After helping NCC football win a national championship, quarterback Broc Rutter, ’20, had his eyes on the NFL. The 2019–20 Gagliardi Trophy winner went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft and signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL forced its teams to shorten their training camp rosters. Rutter ended up being released by the 49ers.
Rutter didn’t make any NFL rosters during the 2020–21 season and decided to finish his last semester at NCC. Now, Rutter will be heading north of the border to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL) after signing a deal with the Montreal Alouettes.
Per the CFL transaction page, the #Alouettes have signed QB Broc Rutter, LB Eli Mencer and DB Ahmad Thomas
— Joey Alfieri (@joeyalfieri) January 20, 2021
The Naperville product went on to shatter NCC career, season and game records. Rutter has set career records in pass completions, pass attempts, yards per game, completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Eventually, Rutter became the Division III all-time leader in passing yards.
In his final season at NCC, Rutter earned the honors of being selected to the AFCA All-American Second Team, All-CCIW First Team, D3football.com All-North Region First Team, D3football.com First Team All-American and the Associated Press First Team All-American. Rutter also earned the CCIW Offensive Player of the Year and the North Region Offensive Player of the Year.
In 2019, the Alouettes finished 10-8 and clinched a postseason berth. This was the Alouettes’ first non-losing season since 2014 and the first winning season since 2012. After making the postseason, the Alouettes lost 37-29 in the Eastern Division Semi-Finals to the Edmonton Eskimos.
Last year, the CFL decided to postpone their season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL’s abbreviated schedule fell through. The league did mention that they would be returning for a 2021 season. However, they will have to receive the go-ahead from the Public Health Agency of Canada for the teams to play in their stadiums.
The CFL has released its schedule for the upcoming season. Preseason will begin on May 23 and regular season will start on June 10. The season will conclude on Nov. 21 with the 108th Grey Cup.
