There’ll be big changes on the Gryphons’ offensive line this year.
Gone due to graduation are four of the five offensive linemen who started the season opener last year — Cam Wilhelm, Zach Bader-Shamai, Matt Toppan and Matt Nesbitt. That leaves Kyle Fraser-Audit as the lone returning opening-game starter on the offensive line.
“It puts me in more of a leadership role now,” he said following Monday’s workouts at Alumni Stadium. “I’m a fifth-year O lineman so I’ve been through it all and I know what’s expected. We’ve got a young group coming in now, but we also have a lot of guys from last year stepping up who already know what they’re supposed to be doing out there and know what the coaches expect, which helps us a lot. That helps us jell better as a unit, communicate better and have the upper hand on our opponents.”
Fraser-Audit also returns for his fifth season with the Gryphons following a CFL training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks who picked him in the sixth round, 45th overall, of the league’s draft in May.
“The CFL camp was great,” Fraser-Audit said. “Coach Bryan Chiu (Ottawa’s offensive line coach) was phenomenal. He taught me some stuff to bring back to university which I’ve been trying to work on really hard to improve my game. I found that with the CFL camp, the CIS slowed down a little for me. It’s not as quick any more. I can play better instead of focusing more on my assignment out there. I already know what I’m supposed to be doing.”
That CFL camp experience helped Fraser-Audit get ready for the Gryphon training camp.
“That got me prepared a lot,” he said. “I learned some new techniques there and how to play guard and tackle and stuff. Also, I just trained. The weight room is a big part of becoming a successful football player because when you play on the offensive line, you do need strength so I did that.”
While training camps don’t get any easier from a physical standpoint, the butterflies of first year are long gone for the fifth-year players like Fraser-Audit.
“It does get easier in regards to that in I know what to expect which is long, hot days of training,” he said. “It’s basically a week of sacrificing your body and all your mentality to make the team better and able to go forward to get to that spot where we want to go, which is the Vanier Cup.”
The Gryphons will enter the season following their OUA championship Yates Cup win last year.
“One hundred per cent it does bring a target on our backs and I think it’s good, personally,” Fraser-Audit said. “Our guys can finally step up and will be seen as the No. 1 team in the OUA to beat now. Personally, I think a couple of years we’ve been the No. 1 team to beat, but we haven’t been given that credit, which is OK. It’s just what people think. Now that we are the champions, we now have something to show for it.”
Making a challenge to be the starting centre, replacing Nesbitt, is third-year Gryphon Eric Starczala.
“I played it growing up,” he said of his experience at the position.
He also feels that many conversations with Nesbitt the past two years helped get him ready to step in as Nesbitt’s replacement.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Starczala said. “He was really smart and knew a lot of stuff. I’ve talked to him a lot. I had two years underneath him and all the older guys, they helped us a lot. I’m pretty confident I know what I’m doing.”
He feels it’s the same for all the other offensive linemen who’ll step up to be starters this season.
“We were all under the older guys for a couple of years and we all gained experience from them and learned a lot from them,” he said. “I think we’re going to be fine. We should be, we’re all very confident.”
Starczala is a fairly flexible offensive lineman and has also seen time at guard and tackle with the Gryphons.
“I’ve been moved around every position,” he said. " In the last two years, I changed from tackle to guard and now I’m at centre."
The Gryphons are to play a controlled scrimmage with the McMaster Marauders Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium, then start preparing for their season opener at home against the Toronto Varsity Blues Aug. 28. Starczala can’t wait.
“I dressed against Carleton last year and I just remember it was like, I don’t know, my adrenalin was going and I was really excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to get that feeling back. It’s going to be awesome, especially home opener.”

Written by Rob Massey