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Zylstra Featured In Edmonton Journal

Zylstra Featured In Edmonton Journal

Feature article courtesy of Edmonton Journal and reporter Gerry Moddejonge. Picture courtesy of Edmonton Eskimos

Small-school product getting first taste of pro organization at Edmonton Eskimos camp

It's not the size of the dog in the fight.

And it's certainly not the size of school he comes out of, either.

Brandon Zylstra isn't letting the fact he's fresh out of the NCAA Division III diminish the size of his fight at Edmonton Eskimos training camp.

If anything, the six-foot-three, 220-pound receiver has come in hungrier — and not just because athletic scholarships aren't offered, whatsoever, to student-athletes in Division III.

"If you're getting into the professional level from a small school, nothing was given to you and nothing was easy," said Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly. "I love it. I came from a Division II school, so I've got not problem playing with guys from small schools.

"I actually prefer it, I know they've had to work hard to get where they're at."

Compared to some players in camp, Zylstra didn't have to travel all that far from his home state of Minnesota, where he played three seasons at Concordia College.

In 29 games across three seasons, he earned 120 receptions for 1,932 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed 25 times for 394 yards and five touchdowns, while returning 39 kicks for 885 yards.

But before you ask, no, he has never played hockey.

"I didn't," Zylstra said, answering the No. 1 question he's been getting from his teammates in camp. "All these guys have asked because I'm from Minnesota. Not even (a fan). Basketball, football and track are my sports.

"This is my first year out of college. This is my first time in the pro setting."

The thing is, although he may feel like it sometimes, he doesn't look out of place.

"There's still a lot to learn, it's a lot different from college," he said. "The speed is incredible compared to where I came from, because I came from a Division III school in Minnesota so this is just a huge jump for me.

"But the adjustment is getting there, I just have to be patient with myself. Just learn to relax a little bit and things will come to me."

Like the couple of passes that came his way from Reilly that led to big gains in last week's mock game.

"He's a big, strong kid. This is his first time up here so he's had to learn the game a little bit and that's tough for any young guy," Reilly said. "But in terms of physicality, he can go out there and play with the best of them and continue to get better and better.

"He's just, I guess, got to get that maturity of understanding the playbook, all the little ins and outs and intricacies. And there's still stuff that he's running for the very first time, different routes against different coverages. So he's just going to continue to study and be a physical presence."

Coming from relative obscurity, Zylstra doesn't know any previous teammates now in the CFL, and hasn't played for any coaches up here yet.

"This is all brand new, but I've already met a ton of good friends that I know are going to be my friends for a while," said the 23-year-old exercise-science graduate, who attended a three-day Eskimos mini-camp in Florida in April. "I started training with a couple guys down in Arizona after graduating in December and then went to an open tryout.

"They invited me to mini-camp and from mini-camp, they invited me here."

Each step so far has been a progression, with the next one slated for Saturday's preseason-opener on the road against the Calgary Stampeders (7 p.m., 630 CHED).

"It's good to learn how a pro team runs their entire game," Zylstra said. "In the setting I've always been in, it's a small stadium with not very many people. So to get into something like that is just kind of eye-opening, it's humbling and a good experience."