When Jevontae Layne heard his name called as Valour FC’s first overall pick in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, he hardly had a second to think before family and friends swarmed him. All the screams and hugs were a little overwhelming at first, only adding to the surrealness of the moment.

For the 22-year-old Brampton-born forward, who was drafted out of Toronto Metropolitan University, a lot of work has gone into getting this opportunity, and to see it recognized in such a big way was special.

“I appreciated it all, and I know they know the sacrifices that I made, so they knew how much it meant to me,” said Layne, adding, “I know that there’s a lot of good players that declared for the draft, and I was the first pick, it means a lot to me.”

His attentions now turn to what is in front of him, an opportunity to prove to the Valour coaching staff that what he has done over the past few years at the U SPORTS and League1 Ontario level can translate to the pro game.

“I’ve never been to Winnipeg, so I’m excited about travelling there,” said Layne. “Honestly, I’m just ready for a new project. I want to meet my new teammates and the coaching staff and everything, I want to show them what I have and go from there.”

What stands out immediately about Layne is the goalscoring record. He has scored double-digit goals in the past two campaigns in League1 Ontario for Simcoe County Rovers, including scoring a brace in the 2023 final as Simcoe County won the league final for the first time. He carried that over into his first season in U SPORTS, with 10 goals in nine games with the TMU Bold this season.

“He’s really just the total package that you want in a striker,” said Bold head coach Filip Prostran. “He can create his own goal by dribbling through players and getting on the end of a long ball, and just bodying somebody getting on the end of a cross. Scrappy goals, set-piece goals, his athleticism, any kind of goal you want or the game needs, Jevontae can provide it for you.”

What Prostran says shouldn’t go unnoticed about Layne, however, is the tireless work that he puts in to find himself in those situations. Layne’s Instagram bio reads “Stay humble, hustle hard,” and those are clearly words he embodies.

“A goalscorer like him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player, never mind a striker — because sometimes strikers are too cool for this stuff — but his work rate and pressing is second to none,” said the TMU coach. “And what it does is initiate our offence. It initiates extra chances for him, but the sprint he makes in the last minute of the game and the first minute of the game are equal.”

Layne comes by that workrate honestly. Growing up in a soccer family he was immersed in the sport from a young age and that helped set the foundations for where he is today.

“When I was six years old, I had my dad as my first coach, and I think that’s probably the hardest coach I’ve had,” says Layne. “He pushed me to work hard and score goals. I feel like it was just natural, having older brothers that play the game, so we all used to practice all the time, and it came naturally.”

Valour are looking to add a little bit more speed and verticality to their attack this off-season, and believe that adding Layne to the mix could be a big part of the solution.

“He has very specific and defined characteristics, his ability to attack the space, to run behind the opposition, and to get into the dangerous areas,” said Valour coach Phil Dos Santos.

What also importantly stood out was not only the profile of the player they were drafting, but the person as well.

“I had the chance to speak with him; his personality and the way he spoke was something that I felt fits right in,” said Dos Santos. “He has a good level of maturity, he knows what he wants.”

Dos Santos mentioned that there was also a body of work when it came to assessing Layne, owing to all of his success with Simcoe. That included the incredible experience of getting to face Toronto FC at BMO Field in the first round of the 2024 Canadian Championship. Rovers lost 5-0, but for Layne it was a taste of what it takes to reach the next level.

“It made me realize that at the highest level, the mistakes are very minimal, I think that’s honestly the biggest thing compared to playing at a semi-pro level,” said Layne. “Toronto FC, they made no mistakes, they executed everything and they punished us. But it was a good experience.”

He credits the high intensity and competitiveness of the Simcoe County Rovers environment as a big reason he is where he is today, as well as the influence of Sporting Director Doneil Henry: “[He] made really made good plans for me, and knew what I had to offer.”

Yuuuup. You saw that right 👀🚲#SCRFC #ThePeopleAreTheCounty pic.twitter.com/N9LuMFhLtz

— Simcoe County Rovers FC (@RoversFC_L1O) July 3, 2023

Henry, like Layne, grew up in Brampton, Ont., a hotbed of local soccer, and would go on to an outstanding 13-year professional career, including 44 caps for the Canadian national team. Being able to look up to so many players who grew up in the same area has been a significant source of inspiration for Layne. When he watches national team games, for example, Layne sees multiple players who went to the same high school as him, St. Edmund Campion, including Jonathan Osorio, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan.

Layne also comes out of a TMU program that has seen players get CPL opportunities before. Jacob Carlos played 12 matches for Valour after being selected 11th overall in 2022, and Ameer Kinani, a second overall selection to Vancouver FC in 2023, played 18 matches for the Eagles. Kinani now plays in the Iraq top flight with Duhok SC. But before Thursday, a TMU player had never been selected first overall.

“It’s a really special thing,” said Prostran. “There’s been so many players over the years that have put in so much great work and elevated the program to where it is. We’ve had a couple players drafted in the past, but for someone to go number one, I think it just speaks to the work of the player.

“It’s a nice little PR piece for the program, for sure,” he adds with a smile.

For Layne, he’s grateful that this pathway exists. As a player with the Bold this past season, it was a big motivation for him to go out and have the season that he did, knowing that CPL clubs were keeping an eye on him.

“To be able to play and know that if you have a good season, there’s a high chance you’ll get picked to go to the CPL, it really pushes you every day to know it’s not just school soccer,” says Layne. “You actually have the opportunity to take it to the next level. So it’s very rewarding.”

Now, Layne will look to become the next in a long line of players selected in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft to make their mark in the Canadian Premier League, and, perhaps, beyond.