Jonah Pataki Aims To Prove He’s Pro Ready
Jonah Pataki rushing the football for Queen’s in 2016 – Photo by Ian MacAlpine/ Windsor Lancers
The Wallaceburg product finished another strong campaign with Queen’s Univeristy, his fourth in Gaels uniform, and turned heads at the Regional and National CFL Combine’s, but his name wasn’t called at the CFL draft.
Now, returning for his fifth and final season at Queen’s, Pataki is ready to prove he’s a pro ready prospect, and to help his team reach new heights on the field.
“I feel motivated. Last year I rose quickly from where I was to where I ended up at draft time,” said Pataki of his rise as a CFL prospect last season. “I think I’m right on the cusp of being a pro ready player and one more year at school will allow me to work on a few things and progress even further.”
“I now have a chip on my shoulder to prove I can be not only a good player, but a great one before taking a shot at the CFL.”
His Queen’s teammates will benefit from that search for greatness, as he looks to add to his career high totals of 814 rushing yards, 101.8 yards averaged per game, and the 7 touchdowns he scored in 2016.
“This season I want help bring our team to a championship,” said Pataki.
“I want to establish our offence early as a power house and dominate teams in both the run and pass game. It is crazy and a bit sad that I am already in my last year, but I am excited to get started because many of us have multiple seasons under our belt which leaves us with a lot combined experience going forward priming us for a significant playoff push.”
Jonah Pataki and the Queen’s Gaels begin their OUA season August 26 at home against Carleton.