GRAND FORKS — Another former UND football player is going to try his hand at the Canadian Football League.
UND left guard Donny Ventrelli has signed with the Montreal Alouettes, the club announced Tuesday.
Ventrelli becomes the fifth UND player on an active CFL roster, joining running back Brady Oliveira and defensive back Evan Holm (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), defensive lineman Mason Bennett (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) and linebacker Tyron Vrede (Ottawa REDBLACKS). Former UND players Tyler Hoosman, C.J. Siegel and Garett Maag spent time this preseason in CFL training camps but have since been cut from the rosters.
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Ventrelli, who’s 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds from St. Paul, Minn., recorded 50 starts on the offensive line at UND including 12 last season, helping UND rank No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and No. 3 nationally in completion percentage (70.3 percent). UND quarterbacks had the No. 14 passing efficiency rating with him on the line.
Ventrelli served as team captain and was an all-MVFC Second Team choice for the second year in a row.
The Alouettes will host the Toronto Argonauts in Week 2 of the preseason this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Montreal is the defending Grey Cup champions, upsetting Oliveira, Holm and the Blue Bombers in last season’s finale.
Ventrelli, who played both guard and tackle at UND, spent time at Chicago Bears rookie minicamp earlier this month.
With Ventrelli’s graduation and the transfers of starters Cade Borud (Iowa), Sam Hagen (South Dakota State) and Easton Kilty (Kansas State), the Fighting Hawks will have a retooled offensive line in 2024 for new offensive line coach Trevor Olson and new offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte.
The CFL regular season starts Thursday, June 6, when Montreal faces the Blue Bombers in a Grey Cup rematch at 7:30 p.m. in Winnipeg.
