Courtesy Monty Mosher, The Chronicle Herald

St. Francis Xavier X-Men head coach Gary Waterman will have to replace a pair of standout linebackers in 2011.

Already certain to lose Henoc Muamba in the upcoming CFL draft, the X-Men have lost Tom Lynch to the University of Saskatchewan, where he will pursue a masters in health-care administration and play for Brian Towriss’s Huskies.

CIS players entering a masters degree are permitted to play immediately after transfer.

It’s not news for Waterman, who knew of Lynch’s wishes and helped him find a new school to pursue his academic ambitions.

"I think it was Queen’s, Alberta and Saskatchewan all had the program he wanted," Waterman said Friday. "He wanted to do a masters and it’s something we don’t offer. So it’s no big deal.

"We’re happy to help him. He gave everything he could to our program so we’re excited and happy he gets an opportunity to play one more year and get his masters."

Lynch, a native of Granand, Que., was the 2009 AUS defensive player of the year while Muamba won the same award in 2008 and 2010.

He ranks second all-time to Muamba at St. F.X. in tackles. He made the all-Canadian second team in 2009.

Waterman said he’s got good linebackers ready to make their mark at St. F.X., but losing Muamba and Lynch in the same year will hurt.

"How are you going to replace Henoc and Tom in one year? You don’t. I mean those two guys were unbelievable players for us. But that’s the nature of the beast. We’re in the second year of our rebuild and we’ll keep plugging away."

Lynch is ready for a new challenge. The Huskies are always a threat under Towriss.

"You always hear about the support (for Huskies’ football)," Lynch told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. "This is Rider country, and then up here in Saskatoon, with how big this team is . . . maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like I’d be a good fit for this kind of environment. Time will tell."