Hungarian Bowl runner ups, the Fehervar Enthroners have signed Canadian quarterback Chris Merchant.
The Enthroners, winners of the 2019 Hungarian championship, reached the Hungarian title game for the second season in a row this year but were defeated 18-7 by the Budapest Wolves.
Merchant played in Spain’s LNFA in 2021 leading the Las Rozas Black Demons to an 8-1 record and a berth in the Spanish championship final. However, he suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of that game and had to watch as his team ultimately fell 31-21 to the Badalona Dracs.
Needless to say, Merchant is happy to be back on the field in 2022 with the Enthroners:
“I’m super excited to be signing with the Enthroners who are committed to winning championships and raising the standard of play in Hungary. I know it is a great organization filled with high caliber players and I can’t wait to join them.”
The 6’3″, 210 pound native of Calgary, Alberta had an outstanding college career in Canada. In 2017, he helped the Western Mustangs capture the Vanier Cup, Canada’s college championship, ending Western’s 23-year championship drought. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after recording 276 passing yards, 89 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Laval’s vaunted defense.
Western returned to the Vanier Cup under Merchant’s leadership in 2018 but lost to the Rouge et Or by a score of 34-20. The quarterback set new career-highs in passing yardage (3,279) and touchdowns (23) in what would be his best statistical USports season. He capped his career at Western by winning the Hec Crighton Trophy, given annually to the top player in USports football.
He had originally been recruited to play football out of a boarding school in Aurora, Canada, St. Andrews, by the University of Buffalo on a full-ride but after two years and a tight battle with Tyree Jackson for the starting spot, he realized to further his career, Canada and Western would be a better bet. He proved it by leading the Mustangs to the Vanier Cup title in 2017. And he may well have repeated the feat last year in 2019 had it not been for an injury.
After going undrafted in the 2019 CFL Draft, Merchant attended training camp with the Montreal Alouettes but failed to make the roster. He returned to Western for a fifth year in 2019, capping his career by winning the Hec Crighton Trophy, given annually to the top player in U Sports (Canadian college) football.
