StFX X-Men defensive back Dylan Hollohan competed at the CFL evaluation camp this past weekend in Toronto. The evaluation camp was a chance for scouts, general managers and head coaches of each CFL team to evaluate prospects by putting them through vigorous physical testing. Dylan was one of the top performers of the event, putting up impressive numbers in the vertical and broad jump, shuttle, 40 yard dash and bench press categories.
Hollohan, a native of Moncton, NB, finished first place out of 99 prospects in the vertical jump and the shuttle run. His jump in the vertical was marked at 42.5 inches while he completed the shuttle run in just 3.92 seconds. He finished second place in the 3 cone drill and broad jump, posting a time of 6.51 seconds in the 3 cone drill and 10’05.5 inches in the broad jump. Lastly, Dylan finished off with a time of 4.53 seconds in the 40 yard dash, good enough for third place, and then placed fourth overall in the DB portion of the bench press, racking in 12 reps.
X-Men football head coach Gary Waterman was not surprised at all with Dylan’s numbers, commenting “I am not surprised with Dylan’s testing results because he is one of the hardest working players I have ever been around. He has a high football I.Q. and a great understanding of the playbook. Dylan represents what being a CIS student-athlete is all about as he excels in the classroom and on the field. We are very proud of Dylan and wish him all the best in the upcoming CFL Draft.”
For Hollohan himself, it was a weight lifted off his shoulders as he was finally able to prove to the scouts and general managers that he could compete at a professional level, especially after not playing a single game in the 2011 season due to a groin injury.
“For myself, it was redemption as I was not able to showcase my talents to the scouts in my senior year,” comments the fourth year Human Kinetics student. “Most of the other prospects around the country were able to show scouts their highlight tapes from their senior years, but I was not able to do so. I had to have a huge weekend if I was going to get back on the radars of scouts,” noted Hollohan.
A leader on the X-Men defense, Hollohan also saw time on special teams as a punt returner. When he was last on the gridiron during the 2010 season, Dylan appeared in six of eight AUS regular season games before missing the final two games due to a concussion. He had 24.0 tackles and one interception and returned a missed field goal 119 yards, the second longest missed field goal return in StFX history.
The 5'10”, 183 pound defensive back was named a CIS second team All-Canadian in 2009 and was twice named an AUS all-star in both the 2009 and 2010 football seasons. Hollohan also excels in the classroom, having received CIS Academic All-Canadian distinction in two of the last three years.
With the exceptional number he posted at the combine, there is sure to be heightened interest in the X-Men defensive back’s services come the May 3rd CFL Draft, but Dylan does not want to get to ahead of himself just yet.
“It’s too early to take a stab at that just yet, I mean just like every other prospect I would like to be the first overall pick to Saskatchewan but it all depends on team needs and you never know where the chips will fall."
Luckily for Hollohan, he has had some pretty noteworthy mentors to look up to in former X-Men teammates Akeem Foster, Cauchy Muamba, Henoc Muamba and Kwasi Nkansah who were drafted into the CFL. Foster and Cauchy Muamba are recent Grey Cup Champions with the B.C Lions, while Cauchy’s younger brother Henoc Muamba was the first overall pick to the Winnipeg Bluebombers in 2010. Nkansah is a former free agent signee with the Montreal Alouettes.
“Kwasi was in his fourth year when I was in my first and he told me I had the talent to play professional football so I really took that to heart,” says Hollohan. “Henoc and I had a close relationship and I had the opportunity to do one-on-ones with Akeem Foster for three years. Cauchy was a DB here so he helped me a lot as well. All of these guys provided a great measuring stick for me going forward and I was able to take little things away from each of these guys’ talent levels.”
Dylan credits his four years at StFX for developing him into the player he is today. “Playing at the CIS level, it’s not playing against boys anymore it’s matching up against men and I guess that was the biggest adjustment. The coaching staff at StFX is great and they really worked with me to iron out the kinks in my game through video and one-on-one sessions. I fell in love with the game of football at StFX and I attribute that to the great football environment at this school. The biggest thing for me was learning to correct my own mistakes, and the coaching staff does a great job of helping you through that.”
Hollohan has playing experience outside of the AUS as he suited up as a captain for the East team at the 2011 East-West Bowl, the annual game which showcases draft-eligible CIS athletes. During the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl Week in Florida, Dylan competed in an international game as a member of Team World in a game against Team USA. The World team roster featured the best players aged 19 and under from IFAF member countries. Hollohan recorded five tackles in the game and a forced fumble.
And the former CIS All-Canadian who never thought that professional football would be in his future, is suddenly knocking on the doorstep. “I had no idea this would ever be a possibility,” Hollohan smiles. “I thought I would play my four years of football and then graduate and move on. You realize as your CIS career is ending that you want to continue playing. Four years flies by here so you can never take anything for granted. It was definitely something I dreamt about as a kid and it’s cool that it’s within reach.”
So does the lean and lightning quick defensive back have a preferred destination when the CFL draft rolls around in early May?
“I would be happy to go anywhere,” Hollohan laughs. “My dad lived in Toronto when I was younger and I went to an Argos game before so as a kid playing for Toronto was something I thought about for sure but I would be happy with whoever selected me.”
Hollohan concluded the interview with one last quip for the scouts, “I have a desire to be great and I want to get bigger and stronger. There is always room to improve and I work very hard on correcting my mistakes. It’s all about being coachable and I take pride in seizing any opportunity I get.”
If his four year career at StFX University was any indication, Dylan will provide ‘greatness’ to any team that selects him this May.