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How Austin Mack got to the Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes had been pursuing Austin Mack since January, but he didn’t find out they were interested until April. His representatives were focused on landing him a contract in the NFL early in 2023, but once they realized that wasn’t going to materialize, they decided to shift their focus to the CFL.

Mack grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was a multi-sport athlete. He played football in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and summer. It was only when he got to Bishop Lueurs High School that he decided to put all his focus on football.

The decision paid off because he eventually received 35 scholarship offers to play football across the United States. He got his list down to Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee. Mack eventually settled on Ohio State, which was less than three hours from his hometown.

“I wanted to be close to home,” Mack, who wanted to become a pediatrician, said. “I’m a big family man. I’m from Fort Wayne, Indiana, so the Floridas were out, California was out, unless it was USC, that was my dream school. But for me, it was about education. I’m big on education. I went into university as a pre-med major and ended up being a finance student.

“[Former Ohio State head coach] Urban Meyer, that was my guy. I love him to death, and I loved being a Buckeye.”

In four years in the NCAA, he accumulated 1,050 yards on 79 receptions. Mack wasn’t selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he signed with the New York Giants and received a $10,000 signing bonus.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder cracked the Giants practice squad after training camp in 2020, and he made his way onto the active roster a few weeks later. An injury in the receiving corps in November gave Mack his first real NFL opportunity, and he made the most of it, as he caught four passes for 72 yards, including a 50-yard strike from quarterback Daniel Jones.

“I was able to be the third receiver that day,” Mack said of the game against Washington. “I capitalized on all my opportunities. It was an awesome experience. I was still that utility guy, like the fourth and fifth receiver for (the Giants).”

Unfortunately for Mack, a string of hamstring injuries halted his progression. At the end of the following training camp, he was placed on injured reserve and eventually released in early September. He was picked up by the Tennessee Titans in November, but he was cut just one week later.

“It’s been injuries the last two years,” he said. “For me, it’s been this uphill battle of trying to figure out and understand my body. Once you get listed as an injury guy or a hamstring guy, especially soft tissue (injuries), It’s hard…For me, it was just working, working, working, and Montreal called. I feel like I did what I needed to do during the off-season to be ready, and it shows (on the field).”

After his short stint with the Titans, he was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent parts of two seasons. Mack had a strong showing in training camp in 2022 but pulled his hamstring, again, on the second play of the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“It was just disappointing,” he said. “Mentally, you’re up/down, up/down, up/down, to the point where you want to hang up the cleats, but you have to dig deep. I have experienced the highs and lows, and God gives you these trials and tribulations for a reason. It really shapes you as a man. For me, I couldn’t give up.”

Mack was released by 49ers last August, and he remained a free agent until the Als came calling.

Before he agreed to sign with Montreal, Mack had a 45-minute discussion with Alouettes director of national scouting P.Y. Lavergne, who first saw Mack at 49ers training camp in August 2022.

“Every player will require a different approach. He was asking a lot of questions, but those were legit questions and very good questions,” Lavergne said of his conversation with Mack. “He was well-informed, and he wanted to know what he was committing too. That’s a good thing. It was a good sign that he showed that much interest.”

Mack has proved to be a solid find. Not only did he establish himself as a starter early on in training camp, but he also led the team in receiving yards in the Als’ Week 1 win, as he picked up 120 yards on four receptions against the Redblacks.

“He does everything 100 miles per hour,” Als starting quarterback Cody Fajardo said after Monday’s practice. “That’s what’s impressive. The thing I’m most impressed about is the way he’s picked up the offence. He’s able to play fast because of it. A lot of times, you see rookies come out, and it takes them three, four or five weeks.”

Mack, who will be 26 at the end of August, knows that one game doesn’t make a career, but he has set lofty goals for himself in 2023 and beyond.

“There’s one guy who was a hall-of-famer here in Montreal. He wore 86 and his name is ‘Cahoon,’” Mack said. “I want to be at that level. If I’m going to be here and build a career here, that’s where my expectations are.”