Argos sign Canadian quarterback Brannagan

The Toronto Argonauts now have one of the rarest species in the Canadian Football League: a Canadian quarterback.

The Argos signed Queen’s University quarterback Danny Brannagan on Monday, a day after he impressed coaches and scouts at the CFL’s annual evaluation camp for university players.

“I’m fortunate to have had a successful university career and realize that not a lot of people get to compete at the next level,” said the Burlington resident.

That’s certainly true. No Canadian quarterback has started a CFL game since Larry Jusdanis did it with Hamilton in 1995 and few have even managed to make rosters since then.

Argo head coach Jim Barker said he was impressed with Brannagan’s athleticism, accuracy and his presence during the weekend camp.

``He can make all the throws and he understands the Canadian game and how to read defences,” Barker said. ``We are excited to watch Danny compete with the other quarterbacks we have signed.

``We would not have signed him if we didn’t think he could make our team.”

Brannagan is coming off a Vanier Cup victory and a season that saw him pass for 2,580 yard in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) play. He was named Vanier Cup MVP in throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

He finished his CIS career as the second all-time leading passer with 10,714 yards.

He will compete against Dalton Bell, acquired in a trade with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last month, and former Buffalo Bills back-up Gibran Hamdan.

None of the three has thrown a pass during a CFL regular season game.