Davis Alexander is the Alouettes’ new trusted man at the designated quarterback position. The 26-year-old athlete succeeds Cody Fajardo who, it should be remembered, led the team to its first Gray Cup victory in 13 years last year. This is no small decision. But listening to Danny Maciocia, it was obvious.
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The general manager of the Alouettes explained himself for long minutes at a press briefing yesterday morning in the catacombs of the Olympic Stadium. And then with the journalists who wanted to know more.
His reasoning is intended to be full of sense.
“The established quarterbacks in the Canadian League are all in their thirties,” he explained to me.
«Zach Collaros [Winnipeg] et Bo Levi Mitchell [Hamilton] will be 34 next year. Vernon Adams [ancien des Alouettes qui vient d’être échangé aux Stampeders de Calgary par les Lions de la Colombie-Britannique] will soon be 32. Cody [Fajardo] will be 33 years old.
“Davis Alexander is only 26 years old [il est né le 20 octobre 1998]. He’s seven years Cody’s junior.”
Patience rewarded
The athlete from Gig Harbor, Washington, followed a long journey to reach the position of number one quarterback for the Alouettes. He joined the organization as a free agent after Maciocia saw film of some of his games with Portland State University. Arriving in Montreal in 2022, he shared his first season between the practice team and regular training. He was third quarterback behind veteran Trevor Harris and Dominique Davis.
In 2023, he was in the lineup in the third quarter role for all 18 regular season games. He and Caleb Evans were used in the last game, during which he completed eight of his 13 passes attempted for gains of 89 yards.
Very humble beginnings.
Maciocia took him under his wing, providing him with much advice and encouragement.
“I spoke to him a few times,” says Maciocia.
“Sometimes, I delegated an assistant coach so that he didn’t always see the same side. I encouraged him to persevere. He worked hard in training, he never gave up. He deserves what is happening to him today.
“We will see what the future holds for him, but we will surround him well.”
A second Gray Cup wouldn’t have changed anything
The turning point came last season when Alexander replaced Caleb Evans, who was promoted to starting quarterback in the absence of Fajardo, who was nursing a hamstring injury.
The effect was immediate.
In a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Percival-Molson Stadium, he transformed a 13-point half-time deficit into a 20-16 victory. Evans was never seen again, bad luck, later suffered a season-ending injury.
Alexander continued his momentum until the return of Fajardo, who came very close to leading the Alouettes to a second consecutive appearance in the Gray Cup game.
What if that had been the case?
What if the Alouettes had won again?
Would Davis Alexander be the Alouettes’ number one quarterback for the next few years?
Maciocia’s response is not without surprise, but he replies that it would have made no difference to handing the ball to Alexander for the next three years.
“It was not an easy decision to make, but it was the right one for the organization,” he says.
“Not just for the present, but also for the future. It will help us in the long run, that’s for sure, but I’m confident enough to say that with Davis Alexander as starting quarterback, we can win immediately.
Sufficient sampling
Maciocia is sure of his move.
“The sampling that Davis showed us is quite large. It must be taken into account that his performances were not achieved in preparatory matches. We also weren’t assured of first place in our division when he was called up to play.
“Davis is a gamerhe is ultra-competitive. He is well respected internally, he is healthy and ready to make a long-term commitment with us. This does not mean that we are building for 2027, rather we think that we can be very competitive in 2025, 2026, 2027 and the following years.
“There are always risks, but it’s a calculated risk.”
Could Alexander be a second Calvillo?
The member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame was 26 years old, Alexander’s age, when he joined the Alouettes in 1998.
“Is he the next Anthony Calvillo? No, I rather see Davis Alexander as the next Davis Alexander. I want him to be himself. We love the individual, we love the player and we love the competitor. We don’t want him to change with the position we have entrusted to him today,” replies Maciocia.
