WATERLOO, Ont. - Three years ago, the Golden Hawks were holding their first practice of what promised to be a very different football season. With U SPORTS competition on hold due to the pandemic, all the focus was on the future of the program. 

Enter Taylor Elgersma. As the first-year quarterback made his way onto the turf at University Stadium for the very first time, offensive coordinator Todd Galloway – then entering his first year with the team as well – pulled him aside. He pointed out another freshman, a receiver already taking reps on the field.  

"Get ready," he said, "because this is going to be your guy for the next five years."  

Fast forward to today, and Elgersma and Ethan Jordan are one of the most dynamic quarterback-receiver duos in U SPORTS football. Elgersma finished in the top five of the OUA in every major passing statistic last season, while Jordan was by nearly every metric the best receiver in the province, earning himself All-Canadian honours. 

"I think [Jordan] shocked a lot of people with that breakout season last year," said manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds. Prior to the 2022 season opener, Jordan hadn't received a single target in an OUA game. 

"It surprised me, I'm not going to lie," agreed Jordan. "At the same time, looking back, I know how good I am... I have confidence in myself, and I know how good Taylor is." 

"That's what we do best. We just go out and play... everything kind of clicked between the three of us last year – me, Taylor, and Galloway were all on the same page." 
 

That chemistry is something both Jordan and Elgersma attribute in part to starting their Golden Hawks careers during the lost season. 

"I was planning on staying for a grade 13 year at high school," revealed Elgersma, "and then when that season kind of got taken away, I decided to come to university early." 

"He decided to get his feet wet academically, be a sponge with coach Galloway, and learn the offense. And he did that," said Faulds. "That catapulted him, even in his early eligibility years, to be playing a level above where a true second-year guy should be." 

"Taking that next step to the university level, it was beneficial for me and a lot of the other guys," echoed Jordan. 

For Elgersma, that year of preparation came in handy, as his OUA debut came sooner than anyone would have expected. 

"I always have high expectations for myself. Always. I wanted to make an impact right away, but I also knew we had Connor [Carusello] who'd been here for a couple of years. I knew that I was going to have to just take my opportunity when I got it." 

"It's kind of crazy because it happened in the second drive ever of my university career." In the first quarter of the 2021 season opener against York, Carusello suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to leave the game. "I got thrown in right away." 

Elgersma would finish the game, earning his first career OUA win, and start the next two contests as well while Carusello recovered. 

"We had really good flashes during that time, and then there were parts in the Waterloo game, for example, where I didn't play my best. It takes a second to adjust to university football, and I think that game experience made me feel so comfortable coming in the last year, because it wasn't new to me anymore." 

Jordan, meanwhile, dressed for every game in 2021, and was able to gain valuable experience even if he was kept off the stats sheet.  

"Having that trust with the coaches helped build my confidence," he said. "It prepared me a lot for [2022]. I knew what game day was like. I didn't end up getting any catches, but I did get enough moments that kind of prepared me mentally, whether it was returning or receiving... it was a building block." 

"Getting a jersey in your first season means a lot," said Elgersma. "Going into that [2022] offseason, it felt like it was our group's time to take over. Even in winter practices going into that year, I felt our group had a natural confidence about us. The whole offense just walked around with some swagger." 

Elgersma and Jordan are just two among a large group of core offensive players who had standout seasons in 2022. Quentin Scott finished third in the OUA with 924 rushing yards and was among the frontrunners for conference MVP. Tanner Nelmes finished ninth with 449 and had five total touchdowns. Raidan Thorne amassed 350 receiving yards while making a highlight-reel catch roughly once a quarter. Cooper Hamilton solidified himself as a dependable anchor for the offensive line. 

The moment it became clear to those outside the locker room that this group was special arguably came in the second quarter of the week seven game at Windsor. The Golden Hawks put together a dominant 28-point run, which included a 32-yard major from Scott and a 46-yard bomb from Elgersma which Jordan caught for a touchdown. 

They followed it up the next week with a blowout win over Waterloo in which Elgersma, Jordan, Thorne, and Scott all set career-highs. 

"Those games where we started to really turn it on, I think we actually looked at each other and were like, "this is what we should be doing every single game," said Elgersma. 

All of the offensive core is returning for the 2023 season. 

"That's something that we've been talking about this offseason. We recognize that we have a lot of pieces that are just hitting our stride right now. Last year we showed flashes of being able to be one of the best teams in the country, but I think this whole group recognizes that that wasn't even touching the floor of what our potential can be." 

"Going into this year, we're comfortable with the playbook, we're comfortable with the pace of the game and we're comfortable with each other," said Jordan. "In the sense of growing paints, we did that last year, now go time." 

With that in mind, Jordan and Elgersma have their sights set firmly on one goal. 

"The mindset this year has to be Vanier or bust, that is the only thing that this group has our sights set on right now," asserted Elgersma. "With the returning defense we have, the returning offense we have, and the coaches we have, our goal is to win every single game and to win by a substantial margin. We think we have a group that can make a run and make some real history." 

The 2023 Vanier Cup is scheduled for November 25 at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ont. The Golden Hawks are hoping that's where their season will end, and they'll start it off on that very field when they visit the Queen's Gaels for the season opener on August 26.