Arjen Colquhoun (born October 13, 1992) is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

who played in four seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He was drafted by the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

, with their second pick, 17th overall, in the second round of the 2016 CFL Draft. He signed with the

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on May 1, 2016, after going undrafted in

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, but was part of the team's training camp cuts in August following an injury. He also played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

for one year. He played

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for the

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from 2011 to 2015.

Early years

Colquhoun was born on October 13, 1992, in Windsor, Ontario, to Anthony Colquhoun (Father) and Dolly Garbutt Colquhoun (Mother). Arjen is the oldest of four children, with two younger brothers and one sister. Ranked among the nation's top safeties by Rivals.com (No. 42), Scout.com (No. 61) and Scouts, Inc. (No. 62). Arjen was a three-year starter for Coach Harry Lumley at W.F. Herman Secondary School in Windsor, Ontario; the same secondary school that produced St. Louis Rams free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. Arjen was selected 2010 Defensive MVP of the Windsor & Essex County Secondary Schools Athletic Association's all-city team. He was also named to the Newman Conference all-star team. Colquhoun accounted for 2,000 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in 2010, rushed 14 times for 83 yards and contributed three pass break-ups in the Green Griffins' 48-23 victory over Brantford Assumption in the 2010 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association's Western Bowl. His 55-yard gallop set up his own 3-yard TD run vs. London Catholic Central in the OFSAA West Regional championship and scored on runs of 95 and 2 yards vs. Sarnia in the Southwestern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association's title game. Arjen accounted for three scores vs. Villanova, including a 45-yard TD reception. He was a two-time all-city selection as a running back in 2008-09. As a multi-faceted athlete, Arjen was presented the Royal Arcanum as Essex County's best high school male athlete for 2009-10. He played on the 2008-09 basketball team that won the WECSSAA and SWOSSAA championships. At the same time, played baseball as an outfielder/pitcher and hit .263 for the Windsor Selects 18U in the Premier Baseball League of Ontario. He won three silver medals in the OFSAA track championships (2007 - 400; 2008 - 300 hurdles; and 2009 - 4x100).

College career

Colquhoun was initially recruited by Pat Narduzzi. He was later accepted to

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

(MSU) in 2011, majoring in political science/pre-law. After a football camp in 2011 in Cleveland, OH, Arjen hit radars of NCAA recruits, earning the nickname "The Canadian Flash". As a

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freshman, he appeared in 5 games, focusing mostly on

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. As a sophomore, he appeared in 10 games as a backup cornerback and made 5 tackles. He was a part of a 13-1 Michigan State Football team that was 7–0 at home and ended the season on a 10-game win streak. That year they won the 2013 B1G Ten Champion, as the team beat

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, 34–32. They also went on to win the 2013 Rose Bowl Championship beating

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24-20. As a junior, he appeared in 11 games as a backup cornerback, collecting 12 tackles and 2 pass breakups. The team had a successful record of 11–2 and finished their season as 2014

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Champion, defeating

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42-41. As a senior, he appeared in 14 games with 11 starts, registering 45 tackles, 2 interceptions, 10 pass breakups (led the team) and 2 forced fumbles (tied for the team lead). He also received the 2015 President's Award (Senior Lineman/Senior Back Perseverance). He tied for seventh in the

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in pass break-ups (10) and passes defended (0.9 per game). Arjen earned an eight ranked spot on the team with 72 production points. He finished his college career with 62 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 12 pass break-ups in 40 career games.

Career statistics

''Career participation statistics''

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Colquhoun was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

after the

on April 30. He was waived injured on August 30.

Edmonton Eskimos

Colquhoun was drafted by the

with their second pick, 17th overall, in the second round of the 2016 CFL Draft. In this draft the Eskimos had the fewest picks with a total of six. Colquhoun was ranked fourth that year as per the CFL's Scouting Bureau's Final Ranking. After spending 2016 pursuing NFL opportunities, he signed with the Eskimos on May 28, 2017. He played in 24 regular season games over three seasons for the team, recording 48 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, and two interceptions. After finishing his three-year contract, he became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on February 11, 2020.

Toronto Argonauts

On February 14, 2020, it was announced that Colquhoun had signed with the

. He re-signed with the team on January 7, 2021. He played in seven regular season games where he had four defensive tackles and one special teams tackle. He was moved to the retired list on May 20, 2022.

Awards and honours

High school

Basketball

WECSSAA
Championship (2008–09)
SWOSSAA
Championship (2008–09)

Track and field

* Gold Medal, ''400m'', SWOSSAA Track Championships (2010) - 49.71 * Gold Medal, ''400m''
OFSAA West Regionals
(2010) - 49.32 * Gold Medal, ''4 x 400m''
OFSAA West Regionals
(2010) - 3:19.22 -Teammates; Brandon McBride, Miloš Savić, and Charles Johnson. * Bronze Medal, ''100m,'' SWOSSAA Championships (2010) - 11.28

Other

Royal Arcanum Award
Essex County's Best High School Male Athlete (2009–10)

College

Football * 2013 B1G Ten Champion (MSU) * 2013 Rose Bowl Championship (MSU) * 2014

Champion (MSU) * 2015 President's Award - Defense (MSU: Senior Lineman/Senior Back Perseverance)

References

External links

Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colquhoun, Arjen 1992 births Canadian football defensive backs Edmonton Elks players Living people Players of Canadian football from Ontario Michigan State Spartans football players Canadian football people from Windsor, Ontario Toronto Argonauts players Players of American football from Ontario