STORRS, Conn. - UConn offensive lineman Christopher Fortin (St-Rene, Quebec) was selected by the Calgary Stampeders with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft on Wednesday night. Fortin becomes the third UConn offensive lineman this offseason to move on to the pros, joining Chase Lundt (Arlington, TX) who was a sixth round NFL draft pick by the Buffalo Bills and Valentin Senn (Volders, Austria) who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals.

Fortin, a Quebec native, was a versatile member of the offensive line during his four years in Storrs. He appeared in 41 games during his UConn career and was able to utlized at guard, center and tackle. He moved into a starting role as a senior in 2024 and helped solidify an offensive line that led a rushing attack to 2,590 yards on the ground, the second highest total in school history. UConn would go on to rank 23rd in the nation in yards per game at 192.7 yards per game. In the passing game, the Huskies protected the quarterback to the tune of allowing just 1.07 sacks per game, ranked 13th among the nation's leaders.

During his high school career in Canada, Fortin played for head coach Marc Loranger at Cegep Beauce-Appalaches. He was named best offensive lineman in the league after the 2019 season and was a two-time RSEQ Division II All-Star. He was a Gold medalist with Team Canada at the U19 IFAF World Championships while also helping his high school team capture back-to-back championships.