At Oakridge Secondary School, the athletic department is working on a shrine of football star Taylor Elgersma.
They’ve got his old jersey, helmet, and some photos and are preparing to put them in a display in the school where the Hec Creighton winner played.
“We talk about it on the daily with the athletic department and the phys-ed department about just how proud we are of his accomplishments,” said Mike Darling, Elgersma’s high school coach.
While a member of the Oaks, Elgersma won the Greg Anderson Award, which goes to the best student athlete, football player, leader, and community member.
“He was the captain of the hockey team and a captain in the football team, and he did so much around the school, and he did so much in this community,” said Darling. “I was so proud of him.”
Elgersma describes the past few weeks as a “wild ride” after playing in the U.S. College Gridiron Showcase, the Tropical Bowl in Orlando and this past weekend the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
“I think you notice the culture of the South,” said Elgersma, the reigning U Sports Hec Creighton winner as quarterback of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
“That was pretty cool. Some of the events we did, the Mardi Gras parade, the way that football is seen down there is just something pretty special.”
While at the Senior Bowl, Elgersma roomed with Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who is projected to be drafted in the top three rounds.
It was an opportunity to learn together.
“We would sit there, echo our calls back and forth to each other, talk through our reads, talk through our progressions,” said Elgersma. “The big thing for us, was we were just there to support each other. We weren’t viewing each other as competition. We were both cheering on each other and wanted the best for each other.”
At 6’6, Elgersma has drawn physical comparisons to Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. His arm strength was on display when he connected on the best pass of the game in the third quarter.
“Obviously, the practice throughout the week is something that’s super important for scouts to evaluate, but you want to showcase that in the big moments you could step up and make a throw,” he said describing his 43-yard competition. “I’m definitely excited that we were able to hit that one.”
Former Western University quarterback and Golden Hawks head coach Michael Faulds describes Elgersma as a leader, and the “best player he’s ever coached.”
Faulds made the trip to Mobile, Ala. to take in the Senior Bowl.
“It was cool to see our very own Golden Hawk helmet down there next to Georgia helmets and Notre Dame helmets and Oregon helmets and Michigan helmets, some of the biggest schools in Division One,” said Faulds.
During the week, he met with all 32 NFL teams, and he discussed some of the differences between his time in Canadian football versus what would be ahead in the American game.
“Interviewing is one of the things that I look forward to in the whole draft process because teams get to learn more [about me] as a person and learn how you talk or how you see football, how you understand football,” Elgersma said. “That’s something for me that I really need to showcase to teams is that, just because I haven’t played 11-on-11 football, is that I have the brain, and I have the football IQ to be able to pick up the game fast.”
He likely arrived on the radar a little too late to earn a spot in the NFL Combine as the spots are chosen ahead of the Senior Bowl. He’s hoping there might be an opening or an exemption.
If not, he’s back in Waterloo, Ont., where he will continue to develop his game ahead of his Pro Day in March.
“It’s back to making sure that I get [in the] best shape of my life. I’m still feeling like I’m improving my footwork, improve my tempo, my drops,” he said.
After the Pro Day, he’ll wait to see if his name is called in the NFL Draft (April 24-26) and/or the CFL Draft (Apr 29).
“I want to make a living playing football and so whether that’s an NFL, whether that’s in the CFL, whether that’s in both those leagues from my time being a professional, you know, I’m excited for the future,” Elgersma said.
