Alabama receiver Metchie III looking to join select Cornish Trophy company

VANCOUVER — John Metchie III has the opportunity to join a very select group.

The Alabama Crimson Tide receiver was named a finalist Monday for the Cornish Trophy, presented annually to the top Canadian in NCAA football. Metchie III, a resident of Brampton, Ont., won the award last year.

If he can successfully defend his title, Metchie III would become just the second two-time winner of the award. The first was former Ohio University quarterback Nathan Rourke, a native of Victoria, B.C., now with the CFL's B.C. Lions.

The other finalists are Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa, Illinois running back Chase Brown, former Hawaii receiver Nick Mardner and Pittsburgh receiver Jared Wayne.

The 2020 Cornish Trophy recipient will be announced April 19.

Metchie III was a second-team All-SEC selection last season after registering a team-high 96 catches for 1,141 yard and eight TDs. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of Alabama's 41-24 SEC championship win over Georgia and missed the Tide's 33-18 NCAA title game loss to the Bulldogs.

This off-season, Metchie III declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

Luketa, of Ottawa, had 61 tackles (8.5 for a loss) in 12 games as a linebacker/defensive end for Penn State. The six-foot-three, 253-pound Luketa also had an interception return for a TD.

Luketa is eligible for the 2022 NFL draft.

The five-foot-11, 205-pound Brown, of London, Ont., ran for 1,007 yards on 170 carries (5.9-yard average) with five TDs last season. He also added 14 catches for 142 yards.

The six-foot-six, 190-pound Mardner, of Mississauga, Ont., registered 46 catches for 913 yards (19.8-yard average) and five TDs last season at Hawaii. Mardner exercised the transfer window in December and will