Behind IDFFL, Canadian players chase football dreams

With financial support from Topolinski, Cannon will help the next group of Canadians with American football dreams. Cannon grew up in Stone Mountain, Ga., and played linebacker at Tulane before spending three seasons with the Detroit Lions. After the Lions cut him, Cannon crossed the border, playing for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts in 2011. Cannon remained in Toronto after his career ended. There, he found an underdeveloped youth football system and high schools unequipped to help players navigate the NCAA's initial eligibility rules.
STAPLES: Coded commitment tweets bring new publicity to recruiting

Senior writer Andy Staples has covered college football for SI since 2008, developing an encyclopedic index of the best food in every college town along the way.