South Delta Sun Devils standout quarterback Michael Calvert will be continuing his career close to home.
The provincial MVP made it official Wednesday he is headed to Point Grey next September to play for the UBC Thunderbirds.
The 6'2", 210 pound pivot from Tsawwassen led the Sun Devils to the 2017 Subway Bowl semi-finals while posting B.C. AAA Varsity leading numbers in passing yards (3,406), touchdowns (39), and completion percentage among all starters at 71 percent. He also enjoyed a dominant run with the South Delta Rams at the community level, winning provincial championships while being coached by his father Brent.
"I'm just excited, I'm ready to get to work and hopefully help build this program with the next generation," said Calvert. "I want to be successful both on and off the field with a great school academically and a great football team with an excellent coaching staff."
Calvert possesses a dual threat capability having also rushed for 918 yards and eight touchdowns in his Grade 12 season.
"Michael is a very young, motivated athlete who wants to be at the top," said UBC head coach Blake Nill. "He makes a lot of good decisions, he works extremely hard at the various components of his game and he shows a lot of those same attributes academically.
"He has a very fast release, the ball gets to the receiver in a hurry and he's got arm strength. If you combine that with the fact he can pull down the ball and run at any time it creates a very menacing type of situation for opponents."
Calvert helped U18 Team Canada defeat the United States 44-26 at the International Bowl in Arlington, Texas back in January. He also won gold with Team B.C. at the Canadian U18 Five-on-Five championship at Thunderbird Stadium.
When it came to choosing where he would ply his trade, Calvert says going with Nill and the T-Birds was a no-brainer. He had drawn interest from programs across the country.
"You can't ignore his track record, wherever he's been he's had success so I look forward to learning, progressing and getting to the next level under his guidance," said Calvert. "I can't wait to get going, I want to commit to the process and I'm looking forward to putting the blue and gold on and getting ready for game day."
With files from Jeff Sargeant, UBC Communications
