{"id":69077,"date":"2025-08-14T13:17:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T13:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69077\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T13:17:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T13:17:13","slug":"3downnations-2025-mid-season-cfl-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/69077\/","title":{"rendered":"3DownNation’s 2025 mid-season CFL awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo: Paul Yates\/B.C. Lions<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Week 11, which means we have reached the official mid-point of the CFL season.<\/p>\n

Six of the nine teams have half their season behind them, while three have eight games under their belt. As such, there is no better time to look back on the first half of the year and honour those players who have come out of the gates hot, while setting the stage for the end-of-year race to awards season.<\/p>\n

We polled 13 3DownNation contributors to see who their mid-season all-star and award selections would be. Unlike the CFL, there were no divisional requirements here; the only requirement was to vote for the best players available.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, we revealed our selections for the 2025 mid-season all-stars<\/a>. Today, we unveil our mid-season award winners.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym\/RFB Sport Photography<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER: QB Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats<\/p>\n

While some might argue that other candidates better fit the American concept of \u201cMost Valuable Player,\u201d we honour those who best fit the definition of \u201coutstanding\u201d up north. No one fits that better than Mitchell right now, as last year\u2019s runner-up for the award is currently on pace to record the most CFL passing yards since 2017 and the most passing touchdowns since 2012. The 35-year-old has thrown for over 300 yards in seven of nine starts, while his current touchdown mark of 21 is five more than any other player and has been accompanied by just three interceptions.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: QB Vernon Adams Jr., CGY | REC Kenny Lawler, HAM<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: Calgary Stampeders<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER: DT Jaylon Hutchings, Calgary Stampeders<\/p>\n

The last time that a defensive tackle was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player was Joe Fleming in 2003, but Hutchings is well on his way to breaking that drought. After quietly debuting at the end of last year, the 304-pound pass rusher has turned into a complete wrecking ball in his sophomore campaign and has generated six sacks despite being consistently double-teamed. When it comes to explaining Calgary\u2019s defensive turnaround, you need look no further than the emergence of this interior force that teams have to game-plan for.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: LB Jameer Thurman, SSK | SAM Derrick Moncrief, CGY<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: Jeff Vinnick\/B.C. Lions<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN: QB Nathan Rourke, B.C. Lions<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be frank: as long as Rourke is playing competently, his status as a starting quarterback will always make him the favourite for this award. That doesn\u2019t mean that the Oakville, Ont. native doesn\u2019t deserve a second trophy for his case, though, as he has gone over the 300-yard passing mark in five of his seven starts and leads all CFL QBs with 238 yards rushing to boot. Few players in the league have more dynamic playmaking ability, and the Lions have needed every last ounce from Rourke after dropping off a cliff during his oblique injury.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: DB Stavros Katsantonis, HAM | DB Adrian Greene, CGY<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym\/RFB Sport Photography<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: RT Jermarcus Hardrick, Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/p>\n

Few offensive line units have been marred by more injuries than Saskatchewan, but having the league\u2019s best tackle locking down one side makes all other issues seem small. At 35 years old, Hardrick is having arguably the best season in a career full of great years, keeping Trevor Harris clean and opening up big holes on the ground. After he was limited to just five games in his season in Riderville, the organization is now getting what they paid for in free agency a year ago \u2014 and much more.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: C Logan Ferland, SSK | LG Pier-Olivier Lestage, MTL<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER: RET Isaiah Wooden Sr., Hamilton Tiger-Cats<\/p>\n

Speed kills on a CFL field, and Wooden may well be the league\u2019s fastest player due to his reported 4.38 forty-yard dash in college. He has used that effectively in his first season as Hamilton\u2019s primary returner, leading the league in both punt and kickoff return yardage, producing nine big play returns, and scoring three touchdowns. While his status for the rest of this year is in question after a shoulder injury suffered last week, the Southern Utah product has already produced numbers that would win this award some years.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: PK Jose Maltos Diaz, MTL | RET Kalil Pimpleton, OTT<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy: CFL<\/p>\n

MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIE: DB Derek Slywka, Toronto Argonauts<\/p>\n

When the Argos flip-flopped Slywka between receiver and defensive back in training camp, we wondered if there was anything he couldn\u2019t do. Thus far, the answer has been a resounding \u201cno.\u201d The standout from tiny Division III Ithaca College has made the transition to the pro game look effortless with an interception and a couple of forced fumbles from his safety position. He also had 100+ yard scoop-and-score and missed field goal return touchdowns in the same game, etching himself into CFL lore forever.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: OL Christopher Fortin, CGY | RB Travis Theis, MTL<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo: Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/p>\n

COACH OF THE YEAR: Corey Mace, Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/p>\n

It may be gauche to simply pick the head coach of the team with the best record for this honour, but Mace deserves it for reasons other than the Riders\u2019 impressive 7-1 mark. Saskatchewan has made do without projected key contributors like Sean McEwen, Trevon Tate, Philippe Gagnon, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Samuel Emilus, and C.J. Avery, while also being one of the few teams undefeated in the absence of their starting quarterback. That stems directly from the culture that the Port Moody, B.C. native has built, but he doesn\u2019t succeed off vibes alone. The 39-year-old also personally leads a defence that is second in points allowed, third in yards allowed, and second in sacks.<\/p>\n

RUNNER-UPS: Scott Milanovich, HAM | Dave Dickenson, CGY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo: Paul Yates\/B.C. Lions It\u2019s Week 11, which means we have reached the official mid-point of the CFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-69077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}