Alumni
After Episcopal
Luiji Vilain ’17
Luiji Vilain ’17, who grew up in Canada, fell in love with football at around 10-years-old when his aunt convinced him to go to one practice. While he excelled athletically, he realized the only path to his dream job in the NFL was to play football in America. To achieve this goal, he followed Jonathan Sutherland ’17 and Patrice Rene ’16, two fellow Canadians who happened to be his best friends, to Episcopal.
“Jonathan and Patrice got in touch with former EHS head coach Panos Voulgaris and decided The High School was the place for them,” Vilain remembered. “When I got to join them, it was pretty exciting because we knew we could do amazing things together at Episcopal.”
After arriving on campus in the fall of 2015, Vilain led Episcopal to an 8-1 record in 2016 with a 5-0 mark in conference play. He notched 45 tackles and eight sacks during his senior season. He also made 60 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, and recorded three forced fumbles as a junior. He was ranked as a four-star prospect and the third overall player in Virginia by 247 Sports. Vilain completed his high school career with a selection to the prestigious 2017 Under Armour All-America Game, where he was one of 100 players selected to train and compete at the highest level for a week in Orlando, Fla.
“Jonathan and Patrice got in touch with former EHS head coach Panos Voulgaris and decided The High School was the place for them,” Vilain remembered. “When I got to join them, it was pretty exciting because we knew we could do amazing things together at Episcopal.”
After arriving on campus in the fall of 2015, Vilain led Episcopal to an 8-1 record in 2016 with a 5-0 mark in conference play. He notched 45 tackles and eight sacks during his senior season. He also made 60 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, and recorded three forced fumbles as a junior. He was ranked as a four-star prospect and the third overall player in Virginia by 247 Sports. Vilain completed his high school career with a selection to the prestigious 2017 Under Armour All-America Game, where he was one of 100 players selected to train and compete at the highest level for a week in Orlando, Fla.
“Luiji is probably the best player I have ever coached,” said Kadeem Rodgers of Vilain’s high school career. “His athleticism is obvious, but his dedication, passion, and I.Q. were the catalyst for his development.”
Villain's incredible skills catapulted him to a Division I school when he signed to play football at the University of Michigan. In his junior and senior seasons, he appeared in 12 games for the Wolverines and logged 11 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Post-graduation, he decided to join Wake Forest University as a graduate student, where he played 12 games, recording 34 tackles and a team-high 10 sacks.
“Although my time at Wake Forest was short, it was probably the best time I had in college football,” Vilain reminisced. “I did a lot of growing in my time at Wake, and that was mainly because of my teammates and coaches. I’m extremely grateful for that experience.”
Vilain went undrafted after his solo season with the Demon Deacons but was eventually picked up by the Minnesota Vikings and signed to the 53-man roster. “Ever since I was a kid, I told myself that I was going to get to the NFL. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know when, but I knew I was going to get there,” he said of his childhood dream. “There were times where it was tough, but I'm here now, so it obviously worked out.”
Coming off a divisional win, making the playoffs, and being crowned the NFC North Champions were markers of a record setting rookie season for Vilain. During his first NFL off season, he is dedicating most of his time to training. “The goal is to get better at my sport and continue to climb the ladder,” the 25-year-old said about his short-term ambitions. “I’m just taking things day by day and not looking too far into the future.”
Vilain’s proudest accomplishment remains receiving his degree from Michigan. “To say that I got to finish at one of the top five public universities in America is definitely a big accomplishment for me. I was the type of person who didn’t really enjoy the classroom, but as time went on, I matured and realized that I’m going to have to do things that I don’t want to, so I might as well do it at a high level,” he said.
Villain's incredible skills catapulted him to a Division I school when he signed to play football at the University of Michigan. In his junior and senior seasons, he appeared in 12 games for the Wolverines and logged 11 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Post-graduation, he decided to join Wake Forest University as a graduate student, where he played 12 games, recording 34 tackles and a team-high 10 sacks.
“Although my time at Wake Forest was short, it was probably the best time I had in college football,” Vilain reminisced. “I did a lot of growing in my time at Wake, and that was mainly because of my teammates and coaches. I’m extremely grateful for that experience.”
Vilain went undrafted after his solo season with the Demon Deacons but was eventually picked up by the Minnesota Vikings and signed to the 53-man roster. “Ever since I was a kid, I told myself that I was going to get to the NFL. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know when, but I knew I was going to get there,” he said of his childhood dream. “There were times where it was tough, but I'm here now, so it obviously worked out.”
Coming off a divisional win, making the playoffs, and being crowned the NFC North Champions were markers of a record setting rookie season for Vilain. During his first NFL off season, he is dedicating most of his time to training. “The goal is to get better at my sport and continue to climb the ladder,” the 25-year-old said about his short-term ambitions. “I’m just taking things day by day and not looking too far into the future.”
Vilain’s proudest accomplishment remains receiving his degree from Michigan. “To say that I got to finish at one of the top five public universities in America is definitely a big accomplishment for me. I was the type of person who didn’t really enjoy the classroom, but as time went on, I matured and realized that I’m going to have to do things that I don’t want to, so I might as well do it at a high level,” he said.
Vilain reflected on building his discipline and routine on and off the turf while at Episcopal. “I hope the current students know to enjoy every single day. Everything that I did throughout my day at Episcopal built a routine that carried me through college and continues to stick in the NFL.”
