Nov. 12, 2001
by David Kaplan – Host Communications
College football’s recruiting trails often lead coaches to the sunshine of Florida, the plains of Texas and the mountains of Western Pennsylvania. Recently, however, a relatively new region has been explored, and the results are promising.
Canada, where it can be considered a crime to participate in any sport besides hockey, is emerging as home to a vast number of college football prospects. And while it would be a bit far-fetched to associate Canada as a hotbed for recruiting, it has definitely caught the attention of the NCAA. “There’s actually a lot of good football talent in Montreal and Toronto,” said Montreal native and Kentucky senior Chris Gayton. “Coaches for all the big-time Division I programs are going up there. We have combines for all the athletes that have schools interested and all the coaches come up.” Many schools in the Big Ten and Mid-American conferences have imported players from north of the border. However, institutions everywhere have taken notice. In fact, top-ranked Miami (Fla.) has four native Canadians thawing out on its squad, including Brett Romberg, a candidate for the Rimington Award, presented annually to the best center in college football.
Perhaps the greatest Canadian pioneer was Tim Biakabutuka, the Carolina Panthers’ all-time leading rusher. Gayton has some gratitude toward the former Michigan standout.
“He was kind of the guy who led the way,” Gayton said. “There were guys before him, but there was much less recruiting up there from big universities. He was the one who really opened people’s eyes to the fact that there was really good football in Canada, and guys could come down and play here.”
Gayton garnered attention while playing at Vanier College in Montreal. As a running back, he averaged 6.5 yards a carry during his third and final year with the Cheetahs, with six touchdowns. He was star of the special teams as well, returning a punt 63 yards for a touchdown and establishing the school record for punt return yardage.
Despite playing three years of Canadian college football, Gayton embarked on the Commonwealth with full NCAA eligibility in tow. “It’s not really college,” Gayton explained. “It’s (Canadian college) almost like a transition between high school and a university. It’s a little bit like a junior college. Our high school is shorter, we have junior college and our university is also shorter … so instead of going to college there I went to college here. It’s really not college-level play, so it doesn’t affect my eligibility.”
Still, Gayton enrolled at UK in 1997 as a 21-year-old freshman. And after redshirting, while being hampered by a pulled hamstring, Gayton debuted for the Blue and White at the ripe old age of 22. No doubt, an advantage physically. But Gayton feels as though he was just catching up to the American game.
“Football-wise it’s a whole different game,” Gayton said. “There aren’t many rule changes, but just the fact that down here, with the population density, it’s so much more developed. I think it’s the right thing for me to get full eligibility, because it really isn’t the same level of play.”
Upon enrollment at UK, Gayton was switched to the defensive side of the ball. As a redshirt freshman, Gayton saw action in all 11 games, garnering two starts at strong safety. He made two tackles against Penn State in the Outback Bowl and was named to the “All-Can-American Team” by the Toronto Sun for Canadian players who participate in American college football.
Gayton transitioned to the linebacking corps his sophomore season and contributed immensely on special teams. He began the 2000 season as a key cog in the Kentucky defense. However, after tallying 20 tackles and starting the first four games of the season, Gayton sustained a sprained knee, which slowed him for the remainder of the season.
This year, Gayton returned to the secondary but was quickly summoned back to linebacker when the unit lost several vital components. While the constant shifting of roles has caused Gayton to become a quick study, he’s taken it in stride.
“It’s a great system we have on defense, so it wasn’t hard for me to learn,” said Gayton. “The only difference is playing tempo – from close to the defensive line all the way to the cornerbacks – rather than outside where there’s a little bit more time to watch everything. I had everything coming pretty fast for the first little while and I got used to that.”
Gayton’s dedication to the team has not gone unnoticed by his coaches. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach John Goodner is appreciative of Gayton’s commitment.
“If you look at what Chris has done, he’s on his third position in three weeks,” said Goodner. “He’s done that without one iota of, ‘Coach, I don’t want to make that move.’ He’s done that with our football team at heart. Anything to help the football team, that’s what he wants to do. I can’t say enough about that.”
As Gayton sees it, he’s just happy to be a part of what’s happening at UK. He’s participated in the recent highs of going to consecutive bowl games and the lows of a two-win season. Now, he’s ready to close out his career on an upswing.
“The way the program is going right now, it’s so much fun again,” said Gayton. “It’s great. Everyone is having a good time. I really don’t mind too much where I play. What am I going to do about it? I’ll always do whatever we need to do.”
An art studio major, Gayton burst out of the gates with a team-high 28 tackles in UK’s first three games. He may even try to parlay his versatility and leadership ability into a football career following graduation. Based on information he’s received, Gayton is confident he could return to the Great White North and play in the Canadian Football League, and is interested in exploring all professional possibilities.
“I’m making preparations for keeping my doors open,” said Gayton. “I’m not so concerned about it that I’m going to burn my bridges. Certainly it would be nice, it’s a nice way to earn some money. I’m just going to take it as it comes.”
