Fourth-generation CFL prospect Jackson Findlay eyes future as medical doctor and pro football player

Jackson Findlay spends so much time in the lab that you have to wonder if he was created in one.

Standing at over six-foot-two and 203 pounds, Western University’s star safety is one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2025 CFL Draft. He’s an All-Canadian, a Presidents’ Trophy finalist, and checked in at number eight on the most recent scouting bureau ranking.

However, football is just a small part of what Findlay brings to the table. Recently honoured as one of U Sports’ Top 8 Academic All-Canadians, the medical sciences student boasts an 87 percent average and hopes to translate his prowess in the classroom into a career as a paediatric oncologist, helping to treat children with cancer. The only question is whether medical school will come during or after his time in the CFL has concluded.

“Right now, the plan is one after the other, and I think the further I get into my career, the more it will be apparent if I can do both,” Findlay said in an interview with 3DownNation earlier this offseason.

“They’re both my passions. I’ve always been an academic. I’ve always wanted to pursue the highest academics. Choosing one or the other is hard, so I’m not going to. I’m just going to put one away for now and hopefully come back to it soon.”

Findlay is hardly the first CFL prospect to dream of becoming a doctor, with recent examples including quarterback Andrew Buckley and defensive tackle Mark Mackie. Both of those players retired early to advance their post-football careers, with the natural concern for CFL scouts being that Findlay may make a similar exit.

However, the native of North Vancouver, B.C. seems to have a different strategy in mind, one more similar to former NFL and CFL long-snapper J.P. Darche, who put his medical studies on hold for 10 years to continue his gridiron exploits. In the absolute dream scenario, he’d follow in the footsteps of McGill graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who balanced medical school with his work as an offensive lineman with the Kansas City Chiefs and earned notoriety as the first active NFL player to become a doctor.

“He’s done some amazing things and he’s definitely a role model, not just for me but for any athlete or any doctor,” Findlay said of the former Northern Star Award winner and Super Bowl champion, who retired from the NFL in 2023.

“To be able to do those two things — which one’s harder? That’s up for debate. I would lean with the doctor, but they’re both amazing. I know there are some other guys who have played in the NFL, who have played in the CFL, that have done med school afterward, but he’s definitely a big name that has showed the world that a football player can do more than just play football.”

Findlay has certainly lived by that example, but he’s had plenty of other gridiron role models to show him the way as well. When his name is called in April, it will mark the fourth generation of his family to play in the CFL. His great-grandfather, Stephen, was once a Hamilton Tiger-Cat, while his grandpa, Greg, was a two-time all-star linebacker in 12 seasons with the B.C. Lions. His uncle, Brooks, also spent six seasons as a special teams ace with the Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders, even being credited with inspiring current Riders head coach Corey Mace’s football career.

Jackson’s dad, Anthony, had a much shorter stint in pro football, suiting up in just one game for Saskatchewan in 1994. However, he has stayed involved in the athletic space as the founder of Level 10 Fitness, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for 12 different Canadian national teams and helping to train 16 Olympic medallists throughout his career. It is little wonder why his son is expected to be one of the top testers at the upcoming CFL National Combine.

Findlay’s future medical colleagues will no doubt appreciate the impact that genetics have played in his athletic accomplishments, but family history has helped shape his life off the field as well. As a teenager, he attended Vancouver College, a private all-boys Catholic school which was founded in part thanks to generous gifts by his twice-great grandfather, James D. McCormack, in the 1920s.

In his view, the school’s legacy of producing exceptional football players — including the likes of Bryan Chiu, Angus Reid, Peter Dyakowski, Christian Covington, and Kevin Eiben — is dwarfed only by its ability to produce well-rounded graduates.

“Service work has been ingrained in me my whole life. It helps you see what you love to do, beyond just work or beyond sports,” he said.

“The culture there is unlike anywhere else in high school in Canada. The commitment, the time, the punctuality, the commitment you make to your teammates, all that stuff was instilled from the very first day I was there in grade seven. This is why all these athletes go on to the next level — it’s no coincidence.”

Thanks to his time at Vancouver College, Findlay found the transition to Western to be remarkably smooth both in the classroom and between the white lines. After learning the mental side of the Canadian game while sitting behind the likes of Daniel Valente Jr. and Robert Panabaker, he became a starter in his second season and has produced at an impressive clip for the Mustangs.

Through 41 career games, Findlay has racked up 182 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble, while batting down 25 passes and intercepting eight. A self-described “junkie for the box” with the range to cover the whole field, he doesn’t believe he needs to be limited to being ‘just a safety’ as so many Canadian defensive backs are at the pro level.

“I don’t like to think that I have a ceiling. I think that I can be a great player in the CFL at multiple positions, and I’m really excited to see where a team might want me,” Findlay said. “I’ve played free safety, I’ve played halfback — I’m comfortable at both. The CFL SAM is a different position as well. I think I can be a top-calibre player in any of those positions.”

While CFL teams may hope to add a difference-maker in the secondary by drafting Findlay, they can be certain in their evaluation of him as a proverbial ratio-breaker in the community and locker room.

In addition to his athletic and academic exploits, the 21-year-old has served as the president of Western’s Athlete Student Council, a coach for the Mustangs’ burgeoning women’s flag football program, and the mental health lead for his own team, trained to provide counsel and resources to players who may be struggling. He’s also a regular weekly volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in London and helps run the Challenger Baseball program during his summers in B.C. for kids with cognitive and physical disabilities.

It’s hard to imagine how Findlay has any time for sleep — let alone a social life — while balancing gridiron dominance with his place on the Dean’s List and a volunteer schedule that would make the Energizer Bunny weary. However, he’s never found it to be much of a challenge.

“I feel like they all kind of use a different part of me. I find training actually helps my studying. Then I find if I go volunteer for a bit, it’s like a study break. I can move around. I can talk to and socialize with these kids,” he grinned.

“I think my brain is kind of wired where if I do something different every now and then, it’s pretty fresh. It definitely is a large load, and I understand that when I first commit to these things. I’m obviously busy, but if you really love what you do, if you have a passion, if you want to build relationships with somebody, there’s always time that you can make throughout the week.”

Those elite-level time-management skills are the only thing that make the seemingly impossible task of earning a medical doctorate while playing in the CFL even remotely plausible for Findlay. However, he is committed to taking things one step at a time and getting his feet wet in his new profession before embracing any unprecedented challenges.

He’ll begin by showcasing himself for NFL scouts at the University at Buffalo pro day later this week, before taking his talents to Regina for the Combine from March 21 to 23. Any team that asks about his commitment to football at those events will be given the same response.

“I want to play football for as long as possible, hopefully for at least as long as I’ve been in school,” he insisted. “This is an opportunity that a lot of people do not get, and it’s a sport I love, and to get paid for it is an unbelievable thing. That’s something I want to pursue.”

The 2025 CFL Draft is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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