‘Let’s play football:’ Harris energetic as Riders’ rookie camp begins

“Let’s play football!”

Those were the words new Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris shouted as he ran onto the Griffiths Stadium field in Saskatoon on Wednesday.

Harris appeared on the first day of rookie camp wearing the green and white for the first time despite not being anything close to a rookie in the CFL.

“It was fun,” Harris said. “It’s like the first day of school, so you get to feel like a kid again.

“A (couple) people were like, ‘How long have you been in the league?’ and I’d say 12 or 13 years. They’d say, ‘Oh, you’re old!’ It’s a lot of fun to get out here and feel the energy, feel the flow, feel the huddle (and) feel defences. It’s just football.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ new starting quarterback, Trevor Harris, was excited to hit the field on May 10, 2023. (Shane Clausing/650 CKOM)

Harris, who came to Saskatchewan on a two-year contract following a stint with the Montreal Alouettes, said he just wanted to get out onto the field after waiting for so long to play football again.

“It’s one of those long-awaited things. It’s six weeks, five weeks, four weeks, three weeks until camp, and now it’s finally here,” Harris said.

“It was good to get out here. Even though I didn’t get any reps, it was more or less good to get out here, feel the energy and help these young guys out with any comments or questions they might have.”

Head coach Craig Dickenson was happy to see his new starting quarterback taking his first steps onto the field as a Roughrider.

“I like him on our team; it’s better than going against him,” Dickenson said. “He has been as advertised. I would say better, but everyone knew what they were getting with him.”

Dickenson said he felt having Harris’ presence will be like having another coach on the field. The head coach said it’s important to get Harris out on the field alongside the rookies.

“It gives your team an identity and direction,” Dickenson explained.

“With him leading the charge, the team is going to be a certain way, and it’s going to be the way I envision it as well. We’re going to have a smart team, play hard and play together, and Trevor embodies all of those things.”

Harris mentioned he’s been studying the playbook quite a bit in the lead-up to the season.

“I’m a football junkie, so when I’m bored, I like to watch football and watch film,” Harris stated.

“My son recently started to watch highlights, so he’s started watching a bit of film with me. I’m teaching the playbook to my brother-in-law, who is also a football junkie. I’m just really excited to get in the weeds of it (Wednesday), showing the young guys how these plays fit in normal scenarios and get that brain working again.”

Coming to Saskatchewan, Harris knows he’ll be under a lot of pressure. He said that comes with the new role, but feels ready for the challenge ahead.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a place I’ve always thought about playing, but it’s time to put up and shut up and go out there and play some ball.”

Harris reiterated that he’s going to work his hardest every day to make sure he earns the right to be on the Roughriders’ roster.

The first day of rookie camp didn’t feature anything too special for spectators and players. The club mainly worked on stationary drills, including ball-control skills and scoop-and-recover drills.

With temperatures expected to reach 24 C in Saskatoon by the end of the week, Dickenson said good hydration will be important for all of the players. But, Dickenson added, he doesn’t mind the warm weather.

“I don’t mind it being warm because it gets them in shape right away,” he explained. “If it starts getting real hot, we’ll have to start watching what we do.”