Montreal Gazette

Als hope this BYU receiver can follow Cahoon’s path

GM Popp believes Cody Hoffman has potential to ‘be outstandin­g in the CFL’

- HERB ZURKOWSKY hzurkowsky@montrealga­zette.com twitter.com/HerbZurkow­sky1

The last time Jim Popp went down this road — juxtaposin­g Brigham Young University, the receiver position and the Alouettes — we seem to remember the dividends weren’t half-bad.

Does the name Ben Cahoon stir some memories?

So you’ll pardon the Alouettes general manager if he hopes the possibilit­y of catching lightning in a bottle twice in a lifetime exists.

Cody Hoffman, at six-foot-four and 210 pounds, is much larger than Cahoon and he doesn’t share the Hall of Famer’s nonimport status in the Canadian Football League. Indeed, the rookie must catch 1,000 passes before challengin­g Cahoon, the sixth overall 1998 draft choice who spent 13 seasons with Montreal.

But Hoffman spent two seasons being coached by Cahoon and, by the time he left BYU, was the school’s all-time leader in receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards. Much like Cahoon, Hoffman was a model of consistenc­y, catching at least one pass in 43 consecutiv­e games.

“He does a lot of things good — body positionin­g, catching the ball. He has outstandin­g hands and he’s effective,” Popp said while watching his team practise under the hot sun Thursday at Bishop’s University.

Many in management were raving about Hoffman after April’s mini-camp in Vero Beach, Fla. And, now that he has recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him after the opening day of training camp, the 24-yearold native of Crescent City, Calif., can continue his pursuit of earning a roster spot.

Openings exist after Mardy Gilyard was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon and Brandon London suddenly retired this week.

“One person leaves and it opens the door for another person,” head coach Tom Higgins said. “Cody’s another big body who can do a lot of the things Brandon did. A door’s opened. Now it’s up to him to take advantage of it. There’s still a lot of training camp to go, a lot of practices. But he does an extremely good job of catching the ball. He has a huge range. Put the ball anywhere close and he’ll catch it.”

Following his junior season, Hoffman was projected as a second- or third-round NFL pick, but opted to return to BYU for his senior season. He had a decent year, but fell well short of his junior campaign, when he caught 100 passes for 1,248 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns in 13 games. That included a school-record five-touchdown performanc­e against New Mexico State when Hoffman produced a career-high 182 yards.

“Ultimately, I think it would have changed things,” Hoffman said about the possibilit­y of turning pro early. “But if I start something, I want to finish it.”

Bothered by a nagging hamstring injury, he ran a relatively slow time of 4.65 over 40 yards at the NFL combine, forever labelling Hoffman as a slow player. He signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2014 only to be released.

“Everybody’s going to knock him for his speed, but he plays much faster than he runs a 40,” Popp said. “Someone’s going to go on a clock and say he’s not fast. I don’t know why he can’t be outstandin­g in the CFL.”

Coincident­ally, Hoffman and Michael Sam share the same American agent, Joe Barkett, who had great interest in the receiver signing with Montreal. Hoffman isn’t quite sure why his career has taken him to Canada, but believes everything happens for a reason. He still has the NFL in his rearview mirror.

“Maybe coming up here for a couple of years is just what I needed,” he said. “Ultimately, I feel the combine’s just a numbers game. If you test well, your chances (of getting drafted) obviously are better. There’s definitely some openings here. We’re deep at receiver and I know it’s not going to be easy. I just want to be able to contribute.”

By no means does Hoffman have a lock on a job.

Jonathan Bryant, a free-agent rookie from Georgia Southern, has impressed with his blazing speed through the first week of camp. Dobson Collins, a free agent signed last winter from Ottawa, was practising with the starters on Thursday.

Collins is physically impressive, at six-foot-two and 185 pounds. While he generally has posted pedestrian numbers throughout his CFL career, the Als become his fifth team since 2011. His most impressive season came in 2014, with the expansion Redblacks, when he caught 29 passes for 311 yards, scoring the first touchdown of his career. But Collins also has a proclivity for dropped passes.

“He has got all the measurable­s,” Popp said. “He’s got size, speed. He’s got all the tools. Why he has bounced from team to team ... the only thing I can say is probably consistenc­y. I know what he’s done and we’ve watched him play against us. I’m always looking for a bigger receiver that can run. He can do that.

“A lot of guys in our league are inconsiste­nt with their hands that play all the time and are even stars. I guess it’s when you’re inconsiste­nt. You may catch nine and drop the 10th. If you have 10 thrown and drop five, you’re probably not going to be on the field.”

 ?? DARIO AYALA/MONTREAL GAZETTE ?? Now recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him after the opening day of training camp, Cody Hoffman can continue his pursuit of earning an Alouettes roster spot.
DARIO AYALA/MONTREAL GAZETTE Now recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him after the opening day of training camp, Cody Hoffman can continue his pursuit of earning an Alouettes roster spot.
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