Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca
After being very good as a rookie, Tyson Philpot plans on being even better in his second CFL season.
“I felt like any opportunity that was given I took advantage of it,” the Montreal Alouette receiver said from Hamilton recently while doing promotional work for the league. “I look back, and at film, and there’s definitely things I can critique and things I feel like I can make better for this year.
“I’m looking to build on that for this year.”
The six-foot-one, 195-pound speedster from Delta, BC, came as advertised after the Alouettes selected him ninth overall in the 2022 CFL Draft. In 18 regular season games the 22-year-old made 39 catches for 459 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned 11 punts for 153 yards and 12 kickoffs for 342 yards. In two playoff games, Philpot had 12 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
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It was a good enough debut for Philpot to be named the East Division’s nominee as the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie.
Philpot averaged just under 12 yards a catch last season. He’d like to improve that this year and hopes to run more deep routes.
“Obviously it comes down to the offence and play calling, but I’d like to be more of a deep-threat guy,” said the son of former CFL running back Cory Philpot. “I kind of got that knack in college.
“Last year, getting my feet wet, I was more of the screen guy. Put the ball in my hands and make something work. I’m not going to go away from that but being able to run deep routes, having those one-play touchdown scores, is something I’d like to add to my game. But just doing anything to help the team win is my goal.”
Philpot’s U SPORTS career with the University of Calgary Dinos was shortened by a foot injury and losing a season to the COVID-19 pandemic. He still managed 96 catches for 1,953 yards and eight touchdowns in 22 games. He helped Calgary win the Vanier Cup in 2019 and was Canada West player of the year in 2021.
From a football sense, Philpot adapted quickly to the CFL.
“Calgary, I feel like was a such a pro-ready organization,” he said. “I was actually very confident with the playbook. I learned it pretty fast which allowed me to get on the field more.”
The quality of defensive back in the CFL was an upgrade from what Philpot playing against in college.
“The speed and the confidence in those DBs was a little bit different,” he said. “In college, you’re used to guys being about 10 to 15 yards off, just making sure they don’t get beat deep. It was a little bit different (in the CFL), a little bit more physical.”
Making the transition from an eight-game college schedule to a gruelling 18 games as a professional was more challenging.
“Staying healthy and taking care of your body was one of the big things I learned from a lot of the veterans in the locker room,” Philpot said. “It’s a longevity game. You can’t make plays if you’re not on the field.
“It falls a lot more on you, making sure you’re doing everything it takes to keep your body in shape so you’re able to go out on the field and perform at 100 per cent every game.”
Tyson Philpot was the East Division’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie in 2022 (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Philpot credits veterans like quarterback Trevor Harris, running back William Stanback, and receivers Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke for guiding him through his first season.
“Especially in the receiver room, I would say Jake Wieneke and Geno Lewis were big influences,” he said. “Just helping me be more confident on the field. They told me from Day 1 in camp they could tell I was special and that I was a little bit different than any other Canadian receiver that had come in. That kind of boosted my moral.”
Lewis took on the role of an older brother.
“He doesn’t know how much of an impact he had on my career in my first year,” Philpot said. “Anytime he could see I was down or needed to ask a question, he was there for me.”
Another person Philpot kept in touch with last season was his twin brother Jalen, a receiver who the Calgary Stampeders drafted fifth overall.
“After every game we checked our stats, saw who did better, who did worse, sent a text just to remind who is where on the leaderboard,” said Philpot. “We’re our biggest critics and we’re also our biggest fans.”
The off-season saw plenty of changes for the Alouettes. They have a new owner in Pierre Karl Peladeau. Danny Maciocia remains as general manager with Jason Maas taking over the head coaching duties. Harris and Wieneke signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Lewis jumped to the Edmonton Elks.
Former Rider Cody Fajardo is taking over the quarterback duties.
Maas has told Philpot he wants him to take on a role similar to what Kian Schaffer-Baker plays for Saskatchewan.
“He said expect to be all over the field, not in one set position,” said Philpot. “Just expect to do a lot for the offence and be a crucial part of that.”
Philpot is also excited about catching passes from Fajardo.
“I’ve been a big fan of him,” he said. “I feel like he’s a kind of quarterback that really believes in his receivers.”
The learning curve Philpot began last year will continue this season. After coming into the league an unknown quantity, defensive coordinators quickly became aware of him and his capabilities.
“I expect there will be a little bit more film on me now, so teams playing us will have a little bit of a game plan for me,” Philpot said.
“That just comes back to my off-season work and training I’ve been doing to not stay the same and just making sure that I’m adding to my game and my toolbox is always open. I’m excited to show what I’ve been working on this year and feel like it’s going to be another up year.”
