Christopher Fortin couldn’t have dreamed of a better scenario to end his university career. On Saturday, as the starting right guard for the University of Connecticut Huskies, he will face the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels in the Fenway Park Bowl, at the legendary Boston baseball stadium.
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“We will play against a team that is part of Power 4 [les quatre meilleures conférences]. It still doesn’t exist. We made a video and immediately saw that the boys were big and fast. “You tell me in 2019 I’m going to end my college career as a starter against a team like UNC in a bowl, I don’t believe you,” he said in a phone interview.
After all, UNC is the program that unexpectedly hired Bill Belichick as head coach for next season. He won’t lead Saturday’s bowl game, but his aura already hangs over the team.
In Connecticut (UConn), on a smaller scale, Fortin also experienced being led by a former NFL player in Jim Mora, who became the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the Seahawks in Seattle in the mid-2000s.
“To see a coach as decorated as Belichick in the NFL, you know he knows how to do it. I experienced it in a way with coach Mora who also has an NFL background. For those guy to play for him, it will be useful. The coaching style will be like in the NFL. As coach Mora, he will make the environment very professional,” he believes.
Good weather
For his part, Beauceron, from the Beauce-Appalaches Condors program, considers that he has improved a lot since his arrival in the NCAA.
This season, he started at right and left guard, in addition to getting reps at center in practice.
The Huskies finished with an 8-4 record and it was the first time since 2010 that the team had eight wins.
“When I left my native Beauce in the summer of 2020 during the COVID, I did not speak a word of English. I look at it now and I have become bilingual. I am a part of one of the best public education program in the United States.
“In 2021, I experienced a change of head coach. After that, we started to have a lot of success. The experience met my expectations and especially this year, because I was able to play and notice for the next level ,” said Fortin.
One last time…
Christopher Fortin, who wears number 67, has been in thick action all season for the Connecticut Huskies, as the starting guard. – PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
Now, there is just one game left for the 6’5″, 300-pound man, from Saint-René, to make his mark.
“This is my last chance to prove to NFL, UFL and CFL scouts that I can play and dominate against guys who have seen a lot of big football.
“For the future, regardless of the level or league, I will be happy because I want to play football as long as my body allows me. All the preparations for the draft are still far away for me,” he said.
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