DOUBLE DUTY: ROURKE CLAIMS GEORGE REED MOP AND MOC
BC claims three as West Division sweeps CFL Awards
WINNIPEG (November 13, 2025) – BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke is the 2025 George Reed Most Outstanding Player and the Most Outstanding Canadian, joining Brady Oliveira, Jon Cornish, Russ Jackson and Tony Gabriel as the only players to capture both honours in the same year.
The Canadian Football League (CFL) Awards winners were selected by the national and local members of the Football Reporters of Canada, and the league’s nine head coaches. In total, 53 ballots were completed.
Hosted by the CFL ON TSN’s Kate Beirness and Milt Stegall, the CFL Awards were presented as part of the 2025 Grey Cup Festival. From November 10-16, the Festival features a full slate of free and ticketed events celebrating football, music and community spirit, fans can look forward to concerts, family-friendly activities, cultural showcases and a chance to get closer to the Grey Cup than ever before. For full details on the 2025 Grey Cup Festival, visit GreyCupFestival.ca.
The sold-out 112th Grey Cup, featuring mgk in the Bud Light Grey Cup Halftime Show, Our Lady Peace in the SiriusXM Grey Cup Kickoff Show and anthem singer Catie St. Germain, will be played in Winnipeg at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, November 16, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. The game will air live across Canada on TSN, CTV and RDS; it will be available in the U.S. on CBS Sports Network and internationally on the league’s free livestreaming platform, CFL+.
2025 CFL AWARDS WINNERS
- Most Outstanding Player: Nathan Rourke | BC
- Most Outstanding Canadian: Nathan Rourke | BC
- Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Mathieu Betts | BC
- Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Jermarcus Hardrick | Saskatchewan
- Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: Trey Vaval | Winnipeg
- Most Outstanding Rookie: Trey Vaval | Winnipeg
Nathan Rourke recorded career-highs in passing yards (5,290), touchdown passes (31), rushing yards (564) and rushing touchdowns (10). He was the catalyst in guiding the Lions to the league’s top offence with the most points for (31.1 per game), most net yards (430.2 per game) and passing yards (325.4 per game).
The former Ohio Bobcat collected 40 first-place votes to become the eighth BC player to capture the award and the first since Solomon Elimimian in 2014.
Rourke becomes the 14th player to win Most Outstanding Canadian on multiple occasions. His 5,290 passing yards established a new single-season record among national players and his 31 passing majors was the second-highest single-season mark by a Canadian in CFL history. His 10 rushing touchdowns set a record for Canadian pivots, and his 564 rushing yards led all QBs this season, while sitting second overall amongst Canadians.
The Victoria native received 50 first-place votes to become the ninth Lion to claim the award.
Mathieu Betts becomes the only Canadian to be named a two-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player (2023). The Montreal native claimed his second sack title with 15 this season, while adding 42 defensive tackles, four forced fumbles, four pass knockdowns, two tackles for a loss and one fumble recovery.
The Laval product received 40 first-place votes to become the 14th Lion to win the award, and the third to do so twice, joining Elimimian, Cameron Wake and James Parker.
Hardrick has claimed his first Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman accolade. His leadership and consistency helped pave the way for Saskatchewan’s first West Division title since 2019. Under his protection, Trevor Harris threw for 4,549 yards, while A.J. Ouellette rushed for 1,222, while the team averaged over 100 rushing yards per game. The unit ranked second in net offence (382.6 yards per game).
The former Nebraska Cornhusker collected 38 first-place votes to join Brendon LaBatte, Gene Makowsky, Andrew Greene and Roger Aldag as the only Roughriders to win the award.
First-year player Trey Vaval collected a league-high four returns for touchdowns, while accumulating 11 total big plays. Across 17 games, his 2,266 return yards – an average of 133.3 per contest – ranked third in total combined yardage. He led the league in punt return yards (957) and missed field goal return yards (391) – including a single-game CFL record of 199 in Week 16.
Vaval collected 40 first-place votes to become the fifth Blue Bomber to win the award and the first since Justin Medlock in 2016.
Vaval is the third player in CFL history to claim Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Most Outstanding Rookie in the same season, joining Winnipeg’s Albert Johnson III (2000) and Ottawa’s Lewis Ward (2018). In addition to his kick returning prowess, he collected 21 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles and an interception at cornerback.
He tallied 36 first-place votes to becomes the eighth Winnipeg player to win the award, and the first since teammate Dalton Schoen in 2022.