Luke Korol arrived at the University of Guelph at an ideal time. The young linebacker was a Gryphon Football rookie in 2014, after starring at Burlington’s Corpus Christi. As an emerging star at a critical defensive position, he was able to learn from an impressive corps of linebackers. Among that group were Curtis Newton and John Rush, whose futures included performing at the next level and each being part of a Grey Cup victory. There was also Andrew Graham, a standout U of G player, who hoisted the Yates Cup in 2015 and went on to train Gryphons as the team’s strength and conditioning coach for a couple of seasons.

Korol worked hard to lay the foundation for his memorable five-year career – and those bright stars around him played a significant role.

“Coming to Guelph, I was fully aware that the Gryphons were one of the top defences in the league,” Korol recalls. “And the linebackers on the team at that time were a major part of what made them so lethal.

“I knew that working alongside guys like Curtis, Andrew, and John would make me a better player. You couldn’t have a better group of guys to learn from. Competing and working with them shaped me into the player I became. It was a no-brainer joining a group like that.”

The unit’s ability was on full display in 2015 on the big stage. Korol remembers being a second-year player in the Yates Cup game against Western in London’s TD Stadium. Every Gryphon contributed that day. But Korol saw something amazing from his unit.

“They balled out that game and I’ll never forget it,” he says. “I couldn’t believe what I was watching. They put their bodies on the line for that win.”

Korol, who capped his career with the Ted Wildman Trophy and the Donald Forster award as team MVP, did indeed become one of those historic linebacking figures in the program’s history. And there have been many others. The veterans in Korol’s rookie year were just a few. Players like Derek Drouillard, the Reinhart brothers Jake and Job, and maybe the most notable of all, Gryphon and CFL legend Mike O’Shea, all contributed to Guelph’s deserved reputation as a linebacker factory.

“Success breeds success,” says linebacker coach Joe Sardo, who joined the program in 2017. “It becomes an expectation that playing linebacker at the University of Guelph means you have to want to perform.

“Those are the types of recruits that we look for, those who want to meet those expectations.”

The current linebacker corps appears in good hands. They have already made an impact in Guelph’s first game in two years. The Gryphons showed their intent in the OUA with a dramatic 23-21 win over the top-ranked Western Mustangs in the opener on the Alumni Stadium turf. This year’s linebacking crew was instrumental in that victory. Veterans AJ Allen (5 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles, a tackle for a loss, and half a sack), Justin Lauzon (4 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a sack), and Jared Beeksma (5 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles, an interception, and 2 pass breakups) all starred at the heart of the defence. Beeksma’s stellar performance earned him the team’s Defensive Player of the Week honours.

The linebackers thriving in a pressure-cooker game isn’t exactly a surprise. As the quarterbacks of the defence, they’ve been groomed to dominate whenever the opponent has the ball, playing a part in every snap. That environment has existed for a long time, but since Coach Sardo took the reins, Gryphon linebackers (and players at all positions, for that matter) have been exposed to professional-level instruction.

“Coach Sardo has built a culture where the linebackers have to be the best group on and off of the field,” says Beeksma. “He pushes us to be perfect in every practice and he always wants us to keep getting better.”

Their approach can be broken down into a simple phrase that has become a ubiquitous acronym – REV.

“The ‘R’ stands for running,” says Coach Sardo, a CFL player for four years, and a CFL assistant coach for two more. “We’re always running to the ball. One of Coach McPhee’s (Guelph’s Defensive Coordinator Dennis McPhee) defensive principles is that if you don’t run to the football, especially the linebackers, you’re not going to play. The ‘E’ is for eyes. Where did they go and why did they go there? And the ‘V’ is for violent. We want to be violent within the rules of the game.

“We also emphasize fast feet. I ask the linebackers, on every snap, on every single rep at practice, did you ‘REV it up?’ Did you run, were your eyes in the right spot, were you violent in your action, and were your feet proper?

“It’s a mental tip because once you say ‘REV,’ there’s so much there. And it gets drilled down into those techniques.”

That consistent approach to coaching the position has also contributed to the creation of the Guelph linebacker brand. It’s even a hashtag used on the team’s social media (#gryphonlbs). In addition to the expectation that they will REV it up, these players also need to be accountable in all facets of their lives.

“We compete internally, and we compete against every other team in the country,” says Coach Sardo. “Not just within Coach (Ryan) Sheahan’s program structure but also in the classroom and the community. We rely on each other to make sure we’re accountable. We’re a reflection of our families and our brand.”

“Off the field, our group strives to stay on top of school and be proactive with other commitments and deadlines,” says Beeksma. “The culture prepares everyone for life after football with values like accountability, responsibility, and a strong work ethic. The culture becomes more refined each week because as we all improve, the standard of success is raised.

“Personally, I’ll carry the things that I have learned from Coach Sardo and this culture to the next step of my football career, and beyond that.”

Like Beeksma, Korol learned a ton through this approach, beginning with the technical aspects of the game. He says that when he was in his first year, he realized there was so much he didn’t know about the X’s and O’s.

“I was blown away by the size of the playbook,” he says. “And it changes so much week to week, depending on who you’re playing. For so long, I was used to just getting the play from the sideline, doing my part in a specific play, and chasing the ball.

“When I got to university, I woke up to the fact that it didn’t work like that anymore. To truly keep up with the speed of the game, and allow yourself to play at that level, you had to fully understand the playbook and the reasons why the game is played that way.”

Coaching helped him Korol reach another level. He gave credit to Coach Sardo, Adam Grandy, and his Corpus Christi teacher and coach Nathan Galoni, for shaping him as a player, a man, and a mentor. Before he left Guelph with trophies in tow to play pro ball (and now in his working career), Korol used those lessons to show the path for the team’s young players.

“In my first two years, I was quiet on the field in practice and games,” says Korol. “I learned from the veterans. In my third year, I had some big shoes to fill when Curtis left. I knew I had to elevate my dedication to a new level. I had to become the guy other players looked up to and hold myself to a higher standard as Curtis did.

“I was fortunate to be surrounded by great teammates year in, year out. They made me want to be a better player and teammate.”

That culture remains a part of Gryphon Football, and the linebackers exemplify it. Coach Sardo is now in his fifth year with the program, having arrived at the same time as Beeksma. There is an immeasurable joy for the coach to see a player like Beeksma grow and blossom into a U SPORTS star, with the hope of playing professional football. Allen is another example of a figure like Korol, Rush, or Newton, who became more influential as their tenure went on.

The fun part is that there will be many more greats to come. Gryphon Football has adopted the professional football scouting process to give a detailed skill grade for any recruit interested in coming to the U of G. Armed with that information, the staff creates a “defensive dashboard” to identify a list of five or six players to pursue.

It ensures that Gryphon Football’s cupboards, including linebackers, will be nicely stocked.

“We’ve graduated many players so from a 2022 perspective, the recruits are going to be important,” says Coach Sardo. “We have some exciting players coming in and we have some young guys on the roster that we’re pleased with. They’re ready to be developed.

“We don’t mass recruit,” he adds. “That’s not the culture. We are very targeted about who we want and why we want them. Then we tell them the story about why they should come to the University of Guelph to be a student-athlete.”