‘It’s a blessing’: Former UH receiver Cenacle makes BC Lions roster

News admin June 6, 2026 0 Comments

‘It’s a blessing’: Former UH receiver Cenacle makes BC Lions roster

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Former University of Hawaiʻi wide receiver Nick Cenacle is making his presence known up north.

Cenacle was drafted by the BC Lions in the fifth round of the Canadian Football League draft and had an impressive preseason.

He caught two touchdowns in their final preseason game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, officially making the active roster.

“Nothing short of a blessing and honestly, I’m just cherishing every moment of it,” Cenacle told Hawaii News Now.

The Montreal, Canada native is now back in his home country playing the sport he fell in love with back when he was 8 years old.

“I really grew up watching the CFL. It was in my routine, before waking up, get ready and put the TV on before the bus comes and the SportsCenter Top 10 is there and the CFL game would happen and talk about what happened the day before,” Cenacle said.

“So, honestly, being in those shoes right now or those athletes that I grew up idolizing as a young age, it’s, like I said, it’s nothing short of a blessing and I’m just super, super grateful to be in this,” he added.

Cenacle came to Hawaiʻi for college and had a solid career in Mānoa, finishing with 122 receptions for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns.

He spent most of his final year dealing with injury, but when he returned to the field, he made one of the most memorable plays in the 2025 Hawaiʻi Bowl: the game-winning touchdown against Cal to complete a Christmas Eve comeback.

“Everything happens for a reason and to come back in the final game, catch a game-winning touchdown, you know, all the emotions came out,” Cenacle said. “I was sad, I was angry, I was happy… Every single emotion really came out that during that moment.”

Cenacle now joins a growing list of UH athletes who have gone to the CFL and is the 11th Rainbow Warrior to play for the BC Lions.

He joins CFL veteran Dejon Allen on the current roster.

“I knew of him, and then he came up to me at practice and he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, you went to UH?’” Cenacle said. “I’m like, yeah. He’s like, ‘Oh, me too.’ I’m like, really? And then I start talking like, oh, you’re the guy that everybody was talking to me about and stuff like that.”

Cenacle is also hoping to show his former teammates at UH that they can also achieve their pro dreams.

“Showing that group of guys that we are serious. We were the best receiving corps in college football,” Cenacle said. “That was the standard for us and that’s what I feel like I’m representing.”

Looking ahead, Cenacle feels that he’s in the right spot to thrive.

“The team that likes to air it out too, which is just like Hawaiʻi,” Cenacle said. “I feel like I really landed in the perfect organization for me and it’s a blessing. It’s really a blessing.”