CFL.ca will profile a number of key Canadian university prospects leading up to the CFL Evaluation Camp from March 12-14 in Toronto. Today we feature University of Guelph Punter/Kicker Rob Maver.
BRIAN SNELGROVE
CFL.ca
It has long been considered a bonus for a CFL team: a two-for-one player who excels as both a Punter and as a Kicker. The bonus is doubled if that dual role can be filled by one non-import.
“If I had to choose I would say I am a better Punter. But I am very comfortable doing both. I would love to do both at the pro level.”
Rob Maver, a 23-year-old Punter/Kicker from The University of Guelph hopes to join that unique fraternity of players who can do both at the CFL level.
“Hey that is my goal,” says the fourth year Political Science Major from Brampton, Ontario. “If I had to choose I would say I am a better Punter. But I am very comfortable doing both. I would love to do both at the pro level. Punting is probably more difficult. Field goal kicking should be the same process every time, whereas punting, you may have to make more adjustments.”
“Every little bit helps at this level,” says Gryphon Head Coach Kyle Walters. “What it does is free up a roster spot and allows a team to dress an extra player. Rob has been the best punter and place kicker in the OUA the past 3 years. He has improved each year as a place kicker at Guelph and if this improvement continues he will have a long professional career handling both responsibilities.”
The record shows that Maver is equally at home in either role. Last year he connected on 13 of 14 field goal attempts, good enough for a completion percentage of 92.9% and second spot in the CIS. He also finished second in the country in Punting with an impressive 41.26 yard average.
The only Kicker/Punter invited to this year’s E-Camp, Maver has compiled an impressive resume over his four years at Guelph. In both 2006 and ’07 he was a second team OUA all-star Punter. In 2008 he was selected first team OUA all-star Punter and Kicker. He was also named first team All-Canadian Punter and second team All-Canadian Kicker.
Last season Maver was both the first team OUA all-star Punter and Kicker.
He is eighth on the Gryphon all-time career scoring list with 129 points and set a Guelph record for most field goals in a season with 15 in 2007.
As is the case for many kickers, Maver’s football career began with a background in soccer. “That really served me well,” he says. “I decided pretty early on to concentrate on kicking.” He looks up to former Argo and current Eskimo Noel Prefontaine as well as Jon Ryan, the Regina-born Punter who recently signed a long-term contract with the Seattle Seahawks. “I modeled myself after Prefontaine when he was with Toronto but watching Ryan, he is the most impressive Punter I have ever seen,” says Maver.
Although he won’t actually be kicking at E-Camp, due to space limitations at the facility, Maver says he hopes to impress the evaluators with his overall athleticism and score well during the interviews. “I am really committed to getting better,” he says. “I am excited about this opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate to have been around a lot of knowledgeable people, including Steve Christie, Lance Chomyc, Paul Osbaldiston and guys like Gary Zauner who has coached the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore and Arizona.”
“Rob is very confident in himself,” adds Walters. “And as a kicker you need to be. He is a good, hard-working kid who has an outstanding work ethic. Rob is ready to take the next step in his football career and he is ready to be challenged at the next level. If all 90 guys I had worked as hard as Rob, we would be pretty tough to beat.”
Maver is well aware that the outcome of a game often hinges on the strength and accuracy of a kicker’s leg – look no further than last year’s Grey Cup when Damon Duval’s last second 33-yard field goal gave Montreal a 28-27 victory over Saskatchewan – and welcomes that opportunity.
“Hey every kicker wants to be the hero at some point in his career,” he says. “If you don’t believe that, you shouldn’t be kicking. When you get the chance, you go on the field, you make it, and you go home.”
Such a positive attitude should bode well for this double-barreled prospect from Guelph.