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On the surface, Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander may look like an overnight sensation.

At this time one year ago, he was still Montreal’s third-string quarterback, playing behind both Cody Fajardo and Caleb Evans in his third CFL season.

But when injuries to Montreal’s first and second stringers forced Alexander into action during the first half of last season, a player who’d only attempted 21 passes through his first two seasons looked ready for prime time.

Alexander led Montreal to wins in all four of his starts, impressing to the degree that Montreal traded Fajardo to Edmonton this past off-season and anointed the 26-year-old Portland State product their new No. 1 quarterback.

It was a perfect example of a young quarterback being able to make great strides and prepare for his opportunity despite not being on the field. Alexander spent his first couple of seasons in Montreal taking in what was going on around him, playing behind three veterans in Vernon Adams Jr., Trevor Harris and Fajardo.

“I saw the way that Vernon and Trevor and Cody worked,” said Alexander, now in his fourth season with the Alouettes. “I tried not to get in the way of their preparation, and really just tried to sit there and listen. And while different quarterbacks play different and see things differently sometimes, they were probably right 95 per cent of the time. I just tried to apply that to my game and add my own five per cent.”

The Alouettes will open Week 3 in the CFL on Thursday night in Edmonton when Alexander leads his team against an Elks club also being led by a fourth-year quarterback in Tre Ford, who was also named a starter during the off-season.

The similarities between their circumstances end there.

While Ford is playing for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019 and is working with a whole new coaching and management staff plus a slew of new players, Alexander is playing for the coaches who’ve helped groom him in head coach Jason Maas and offensive co-ordinator Anthony Calvillo, both of whom had significant careers as CFL quarterback.

And Montreal has been among the very best teams in the CFL each of the past two seasons, possessing a defence that takes some of the pressure off of their young quarterback to try and score on every possession.

But the biggest thing Alexander has had going for him from the start of the season is the trust of his coaches and teammates, based on his preparation and game performances that led up to this season’s opportunity.

“No one is getting the keys to the car unless they’ve earned the trust,” said Calvillo. “And being around him three or four years, I’ve seen his growth.”

It’s all added up to a winning formula for Alexander, who has led Montreal to wins in all six of his career starts, the most recent two coming to begin the 2025 season.

He currently has the best odds on FanDuel to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player this season.

“When I was a rookie, or a second- or third-year guy, I would say I could’ve started, but that was just my confidence talking,” he said. “I remember Vernon pulling me aside in Week 4 or 5 of my rookie year and kind of telling me, ‘Hey, the team kind of looks at you need to lock in. You’ve got a big arm and a big opportunity ahead of you and you can be really good in this league.’

“I just remember that all the time, and I’m thankful for him tell me that. Every day you’ve got to find a way to better yourself.”

Calvillo recognized Alexander’s arm talent and athleticism upon his arrival in 2022 and immediately went to work trying to help him become a better pocket passer.

“He has arm strength and the ability to do two things – stay in the pocket and read everything, but also that ability to take off with his legs,” Calvillo said. “We try and teach him there’s a great pocket and you have to trust the guys around you.”

To get that across, Calvillo takes instances from practice or games where he sensed Alexander had left the pocket too quickly and then reviews the decision making in each instance.

“I will say ‘Why did you leave early? What did you see?’” Calvillo said. “Then I’ll give him feedback. If the protection is good, and your first or second read wasn’t there, look for the third or fourth. Our system is based on that, so we’re really on him with where his eyes need to be pre- and post-snap so he can get the information he needs. If his eyes are not in the right place, he’s going to leave the pocket early. Those are the things we saw before he became the starter.

“The first game of the season, he left the pocket at big too early, but the second week he didn’t do that. So, you see the growth from one week to the next. He conducts himself as a leader by example, and once he steps on the field with the trust of the locker room, that’s when the magic happens.”