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Ballenas Whalers quarterback Jupe signs with York University Lions

Towering athelete expected to compete for starting position at York

Standing six-foot-seven inches tall, Brayden Jupe could easily have chosen basketball to be his main sport.

But the Grade 12 Ballenas Secondary School athlete said he fell in love with gridiron football and has devoted over the years more energy and time to hone his skills in the sport.

He felt vindicated with his choice when on Monday afternoon (March 27), the Whalers’ towering quarterback, in front of family, friends, teammates, supporters and many coaches, officially signed on the dotted line a commitment to play for the York University Lions football team next school year.

Lions offensive coach Nathaniel Griffith was present during the signing ceremony and welcomed Jupe to York University.

“Brayden is very important to our program and he’s going to be a big building block of what we’re building going forward, especially at the quarterback position,” said Griffith. “It’s a very important position, it helps drive our offence. He’s the key guy in that so I wanted to come and make sure I get to meet all the coaches that helped get him where he is today. I am excited to be here with him in person.”

READ MORE: Ballenas Whalers receiver Brett commits to UBC Thunderbirds

Jupe quarterbacked the Whalers’ senior varsity team in the last two years. During the 2022-2023 season, Jupe was in the top two in passing in the BC Secondary Schools Football Association. He was second in the regular season with 56 completed passes in six games, a 49.6 per cent passing average, for a total of 703 yards. He also had six touchdowns.

Jupe is one of the many products of the Oceanside Youth Football Association’s Lions, where he was first exposed to the sport. He went on to play for Ballenas and got the opportunity to advance to the university level.

“It’s been a dream for almost 11, 12 years now,” said Jupe. “To finally getting the moment and getting it out here, signing those papers, it’s just a relief; but at the same time it also feels so unreal. It was a dream when I started football but slowly as I got older and I got to play in high school, it just slowly became into more of a goal than just a dream. And now it’s a reality.”

Griffith had the opportunity to witness himself what Jupe’s potential is during the BC High School Football All-Star Game.

“I got to work with Brayden at the BC All-Star Game and he stood out as one of the top quarterbacks there,” said Griffith. “And from there we kind of built a relationship. Then going back and forth, we decided to bring him down to Toronto. He came down and loved it.”

Other recruiters from the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and University of Calgary Dinos also took notice of Jupe’s potential as a quarterback and also offered him an opportunity to join their respective football programs. But Jupe said he went with his gut feeling when he made his choice.

“I had a look at both universities and at the end, it just came down to where I just felt comfortable,” said Jupe. “And that’s where it was, over at York.”

Jupe expects to head to York University and join the Lions for training in August. He said he has built a strong football foundation playing for Ballenas Whalers as it has instilled in him the confidence he needs to play at the university level.

“I feel I have been prepared pretty well throughout high school from my coaches,” said Jupe. “All they have been doing is preparing me to get to this level. Mentally I was ready to get to the level. My coaches have been very supportive. So as much as there’s a little bit of nerves moving away on my own, far away from the family, I am not too nervous about what I’m going to do on the football field and in the classroom.”

Griffith believes Jupe can develop more and make an immediate impact this coming season.

“We’re expecting him to come in and compete for the starting job right away,” said Griffith “Six-foot-seven is very hard to teach. He can throw the ball a mile. It comes from a basketball background. So he is very athletic. So we expect him to compete right away to be our starting quarterback.”

Ballenas coach Dan Smith is proud to see another of member of the Whalers move on to a new chapter of their football careers. Lineman Will Dubesky signed with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and receiver Carter Brett will join the UBC Thunderbirds next school year.

“These kids were pursued not only for their football abilities, but also because they are good students,” said Smith. “You can’t move up to most Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) universities unless the coaches believe you can balance school work with a very challenging football workload. It is a big jump from high school to the CIS, both athletically and academically.”

Smith said Jupe has the necessary frame to add many pounds of muscle. He believes he can meet the challenge as he has a strong desire to grow.

“Brayden has really developed into a good QB in the last two years,” said Smith. “He is smart, competitive and has developed a strong throwing arm. It is important to Brayden to continue to grow as a quarterback and get a shot at playing quarterback at the university level. York University has promised him an opportunity to compete at the QB position. I believe he is self motivated and will work hard to win the QB job if given a proper chance. Having said that, Brayden is very capable to play several positions at the CIS level.”

Michael.Briones@pqbnews.com

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Michael Briones

About the Author: Michael Briones

I rejoined the PQB News team in April 2017 from the Comox Valley Echo, having previously covered sports for The NEWS in 1997.
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