Players at Canisius are beyond disappointed that their season was postponed to the spring.

What You Need To Know

  • Monsignor Martin schools aren’t playing football until the spring because of concerns with COVID-19
  • Tyler Baker, a junior quarterback at Canisius, has a D-I offer from UPenn; more schools would offer if he were able to send four games of film from this season
  • Malachi Charleston, a senior lineman at Canisius, has two D-I offers; he says more schools would offer if he could visit them in-person
​

“I was very, very frustrated,” says Tyler Baker, the Crusaders’ junior quarterback. “Me and my family, some of my friends and teammates, also.”

“I just couldn’t believe it,” adds Malachi Charleston, a senior on the defensive line. “I thought we were going to have a season.”

Even without a season, these Canisius teammates are both getting Division-I looks. Charleston has two offers, and Baker just got his first. If it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, they would certainly have more.

“They need to see me in-person, or four games of my junior season,” says Baker. “They want to see me develop.”

“There’ve been a couple of schools that said that,” says Charleston. “They also said they want to see me in-person before they would offer me.”

Baker and Charleston hope to stay in shape during an extended offseason – they’ll try to keep an even keel despite the massive frustrations stemming from a lost season.

“It’s frustrating, but you’ve gotta just wait it out and enjoy the process,” says Baker. “At the end of the day, you’re only going to one school, and you’re going to want to go to the school that’s most interested in you.”

“Our goal is to go on a scholarship so our families don’t have to pay as much and so we can get a better education through football,” says Charleston. “Because all this is happening right now, it’s pretty tough. It’s hard, but we’ve gotta fight through and control what we can control.”

With no season until the spring, the Crusader teammates are working out on their own time. Baker throws to receivers on local high-school fields, while Charleston is fortunate to have a powerlifter in his host family, helping him add on 35 pounds since January.

“I want to show them how aggressive and how strong I am coming off the line,” says Charleston.

“Everyone thinks of me as the running quarterback, but I want to get my passing game down this year. I want to have a really good passing season,” says Baker.

Each of these players hope to impress college coaches at on-campus clinics and camps this semester. They’re great opportunities for Baker and Charleston to put their names out there, and maybe earn more offers.​