Daniel Valente
Canadian football player (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel Valente Jr. (born October 23, 1999) is a Canadian professional football defensive back. He played U Sports football at Western. He has been a member of the Ottawa Redblacks, Montreal Alouettes, and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
London, Ontario, Canada
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 23, 1999 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 176 lb (80 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Catholic Central (London, ON) |
| University | Western |
| CFL draft | 2022: 4th round, 31st overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Ottawa Redblacks* |
| 2023 | Montreal Alouettes* |
| 2023 | Toronto Argonauts |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life
Daniel Valente Jr. played high school football at Catholic Central High School in London, Ontario.[1][2] He played junior football for the London Junior Mustangs of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL) and was a multi-time OVFL all-star.[2][3] Valente also represented Team Canada in the U-19 International Bowl against the United States on January 28, 2017.[2][4]
University career
Valente played U Sports football at Western from 2017 to 2022.[1] Western won the 53rd Vanier Cup in 2017 and the 56th Vanier Cup in 2021. In 2021, Valente earned first team All-Canadian and first team All-Ontario University Athletics (OUA) honors while also being named the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game of the 56th Vanier Cup.[1] After spending time with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Valente returned to Western for his final season of U Sports football in 2022.[5] In 2022, he again garnered first team All-Canadian and first team All-OUA recognition while also being named the OUA's Outstanding Stand-Up Defensive Player of the Year.[1]
Professional career
Valente was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in the fourth round, with the 31st overall pick, of the 2022 CFL draft.[6] He signed with the team on May 9, 2022.[7] He was moved to the practice roster on June 5, released from the practice roster on July 7, re-signed to the practice roster on July 12, and released from the practice roster on July 19, 2022, returning to Western for his final season of U Sports football.[8][9] Valente re-signed with the Redblacks on December 7, 2022.[7] He was released on June 9, 2023, and signed to the practice roster on June 26 before being released on August 15, 2023.[10]
Valente was signed to the practice roster of the Montreal Alouettes on August 29, 2023, and released by the team on September 28, 2023.[11][12]
Valente was signed to the Toronto Argonauts' practice roster on October 2, 2023.[13] He was promoted to the active roster on October 27 and dressed in one game for the Argonauts but did not record any statistics.[13][14] He was placed on injured reserve on November 10, 2023.[13] Valente re-signed with the team for the 2024 season, but was released at the start of training camp on May 15, 2024.[15]