TORONTO — Former UTSA linebacker Les Maruo on Thursday was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with the fourth overall pick in the Canadian Football League's 2021 Global Draft.
Maruo, who was born in Yokkaichi, Japan, was the first linebacker and second defensive player overall taken in the draft, which is in its first year of existence. Following his college career with the Roadrunners, he spent the past two years playing for the Asahi Soft Drink Challengers of Japan's X League before taking part in a virtual combine to prep for the CFL Global Draft.
Maruo played in 23 games for UTSA in 2017-18 and registered 98 total tackles, 53 solo stops, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a pair of pass breakups and an interception. As a senior, he posted 86 tackles, including 4.5 TFL and two sacks, to go along with breaking up two passes, recovering a pair of fumbles and picking off one pass. The two-time Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll selection logged a career-high 12 tackles against both Southern Miss and FIU in 2018.
Prior to his UTSA career, Maruo starred for two seasons at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He recorded 85 tackles, including 11 for loss, in 11 games as a sophomore in 2015. As a freshman, he had 22 stops to help the Blue Dragons finish 11-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Maruo moved his native from Japan to Wichita, Kan., when he was nine years old. As a prep standout at Goddard High School, he racked up 79 stops in nine games as a senior and another 59 in 10 contests as a junior.
The 2021 CFL Global Draft is the first CFL Draft that pools all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. A total of 36 players were chosen from among eligible players following a virtual CFL Combine. The order of the draft was determined by random lottery, similar to the system used for the 2021 CFL Draft.
For the 2021 CFL season, teams are required to keep two global players on the active roster and up to three on the practice roster. Global players are required to sign their first contracts for a length of two years plus a one-year club option.
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