateful for the opportunity to play at St. Paul\u2019s and programs like Recruit Ready where we had hundreds of 6 a.m. practices at the Golf Dome. Without going to those types of things, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be anywhere near the type of football player or athlete that I am now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaccaro, who will likely be one of the first names picked at this year\u2019s CFL Draft on April 28, played three seasons at the University of Manitoba before taking his talents to Purdue for 2025. He played a season-high 22 snaps for the Boilermakers against eventual national champion Indiana in the regular-season finale. Tomlinson (2022-24 at Richmond, 2025 at Louisiana) and Carabatsakis (2021-25 at Robert Morris) both spent their entire post-secondary careers at the NCAA level.<\/p>\n
Carabatsakis paid his dues before breaking out as a senior where he owned the third-best pressure rate among all defensive tackles in the Northeast Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy freshman year I thought I was going to come in and just be an animal and then you kind of get a reality check where there\u2019s a lot of guys just as big, just as fast and just as talented so you know you got to work a little bit harder,\u201d said the 23-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good experience in the sense that it was a reality check when I first came down here and to have a goal to work towards. You go \u2018OK, I want to get on the field, I want to make plays, I want to be a starter, I want to be a leader on the team.\u2019 I guess just the process of learning through all that and putting that time and effort into making those goals come to fruition has been an opportunity that I\u2019m grateful for and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be grateful for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tomlinson, also 23, became a starter when he was a sophomore at Richmond and never looked back. But at 5-10, 175 pounds, he always felt like he had a bit more to prove.<\/p>\n
He participated in Louisiana\u2019s pro day on Wednesday before flying to Edmonton on Thursday, where he will just partake in the interview process. Vaccaro is also not doing any drills and is just going to meet with teams since he already tested earlier in the month at Purdue\u2019s pro day.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cI always had to work twice as hard as everybody else with me being a bit small for a typical player at my position,\u201d said Tomlinson.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019d always have to work hard in the early mornings with my dad training, getting extra sessions, running the hill. Honestly, it\u2019s always been, especially when I got to the Division I level, very structured. I always made sure to look for people that are trying to get to the professional ranks so I could watch how they work.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a lifelong goal for both to get to this point.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trusting in myself that as long as I perform the way I should, there\u2019s really nothing to be nervous about,\u201d said Carabatsakis.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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