This has got to be the most wide-open race for Most Outstanding Player in ages, right?
We’re well into the final quarter of the 2024 season and I don’t think anyone has a good feel for how MOP voting is going to go. And while it might get a little clearer over the final four weeks of the regular season, I think it’s safe to say this race is too close to call.
In full disclosure, this week’s MMQB was inspired by Bryson Vesnaver of Pro Football Focus after his great work on X last week. Bryson made a case for and against 11 different MOP candidates, which just underlined how ridiculously close this conversation is.
So how might this all shake out when it’s time for MOP voting to begin?
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THE QUARTERBACKS
Since the award’s creation in 1953, a quarterback has been named MOP on 44 of 70 occasions, or just about 63 per cent of the time. The gap between this season’s best quarterbacks, however, is so small that it’s hard to pinpoint one as a bona fide frontrunner.
Bo Levi Mitchell leads the league with 4,359 passing yards and 26 touchdowns but will be in tough if Hamilton ends up missing the playoffs. If the Tiger-Cats keep their late season heater going and sneak their way in, however, Mitchell’s case for a third MOP nod will be significantly stronger.
Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris owns the league’s best quarterback rating at 105.6 but has appeared in just nine games due to injury. Extrapolated over a full season, though, and Harris’s numbers (2,635 yards and 16 touchdowns) would put him right up there with Mitchell and the other league leaders.
Cody Fajardo is in a similar boat. Last year’s Grey Cup MVP has missed three games with injury, which hurts his raw numbers. In saying that, Fajardo is having the best season of his career and trails only Harris with a 104.9 quarterback rating. And don’t forget Fajardo is at the helm for the league’s best team, which typically makes an impact with voters.
Oh, and don’t forget a couple others. Vernon Adams Jr. was perhaps the league’s best player in the first half before sustaining an injury of his own. And Zach Collaros has turned his season around in a huge way and has helped Winnipeg to seven straight wins. Collaros threw for 432 yards and six (!) touchdowns in Friday’s 55-27 win over Edmonton.
THE PLAYMAKERS
Speaking of the Bombers, tailback Brady Oliveira has a strong MOP case for a second straight year. After finishing as runner-up last season, Oliveira is back on top of the CFL once again with 1,107 rushing yards in 14 appearances. Oliveira’s 5.8 yards-per-carry average is just 0.1 behind pace from last season and leads all tailbacks with 100 or more carries this year.
When you factor in Oliveira’s 409 receiving yards, he’s up over 1,500 in total offence. That puts him neck-and-neck with BC’s William Stanback, who sits at 1,062 yards on the ground and 358 more yards receiving with one more game played. Stanback’s bounce back season should garner him consideration.
Stanback’s Lions teammate Justin McInnis needs some love, too. The National receiver is enjoying a breakout campaign and his bonkers average of 16.3 yards-per-reception stands out the most. And that’s not to say his other numbers aren’t impressive. McInnis sits second overall with 1,207 receiving yards and is tied for the league lead with seven touchdown catches.
Ottawa’s Justin Hardy leads the league with 1,241 receiving yards and 90 receptions, as he’s become as consistent and reliable a player as you’ll find at the position. And Tim White of the Ticats deserves a mention, too. White owns an impressive average of 15.0 yards per catch and sits third with 948 receiving yards.
ON DEFENCE
A defensive player has been named MOP just once when linebacker Solomon Elimimian accomplished the feat in 2014. But in a year where things are so completely wide open, the circumstances might be right for someone to make it happen a second time.
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For instance, Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. is having a season worthy of recognition. The boundary halfback leads the CFL with seven interceptions while racking up a staggering 84 total tackles, including 19 on special teams. Those are tackle numbers you just don’t typically see from players at Milligan’s position.
Fellow defensive back Tyrell Ford of the Bombers is opening eyes around the league, too. Ford’s six interceptions rank him second overall, while his PFF coverage grades have been amongst the CFL’s best all season long. Winnipeg’s smothering defence wouldn’t be what it is without Ford’s contributions from the field corner spot.
And let’s talk about a pair of Montreal linebackers. Tyrice Beverette has picked up where he left off last year by leading the league with 97 total tackles. Defensively, Beverette impacts the game everywhere, as evidenced by his seven tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, and four forced fumbles. And Beverette’s special teams contributions shouldn’t be forgotten, either.
Teammate Darnell Sankey has gotten the job done in his first full season with the Als, too. Sankey is in line to lead the league in defensive tackles for a third time and currently sits first overall with 95. To round things out, Sankey has recorded two sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.