Kevin Mital (born April 1, 1999) is a Canadian professional football wide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion after winning with Argonauts in 2024. He played U Sports football for the Laval Rouge et Or of the RSEQ conference. He is a Vanier Cup champion after winning with the Rouge et Or in 2022 and was named the game's MVP. He also won the Hec Crighton Trophy in 2022 as U Sports football's most outstanding player.
| No. 10 Toronto Argonauts | |
Mital with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024 | |
| Born: | April 1, 1999 Longueuil, Quebec, Canada[1] |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| College | Syracuse Orange (2019) |
| University | Laval Rouge et Or (2020–2023) |
| High school | Collège Charles-Lemoyne |
| CFL draft | 2024, round: 1, pick: 5 |
| Drafted by | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2024–present | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Honours | First Team All-Canadian (2022) Second Team All-Canadian (2021) |
| Career stats | |
| |
University career
editSyracuse Orange
editMital first committed to play college football for the Syracuse Orange in 2019 where he used a redshirt season.[1] However, on July 1, 2020, it was reported that he had decided to leave Syracuse and transfer schools.[2]
Laval Rouge et Or
editMital transferred to Université Laval in 2020, where he intended to play for the Laval Rouge et Or, but the 2020 U Sports football season was cancelled.[3] In 2021, he played in eight regular season games where he had 45 receptions for 554 yards and seven touchdowns and was named a Second Team All-Canadian.[4][5]
In 2022, Mital had a dominant season as he finished first in the country in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, with 58 catches for 751 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight regular season games.[5] For his strong season, Mital was named a First Team All-Canadian and won the Hec Crighton Trophy, becoming the first receiver to win the award since 2005.[6] In the post-season, he led the Rouge et Or to a Dunsmore Cup championship as he recorded nine receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns in the victory over the Montreal Carabins.[7] Mital then played in his first Vanier Cup game where he led all receivers with eight receptions for 142 yards and had one passing touchdown for one yard.[8] He was named the 57th Vanier Cup game's Most Valuable Player as the Rouge et Or defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies by a score of 30–24.[9]
In 2023, Mital played in four games where he had 22 receptions for 280 yards and three touchdowns.[10]
Professional career
editIn the Canadian Football League's Scouting Bureau final rankings, he was named the 10th-best player available in the 2024 CFL Draft.[11][12] He was then drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the Toronto Argonauts in the draft.[13] It was announced that Mital had signed with the Argonauts on May 6, 2024.[14] After beginning the year on the six-game injured list, he made his professional debut on July 27, 2024, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[15] He played in the last 12 games of the regular season where he had 18 receptions for 201 yards.[16] He also played in all three post-season games, including the 111th Grey Cup where he had two receptions for 23 yards and his first career touchdown in the Argonauts' 41–24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[17]
Personal life
editMital was born to parents Chantal and Mario Mital and has one sister.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Kevin Mital". Syracuse Orange. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian-born Kevin Mital leaving Syracuse for a university in Quebec". NBC Sports. July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian WR Kevin Mital leaves Syracuse football". Syracuse Orange. July 4, 2020.
- ^ "Vanier Cup finalists top the U Sports football All-Canadian charts". U Sports. December 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Statistics". U Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Laval's Kevin Mital wins 2022 Hec Crighton Award". U Sports. November 24, 2022.
- ^ "Statistics". U Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Statistics". U Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Hec Crighton winner Kevin Mital lifts Laval Rouge et Or to Vanier Cup victory over Saskatchewan". 3DownNation. November 26, 2022.
- ^ "Kevin Mital". U Sports. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Isaiah Adams holds top spot in spring CFL Scouting Bureau rankings". Canadian Football League. April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Star Laval receiver Kevin Mital likely to return for one more U Sports season but won't rule out turning pro". 3DownNation. December 8, 2022.
- ^ "Argos pick WR Kevin Mital fifth overall". Canadian Football League. April 30, 2024.
- ^ "Boatmen sign nine from 2024 CFL draft class". Toronto Argonauts. May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Game Notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "Dejon Brissett". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Play-by-Play, 111th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. November 17, 2024.