Justin Palardy’s ascent into the record books has caught the eye of Canadian Football League teams.
The Saint Mary’s Huskies all-star punter/kicker is in Ontario this week participating in pre-draft workouts with the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats and has already been looked at by the Calgary Stampeders.
Palardy, a three-time Atlantic University Sport all-star, holds conference records for career scoring (320), field goals (116) and converts (65) and still has one season of eligibility left.
“As a kicker, if a team is in need of a guy, he’s as game-ready as there is,” said Huskies head coach Steve Sumarah.
“If someone is looking for a dual-role guy (punter/kicker), he might not be quite ready, but if they’re looking for just a field-goal kicker, I’m not sure if there’s anybody better in the country.”
Sumarah said based on what he’s been hearing from scouts, Palardy, a Truro native, could be selected in the first three rounds of the CFL draft on May 2.
Palardy has expressed an interest in one day playing in the CFL, although a fifth and final season at Saint Mary’s is enticing due to the possibility of owning a piece of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport history books.
He is 90 points away from catching Jesse Lumsden’s all-time CIS scoring record of 410 and five field goals away from catching Frank Jagas’s career CIS mark of 70.
“He could go down in history as one of (the greats),” Sumarah said.
“But on the flip side, if you get a chance to go to the CFL and you have a chance to make it … It’s pretty hard to turn down.”
All-star offensive lineman Adam Baboulas is another Huskie attracting attention for the draft, although he likely won’t get a look until the later rounds.
