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PROVO — BYU ended the regular season with a 51-28 win over in-state rival Utah State, and now await an announcement of its final bowl destination.
Whether in the Las Vegas Bowl or Hawaii Bowl, the Cougar running back corps got a boost Monday.
Washington State transfer Squally Canada confirmed via his Twitter account that he will be eligible to play in BYU's bowl game, no matter which bowl picks the Cougars. The redshirt freshman from Milpitas, California, transferred to BYU on Dec. 13, and because of the timing of his decision, he will be eligible to suit up Dec. 19 in Las Vegas or Dec. 24 in Honolulu.
Yes i am bowl eligible — Canada Dry (@Squally_Canada) December 1, 2015
And no I will not lose a year of eligibility — Canada Dry (@Squally_Canada) December 1, 2015
The news was first reported by former BYU defensive back Ben Criddle on ESPN 960 radio and confirmed within minutes by Canada.
BYU punter and rugby standout Jonny Linehan also tweeted his support of Canada's newfound eligibility.
@Squally_Canada's thoughts on our upcoming bowl game... pic.twitter.com/FxrMXOtaHB — Jonny Linehan (@jlinehan9) December 1, 2015
Canada was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN coming out of Milpitas High School in 2013, when he ran for 1,916 yards and 24 touchdowns en route to an 11-2 record and a CIF Central Coast Section title as a senior.
The No. 32-rated running back in the nation initially committed to Mike Leach and the Cougars in Pullman, Washington, but decided to transfer after injuries forced him to sit out his freshman season with a redshirt. He made the move to BYU, and immediately began receive reps with the first two lines of offense during spring and fall camp, even though he would be forced to burn his redshirt freshman year of eligibility due to NCAA transfer policies.
Because of the timing of his move, however, he will be eligible for the final postseason game of BYU's 2015 season.
BYU moved to 9-3 on the season with a win over Utah State on Saturday, and has bowl contracts with both the Hawaii Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl for this season. Whichever bowl does not select the Cougars in 2015 will automatically select the Cougars in 2019, provided they are bowl eligible and do not receive an invitation to the College Football Playoff or a New Year's Six bowl at that time.
Junior running back Algie Brown leads BYU's rushing corps with 715 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Senior Adam Hine is No. 2 on the depth chart, but head coach Bronco Mendenhall has said for several weeks that he is not completely recovered from a knee injury. True freshmen Francis Bernard and Riley Burt have also seen significant snaps during the latter half of BYU's season.
Regardless of how much or little he is used in the bowl game, Canada will have three years to play three seasons of football beginning in 2016.
