It took some time for former Rochelle Township High School student-athlete Tim Monfils to transition from basketball to football. But Monfils felt that many of his skills on the hardwood transferred to the gridiron, so it’s unsurprising that Monfils has already carved out a significant role with the Cornell College football program.

Monfils spent his freshman season with the Cornell College basketball program, playing forward and earning Academic All-Midwest Conference honors. Monfils appeared in seven games, totaling 25 minutes, six points, two rebounds and one blocked shot. When Monfils became interest in football, he said he originally wanted to play both sports before later deciding to play football exclusively.

“I stuck with football in the interest of time management and how much I had enjoyed football,” Monfils said. “I miss basketball a lot since I played the game all my life, but I’m very happy with where I am and I can’t wait for my last camp as an athlete to start. It took quite a bit of adjusting with different conditioning, more meetings… Luckily for me, all of my teammates and coaches were very encouraging and they helped me each step of the way.”

Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Monfils started his football career with Cornell College as a tight end, catching two passes for 31 yards and appearing in all 10 of the team’s games. He then changed positions before his junior campaign, moving inside to the offensive line due to several injuries depleting the team’s depth. Monfils played nine games at offensive tackle his junior season, earning Second-Team All-Midwest Conference recognition.

“I was skeptical about changing positions at first, but I’ve really learned to enjoy it because of the other offensive linemen and coach [A.J.] Rachal,” Monfils said. “My play is still a work in progress, but with the people I’m surrounded by in the program, I don’t doubt I can reach my potential. I’ve performed best when we’re running the ball, and we’ve established a pretty solid running game. I’m still working on perfecting my deep sets in pass protection.”

Monfils has added at least 30 pounds to his frame since his freshman basketball season, and as the former Hub prepares for his senior season, he’ll attempt to model his play after the team’s performance against Knox College in 2018, when the Rams won 22-7 behind stout play on the offensive line. He said his teammates have helped him make some of his favorite sporting memories in recent years.

“My very first day of spring practice as a freshman, everybody walked into the locker room with smiles on their faces to shake my hand and make me feel welcome,” Monfils said. “The guys have been nothing but good to me and that’s why I’m able to keep improving.”