Wilfrid Laurier University has found its replacement for Hec Crighton Trophy-winning quarterback Taylor Elgersma — enter Waterloo, Ont. native Callum Wither.
The 22-year-old passer has taken over the controls for the Golden Hawks high-flying offence entering the 2025 U Sports football season. After completing a four-year sport coaching degree with a minor in sport management in three years, he transferred from Ohio University to Wilfrid Laurier this offseason.
“We had a coaching staff changeover and I got to the realization it was time for a new spot. With Taylor departing and the timeline of my graduation, I ended up working out that coming back to Canada was the best option for me,” Wither told 3DownNation.
“I took visits and I talked to other schools, it’s smart to keep your options open. I met with head coach [Michael] Faulds, loved his message, everything that he was as a coach and I knew that Laurier was going to be the spot for me.”
The six-foot-four, 215-pound QB attended prep school at Football North in Mississauga, Ont. Over 10 starts in his final high school season, he threw for 2,140 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and also rushed for 500 yards and six touchdowns against all American opponents.
The performance helped him become the top-ranked Canadian quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class. There was no game action for Wither with the Ohio Bobcats as he sat behind fellow Canadian pass Kurtis Rourke for two years. He got to know Nathan Rourke as well and shares the same QB coach in Rob Williams from QB Motion.
“There’s one guy that works extremely hard at his craft and is incredibly dedicated. I’m happy to say I’ve spent time with him, gotten to take pieces of his game, his approach and put it into my game. Nathan works his tail off and there’s nobody that works harder,” Wither said.
There’s one other known QB connection: Chad Kelly. The pair played for the same high school: St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, as Wither spent his sophomore season there in 2019. He completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,503 yards with 21 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while rushing 27 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns in nine starts. That campaign garnered attention from big-time NCAA Division I programs but the COVID year without playing football stopped all that momentum.
Wither aims to regain his football career momentum by joining the Golden Hawks. He joins the defending Yates Cup champions and team that made it to the Vanier Cup in 2024, narrowly losing to the Laval Rouge et Or. Elgersma led Laurier last year with his elite arm talent and Wither felt fortunate to spend some time with him this summer.
“Before he left for training camp, there was about a month he was back. We had a lot of meetings, a lot of chalk talk time, going over the playbook, Canadian football and the 12th man. Then on the field, we got to be good friends, doing a lot of throwing competitions, golfing. Overall, Taylor’s a really good guy and I’m really happy to see he’s killing it in the NFL,” Wither said.
“A lot of dudes can throw a football, but I think Taylor’s an incredibly smart football player. Spending time with him, talking football, getting to see how his brain processes, the way he thinks about the game and sees it, I think it’s pretty special. There’s no doubt in my mind that he can play down there with those guys.”
While Elgersma is competing in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Wither has been learning the Golden Hawks offence and becoming part of the team during training camp. Offensive coordinator Todd Galloway has been working closely with his new QB to ensure he’s prepared entering his first game action in three years.
“He prioritized getting to know the guys, throwing with them all summer and meeting with me at least five days a week to understand the offence. He’s been impressive, he’s very decisive and gets the ball out quick,” Galloway said.
“His command of the offence is allowing us to keep with the theme of getting our athletes the ball in space. Nobody is expecting anybody to fill Taylor’s shoes, but this year’s version of the offence with Cal we are all excited about.”
Laurier has a high-end receiver group, led by 2025 CFL Draft pick Ethan Jordan. Last year, Jordan became the first receiver in Golden Hawks history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He’s joined by All-Canadian Raidan Thorne, up-and-coming Ryan Hughes, Layomi Ojutalayo, Jace Atkinson, and Jaxon Stebbings.
“From the middle of summer until training camp, every single day Cal met with Coach Galloway daily to go over the system. He would be on the field with me going over individual drills and throwing with the receivers,” Faulds said.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with his work ethic. Many believe Taylor left big shoes to fill, but I don’t see it that way. I want Cal to be himself and for the other 11 guys on the field to rally around him.”
Wither wants to soar above the rest of the quarterbacks in Canadian university football but he’ll have to prove himself on the field. The Golden Hawks kick-off their OUA regular season schedule on Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT at the University of Guelph.
