Two routes out of an Ontario high school
U SPORTS is Canadian university football: 27 schools in 2026, 11 of them in Ontario's OUA. The NCAA is the American college system, split into Divisions I, II and III.
We compare the two in full in U SPORTS vs NCAA football. This guide is the to-do list: what your family does each year to get your kid in front of coaches from both.
What a football scholarship in Canada covers
A U SPORTS football scholarship (officially an athletic financial award) can cover up to a year's tuition and compulsory fees. A school can set a lower cap. Western's is $5,000 a year.
NCAA Division I and II schools give athletic scholarships, and Division III gives none. They are rare. The NCAA's own guide says about 2% of US high school athletes are offered one.
The timeline, grade by grade
The NCAA writes its rules in American school years. Its own guide maps them for students outside the US: the summer after grade 10 here is the summer before junior year there.
Each cell below is the step and its date. The course rules are in NCAA core courses in Ontario, and the visit and signing rules sit in the U SPORTS vs NCAA guide.
- For the class that started college in fall 2026, Division I football's early signing period ran December 3 to 5, 2025. The regular period opened February 4, 2026. We checked on October 26, 2026: next year's dates were not posted yet.
- Aiming at Division III? An Ontario player counts as international there and needs the US$85 Athletics Certification account, not the free Profile Page.
- Admission is its own step. NCAA certification does not get your kid into the school.
| Grade | For the NCAA | For U SPORTS |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Make the free NCAA Profile Page by the start of grade 9. Courses count from now on, including the de-streamed W courses, if the title is on the NCAA's Ontario list. Check that list before picking grade 11 and 12 courses. | No account to open yet. Since fall 2024, a first-year player can get an athletic award once admitted and enrolled in a degree program. |
| Grade 10 | Division I coaches can first call or message your kid on June 15 after grade 10. At year end, ask the school to send the NCAA an official transcript. | Under the rules U SPORTS Central posts, coaches and recruits can talk any time outside three football blackouts: December 21 to January 3, May 7 to 14, and July (apart from the Canada Cup). |
| Grade 11 | If a Division I or II school recruits your kid, switch to the paid Academic and Athletics Certification account. Division I official visits need it. The school sends another transcript at year end. | Register with U SPORTS Central ($55, not refundable) before any official campus visit. |
| Grade 12 | Your kid signs a written offer of athletics aid with a Division I or II school. Other scholarship schools must then stop contacting them. | Signing a Letter of Intent is optional. It is void if your kid is not admitted to that school. |
Film coaches will watch
Start a Hudl page in grade 9 or 10. Add to it after every season.
Put the best plays first, then at least one full game. A short reel shows what your kid can do on a good snap. The full game shows the rest: effort on the backside, and what happens when a play breaks down.
At the top of the page, list position, graduating year, height, weight, school, average and contact details. A coach who likes the film should be able to reach you in one click.
Contact the coaches, then go see them
Email the coaches at each school on your list. Keep it short. Lead with the Hudl link, then graduating year, position and average, and have a transcript ready to send.
For Canadian universities, start in grade 10 or 11. Contact is open all year outside the three blackouts in the table.
For NCAA Division I, have film ready before the June 15 date in the table. Their camps are in the US, and our NCAA Camp Tours run in May and June: group travel to selected NCAA camps, with on-site coaching.
Where six players who trained with us went
All six trained with us. Three of them crossed between the two systems, in both directions.
- Jake Kelly, from Markham: Bishop's, 2018 to 2022, then Winnipeg, who picked him 15th in the 2023 CFL Draft. His first CFL interception came in week 7 of 2026. He came through KF and coaches with us in the CFL off-season.
- Jared Wayne, from Peterborough: the University of Pittsburgh. Toronto drafted him 16th in 2023, and he signed with the Houston Texans instead. Houston waived him on October 12, 2026, and the Miami Dolphins claimed him the next day.
- Matt Dean, from Oshawa: he captained York at linebacker, and Saskatchewan drafted him 21st in 2023.
- Devynn Cromwell, from Toronto: three seasons at Guelph (2021 to 2023) and U SPORTS second-team All-Canadian in 2021. Then Texas Tech in 2024 and Michigan State in 2025. Hamilton took him 25th in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft.
- Aaron Arteaga, from Courtice: Holy Trinity, then a rookie season at York in 2021 with 8 catches for 68 yards. He moved to the University of Maine, redshirted in 2022 and played 10 games in 2024, mostly on special teams.
- Dasani McIntosh, from Ajax: Pickering High School, then a freshman year at Davenport University, an NCAA Division II school. By 2024 he was back in Canada at Western, with 11 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns in his first season.
Recruiting from Durham
Only five Durham high schools play LOSSA football in 2026, and none of the 11 OUA football schools is in Durham. Our Durham football guide lists those schools and the region's tackle clubs.
What we tell families
Coach Keith Godding took the Canadian route himself. He went from Denis O'Connor in Ajax to five seasons at Bishop's (2004 to 2008), then the Montreal Alouettes' practice roster in 2008 and four games with the 2010 Toronto Argonauts.
Plan for both routes from grade 9, since courses the NCAA counts keep the US open. For Division I, a fifth year won't fix it: a player who does not graduate on time cannot use courses taken after year four.
Pick a school your kid would choose without football. U SPORTS players get five years of eligibility, and Keith played all five of his at Bishop's.
Get on our 7v7 team
Our 7v7 Travel Team runs January to May for 16U and 13U players, with weekly practices and tournaments. It is invite-only. To be considered, upload your kid's film or Hudl link on the 7v7 page.
Players aged 8 to 16 also train with us on Sundays in 8-week blocks. Join on any Sunday: Sign up.