A first-time winner is guaranteed, and there’s a good chance he plays in Montreal. The league has named its finalists, and the Alouettes CFL awards haul is already remarkable: quarterback Davis Alexander and receiver Tyson Philpot are two of the three finalists for the George Reed Most Outstanding Player award, Philpot is also up for Most Outstanding Canadian, and two Als offensive linemen make up two-thirds of the Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman ballot. Everything below is as of Oct. 29, before the playoffs begin.
Alouettes CFL awards: the MOP race is a Montreal story
According to the CFL’s announcement, Alexander and Philpot have never been MOP finalists before. The third name, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo, was runner-up in 2019, so whoever wins will be lifting the award for the first time.
Davis Alexander, quarterback
In his second year as the full-time starter, Alexander became only the second Alouette to throw for more than 5,000 yards, joining Anthony Calvillo. Across 16 starts he passed for 5,257 yards at a 72.1 per cent completion rate, with 35 touchdowns against just four interceptions, and he led the league with 37 completions of 30-plus yards.
Tyson Philpot, receiver
Philpot’s season was historic. In 16 games he led the CFL in receptions (124, the third-most all-time), receiving yards (1,809), catches of 30-plus yards (14) and yards after the catch (750), and he shared the league lead with 13 receiving touchdowns. Both his receptions and yardage totals are new Canadian records.
Cody Fajardo, quarterback, Edmonton
The competition is real. Fajardo led the Elks to their first West Division crown since 2015, with career highs of 4,788 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes, plus 517 rushing yards and eight rushing majors.
Three more Als on the ballot
The CFL also announced its Most Outstanding Canadian, Offensive Lineman and Rookie finalists, and Montreal is all over it.
- Most Outstanding Canadian: Philpot, a Delta, B.C. native in his fifth season, faces BC quarterback Nathan Rourke (the reigning winner and 2022 recipient) and Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira (the 2023 and 2024 winner). Philpot more than doubled his previous career best with 13 touchdowns and posted seven 100-yard games.
- Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Nick Callender: started 12 games for a line that allowed a league-low 19 sacks, and led the CFL with a Pro Football Focus pass-block grade of 84.2.
- Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Pier-Olivier Lestage: the Saint-Eustache native played 18 games with 17 starts for a line that led the league in yards per game (420.9) and yards per play (7.5). He and Callender face Winnipeg’s Jarell Broxton.
No Alouettes made the Most Outstanding Defensive Player or Special Teams shortlists. The rookie race is between Toronto receiver Tyler Kahmann, BC linebacker Parker McKenna and Winnipeg defensive back Major Williams.
How the vote works this year
Under a revamped process, every player who received a vote for his team award advanced to the final ballot. The finalists were picked by 56 members of the Football Reporters of Canada (36 local voters plus 20 national), and the league says it will disclose every voter’s full ballot. There’s no traditional gala either: winners will be surprised with presentations late in the season and during the playoffs, with the moments shared online.
A big October to back it up
The ballots reward the whole season, but the two stars finished strong. The league also named Alexander and Philpot two of its three October Players of the Month, alongside Winnipeg’s Dorian Singer. Alexander went 56 of 73 for 843 yards over two games, including a 403-yard, career-high five-touchdown day in a 44-24 win over Saskatchewan. Philpot had 11 catches for 207 yards in a 37-10 win over Winnipeg. It’s the third monthly honour of the season for each, and Montreal players have been named in every month this year, including Travis Theis in July and Tyrice Beverette in September.
What’s next for the Als
Montreal finished 14-4 and first in the East, which earns a bye this weekend. The Eastern Semi-Final is Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. ET at BMO Field, with Winnipeg visiting Toronto, per the CFL’s playoff preview. We broke down that matchup in Argos or Bombers? earlier this week.
The winner comes to Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the Eastern Final on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. ET. Don’t count on walk-up tickets: the team announced on Oct. 19 that the game was already sold out. The last time Montreal hosted the East Final, in 2024, a capacity crowd of 23,035 watched the Als lose 30-28 to the eventual champion Argonauts, so there’s some unfinished business. For context on how dominant this team has been at home, revisit our look at the 9-0 home record and the road to the Eastern Final.
Win that, and the 113th Grey Cup is Sunday, Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, hosted with the Grey Cup Festival all week. For the full season story, check our sports section. Allez les Als!
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Photo: Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Sources: CFL.ca (MOP finalists), CFL.ca (MOC, OL, rookie finalists), CFL.ca (Players of the Month), CFL.ca (semi-finals), 3DownNation, Grey Cup Festival
