WINNIPEG - After establishing himself as one of the premier defensive players in Canada West over the last two seasons, Manitoba Bisons linebacker
Nic Pereira has been recognized as the conference's 2026 Outstanding Defensive Player.
The fifth-year Winnipeg product will be the Presidents' Trophy nominee (the same award at the U SPORTS level) after another standout campaign. He became the first Bisons player to win the conference's top defensive honour since DJ Lalama in 2016.
A graduate of St. Paul's High School, Pereira was the leader of a Manitoba defence that helped guide a young Bisons roster to a return to the postseason under head coach
Stan Pierre. He earned his second consecutive Canada West All-Star selection while producing across every statistical category.
Pereira finished the regular season tied for the conference lead with four interceptions, alongside teammate
Carter Dallas, while also ranking among the Canada West leaders in tackles and pass defence. He recorded 39.5 total tackles, including 29 solo stops, added five pass breakups and four tackles for loss, consistently impacting games in coverage, against the run and as a defensive signal-caller.
His season began in emphatic fashion in Week 1, when he was named Canada West Defensive Athlete of the Week after recording 5.5 tackles, his first career interception and a pass breakup in Manitoba's season-opening victory. From there, Pereira remained a steady presence in the middle of the Bisons defence, helping Manitoba earn key victories throughout the year while routinely matching up against some of the conference's top offensive threats.
"Nic's career has just kept building," said Pierre. "He was a Canada West All-Star last year and has continued to get better and better. He came in as a really physical guy who loved to play football, and he's developed into a really physical guy who truly understands the game and is a great leader.
"He's going to do everything and more than what he's supposed to do. There's a consistency to his work. Everything he gets, he really deserves. He's definitely one of the best players in our conference, and I think he's got a really good chance to be the national player of the year."
Pereira is the first major award winner of the
Stan Pierre era and the first Bison to capture a Canada West major award since
Jackson Tachinski, Giordano Vaccaro and former head coach Brian Dobie were recognized in 2024.
The honour also places Pereira among an exclusive group in program history. He becomes Manitoba's first Canada West Outstanding Defensive Player recipient in a decade, the fifth overall.
Previous Bisons to have earned the honour are:
Wade Miller - 1994
Joey Mikawoz* - 2000
Cory Huclack - 2006
DJ Lalama* - 2016
