The Edmonton Eskimos selected former UB left guard Tomas Jack-Kurdyla with the fourth pick in the 2020 CFL Draft Thursday night. Jack-Kurdyla was a four-year starter for the Bulls, coming from Vanier College in Montreal.
During his freshman year, Jack-Kurdyla started in eight games for the Bulls. In the games he started, UB’s offense gained 100 more yards per game on average.
As a sophomore, he started every game of the season and was named Academic All-MAC as well as CoSIDA Academic All-District.
In both his junior and senior seasons, Jack-Kurdyla blocked for an offensive line that set school records in rushing yards and sacks allowed. He helped pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushers in Jaret Paterson and Kevin Marks last season. The Bulls also ranked 12th in the nation in rushing with 3,256 yards in Jack-Kurdyla’s final season at UB.
Jack-Kurdyla capped off his UB career with a win at the Bahamas Bowl, helping Patterson run for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was the first bowl-game win in school history and a monumental moment for the program.
At the UB pro day, Jack-Kurdyla performed in front of scouts for nine NFL teams and five CFL teams.
Pro scouts project Jack-Kurdyla to be a day-one starter in the CFL, citing his athleticism and consistency as strengths of his game. CFL teams love the 300-pounder’s 6’4” frame and the agility he brings with it. Jack-Kurdyla joins the list of several UB players making it to the professional level, becoming the highest CFL draft pick in UB history.
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Anthony DeCicco is the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum. His words have appeared in outlets such as SLAM Magazine andSyracuse.com. In 2020, he was awarded First Prize for Sports Column Writing at the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards. In his free time, he can be found watching ‘90s Knicks games and reading NFL Mock Drafts at 3 a.m.
