Senior Cole Canaday is officially slated to play college ball next year as he signed his national letter of intent to continue his career at Trinity University.
He finished his high school career with over 600 receiving yards and 1200 all-purpose yards as well as 170 tackles and 3 interceptions. One of the more versatile players Anderson has seen in a long time, Canaday played both sides of the ball for the Trojans over three years on the varsity team. He caught passes, played in the secondary, and returned kicks and punts for Anderson.
As a sophomore in 2020, Cole was named playmaker of the year for the Trojans as well as being an honorable mention all-district selection. That year he had 42 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 5 passes defended. Despite being two years younger than many of the receivers he guarded, Canaday excelled.
Before his junior season, Cole was named a team captain showcasing his leadership on and off the field. In a great junior season, Canaday racked up 60 tackles, 4 passes defended, and a forced fumble on defense. The 2021 season was also a breakout one on offense as Cole had 434 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. After a great two-way season, Canaday was once again named playmaker of the year for Anderson as well as being selected second-team all-district on both offense and defense.
Cole was selected as a captain once again before this season and had another great year. He racked up 167 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on offense and 370 return yards on special teams. Canaday also added another 68 tackles, 3 passes defended, and a sack to his career totals. After the season, Cole was named the team’s Defensive MVP as well as second-team all-district. He was also given academic all-state honors.
When asked about Canaday, Coach Hatcher said that “Cole was one of the biggest pieces to our team this year. He played offense and defense. A true two-way player. He is the ultimate team player and will do whatever to help his team win.” It’s obvious how much Canaday meant to this Anderson program.
The Trinity Tigers compete at the NCAA Division III level in the Southern Athletic Association (football only). This past year they went 11-1, their only loss being in the playoffs vs UMHB, and finished 6th in the D3football.com rankings.
While Canaday will surely be missed by Anderson, we support him as he takes the next step in his career.
