(Vancouver)- With hardware season upon us, the Canadian Football League announced on Wednesday the Most Outstanding Player Award winners from each squad, as voted on by the Football Reporters of Canada and CFL head coaches. The BC Lions’ team winners are as follows:
*denotes unanimous selection.
Most Outstanding Player: Vernon Adams Jr.*
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Mathieu Betts
Most Outstanding Canadian: Mathieu Betts
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Jarell Broxton
Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: Sean Whyte*
Most Outstanding Rookie: Ryder Varga*
The CFL will next announce one finalist per award in each division with the winners announced as part of festivities for the 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton. The CFL Awards show takes place on Thursday, November 16.
Adams Jr.- earns his second team nomination for Most Outstanding Player after accomplishing the feat with Montreal in 2019. The quarterback enjoyed a career year in 2023, emerging from the final regular season game as the CFL’s leader in completions (333) and passing yards (4,769), second overall with 31 touchdown passes and third overall with a 105.5 QB rating. Adams Jr. also eclipsed the 300-yard mark in ten games this season while racking up a career-best 458 passing yards in a win over Saskatchewan on September 29.
Betts– it was a historic season for the defensive end out of Laval as Betts’ CFL-best 18 sacks set a new single-season Canadian record previously shared by Lion legend Brent Johnson and Jamaal Westermann. Betts recorded multiple sacks on four occasions this season, including three in a 30-6 victory at Winnipeg on June 22. His 42 tackles led all Lion defensive linemen.
Broxton– made a solid impact in his first full season as starting left tackle helping the Lions finish in the top three of most major offensive categories. The Lions’ offensive line earned the CFL’s Weekly Honour Roll accolades on four occasions with Broxton as the unit’s highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus (PFF) each time.
Whyte– continuing the excellent tradition of Lion kickers performing exceptionally into their late 30s, the White Rock native made good on 50 of 53 field goal attempts (94.3 percent) while his 50 successful field goals are currently tied with Calgary’s Rene Peredes for the CFL lead. Whyte also made all but one of his 45 convert attempts and surpassed the 200-game mark of his brilliant career in 2023. This is the second straight year Whyte has earned the Lions’ award for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.
Varga– made a huge impact in year one, leading all Lions with 13 special teams tackles while recording nine defensive stops and one sack while earning some fill-in reps. at linebacker. The Regina Rams product suited up in all 18 regular season contests in 2023.