WATERLOO, Ont. - When the Golden Hawks kick off their season at Queen's on August 26, they'll be facing a perennially dominant offensive line. 

For the Gaels, the top priority will likely be containing Luke Brubacher. 

Now entering his third season, the Listowel, Ont. native will be the focal point of a Laurier defensive line stacked with talent. Veterans Brandon Omonuwa, Chisanem Nsitem, and Matt Caruso are returning. Omari Hastings, who last donned the purple and gold in 2021, will also rejoin the Golden Hawks after a year of playing junior football. 

And yet, the man who'll likely be drawing double-teams from opponents all season is someone who only started playing football two years ago. 

Yes, you read that right. Before the team's 2021 training camp, Brubacher had never even worn a football helmet. 

"I grew up in a really small town. We didn't have a football team around," he explained. The population of Listowel – about a 45-minute drive northwest of Waterloo – is listed at 7,530. 

"I just never really had the opportunity to play it growing up, but I always wanted to try." Brubacher instead grew up playing hockey and began boxing competitively as a teenager. 

During the pandemic, he found himself with a surplus of free time and decided to finally try his hand at football. "It was literally just an impulse decision that kind of led to all of it." 

He started by reaching out to Laurier manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds as well as associate head coach and defensive coordinator Ron VanMoerkerke. 

"I shot them a couple of emails and like they kind vaguely got back to me about maybe they'd have tryouts or something like that." 

"Eventually I sent them an e-mail with a highlight tape of lifting and running videos and stuff like that." Listed at 6'6" and 250 pounds, Brubacher's strength and agility is as much a sight to behold as his imposing frame. 

"They got back to me right away and said, "We want to have you out whenever we can have an open field time." 

"People always talk about the jump between high school and university football – the intensity and how complicated it is. So for me, obviously going from nothing to university football, it was super overwhelming at first." 

And yet, Brubacher felt comfortable on the gridiron even in those very first practices. "From the very start, it just sort of felt like I belonged there. I would say I had a lot of confidence right at the start, even though it was super overwhelming. I kind of knew from the get-go that I'd be able to figure it out eventually." 

"Eventually" didn't take long to arrive. Brubacher impressed Faulds, VanMoerkerke, and the rest of the team in training camp enough to not only earn a roster spot, but a place in the starting lineup of the season opener. 

"I was pretty nervous for sure. I would say my boxing background actually helped me a lot in that sense, where the nerves before a fight are extremely, extremely intense. I think I kind of was able to deal with that a lot better than maybe some people would in a similar situation." 

"Our o-line coach, [Matt Sparks] right before the game started, he told me "Just play hard because you're probably not even going to know if you make a mistake anyway, so who cares?" And it kind of stuck with me." 

Clearly, it was good advice. Brubacher recorded his first career sack before the first half even finished. By the third game of the season, Brubacher – along with the rest of the OUA – began to realize he had something special. 

"We played Western, and I had always heard about how good their o-line is," he said. "I feel like I held up very, very well that game against them against guys who were CFL prospects." 

"I was like, "Alright, I think I might actually be really good at this." The next week, he had four sacks against McMaster. 

As Brubacher improved, his approach to the game shifted. "That very first time stepping on the field, I kind of just wanted to have fun with it," he said, "as soon as I realized that I was actually alright at playing football, my immediate goal was to try to be the best in the league, and that's still what I'm striving for." 

He was already well on his way there entering last season, and while he was still an instrumental part of the Golden Hawks defence in 2022, a shoulder arguably held Brubacher back from reaching his full potential. 

"The injury happened in the second quarter of the very first game of the season, and so it was just something that I kind of had to deal with throughout the entire year... I wasn't able to play as hard or as fast and aggressive as I wanted to." 

That's a scary thought, considering Brubacher still managed a team-best four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. And it's only made him more dangerous heading into this year. 

"I think having a season that didn't live up to the expectations that I had for myself, that's sort of exactly what I needed. I was more motivated than ever going into this offseason to get my shoulder healthy and get myself bigger, faster, and stronger than I've ever been." 

"I see a guy who's healthy and in the best shape of his life," said Faulds, adding that Brubacher is one of the hardest-working players on the team. "He's going to go out there like gangbusters." 

"I definitely have my sights set pretty high for this season," said Brubacher. "I would say my goal is to be the most dominant defensive player in the league this year. I want to make a really big statement this year and I think I certainly can." 

That statement is sure to be heard loud and clear by scouts. Brubacher will be vying for a spot on the CFL's top prospects list. There've even been whispers of him catching the attention of a few NFL teams. 

"I'm a believer that we only have this year with him because he's going to be a professional football player," said Faulds. 

"That's always been a childhood dream of mine, to play a sport professionally. I was just never that good at the sports that I played growing up, I never really thought it was possible. To be in a position now where I actually have a good chance of getting paid to play a sport as early as next year is even more motivation going into this season... I'm less than a year away from making a childhood dream come true, so it's pretty surreal." 

For now, Brubacher's focus remains on helping lead Laurier into what's shaping up to be a very competitive OUA season. "We have one of the most – if not the most – talented teams in the league right now, so I think to see us go all the way and win the Yates, that's not something that would be a surprise."