Deschambault lands with Golden Hawks

A few years ago, Wilfrid Laurier football scout Dave Morrissey came to Notre Dame to see first-hand the talents of quarterback Marshall McCray.

McCray, who ended up at Guelph, certainly impressed but Morrissey also gravitated to the play of lineman Garrett Deschambault.

“I remember he had a broken thumb and he was still even then dominating and being a very effective offensive lineman. I thought if he could play with that kind of injury that’s really impressive,” Morrissey said Thursday at a signing ceremony for Deschambault. “He has got size, he has really good length and in terms of what we see him doing, it’s putting on some weight and eventually replacing a guy we have at (offensive) tackle, Cooper Hamilton, who is an All-Ontario player.”

When Morrissey is on the recruiting trail, his top priority is to find players to help Laurier beat Western.

“I see great high school players all the time who don’t necessarily translate to great university players. Garrett is a guy whose ceiling is very high and we see him as a guy who can step in and help us beat Western.”

Morrissey expects it will be a process for the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder.

“Offensive line is the hardest position for a rookie to play because of the size factor. Very few high school players have been lifting and are as strong physically as third- and fourth-year university players,” he said. “His football brain would be very developed because he has had Tim (Bisci) as a coach and Tim is one of the best coaches in the province.”

Morrissey isn’t making any predictions on when Deschambault will play for the Golden Hawks.

“I will just say we see him as someone who will eventually be a very significant part of our offensive line.”

Laurier’s offensive line coach Zach Scotto is also high on Deschambault.

“I am very impressed with Garrett’s high academic achievement, he is a very hard worker, he has a long frame and he is an athletic offensive lineman. He reminds all of us on staff of Cooper Hamilton.”

Deschambault, a three-year veteran of the Irish senior team, also had offers from Guelph and McMaster and interest from Waterloo, but Laurier quickly emerged as the frontrunner.

“I love the city, I love the coaches and the line coach there, Zack Scotto, is such a wonderful coach and a wonderful person. He makes it so easy to learn football at the university level. I am not even there yet and I already know that.”

Waterloo is an enticing place for Deschambault.

“It is a university town and I didn’t want to go to Waterloo because it is an engineering university. I wasn’t really interested in that so I chose Laurier because it felt good and they had the program I wanted.”

He plans to study theatre with a business option.

“I have loved movies for as long as I can remember and I want to be an actor. Many people have done it so why can’t I? Terry Crews was a football player in university and now he’s a big actor.”

The 12B student feels his game has gotten better in the past year.

“I really asked my coaches to focus on my form rather than everything else. I wanted to try and execute that more than anything because in university no matter how strong you are, it’s all a matter of keeping the guy in front of you and making sure you can make your block rather than overpowering your guy because that is so hard to do.”

Footwork is one area where he has an advantage over others.

“I think I can move my feel very well because I have a dancing background. A friend asked me to do it in elementary school and I did it all through then. I’ve got the good feet. I did ballroom dancing. It’s a weird mix but why not? I know for a fact that my dancing past has helped me improve how quickly I can move my feet.”

He has lofty goals for his first rookie campaign.

“In my first year, I want to be on par with the guys that are there. I want to exceed them but that is near impossible for a guy coming into university so my main goal is to get up to their level and be able to play university football.”

The 18-year-old is planning to do all he can to make that a reality.

“From now until training camp I am going to be in the gym and going through linemen-style workouts; heavy lifting and foot movements so I can get my feet even quicker.”

He is going to start getting acquainted with the Laurier playbook.

“I am going to learn at least a couple so I can understand what a run play is and what the pass plays are.”

Deschambault can’t wait to get started on the next chapter of his football journey.

“I am excited to be a part of the football team. University aside, it is going to be such a great environment for me because I have been for a visit and it is such a great locker room experience.”

He has been playing football at Notre Dame since Grade 9, minus the one year lost to COVID, and he also suited up one summer with the Niagara Spears.

“I tried out for the team and it was my first time playing. I thought I was going to high school and why not try out for the team? I made it, started, loved it and kept wanting to do it.”