Rome to CFL: Roughrider rookie Habakkuk Baldonado’s journey

For Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive linemen Habakkuk Baldonado, the road to rookie camp in Saskatoon was by no means a straight one.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound linemen hails from Rome, Italy. He said he didn’t even know what the sport of American football was until he was 13 years old.

“I just saw it on TV one day randomly. I started watching it more and more and then started googling about it and found a team in Rome and I started playing,” Baldonado explained.

Baldonado said when he started to play football, only a couple hundred people were playing the sport in Rome.

He played on his local U16 and U19 teams, before deciding American football was the sport for him. He continued playing into his high school years.

His willingness to continue playing football saw him leave home for Clearwater Academy International (CAI) in Florida. There he would live with a host family and play against better competition.

When he got to CAI, Baldonado said his plan was only to attend the school for six months and then move back to Italy. But his outstanding rookie season of 83 tackles and 30.5 sacks put those plans to move back home on hold.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know (college) scholarships were a thing,” he said. “I was always set on living my life in Italy.”

“I was a little surprised,” he said. “After those six months, I got three or four (scholarship) offers every day from schools like Oregon, Michigan State (and) Pittsburgh. I worked for it, but it was still gratifying to see all of that coming in.”

Baldonado committed to the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 and played four seasons.

From there, he declared for the 2023 NFL Draft but went undrafted.

Shortly after going undrafted, he signed a contract with the New York Giants, but he was eventually cut.

Before being cut, he was selected by the Roughriders in the second round of the CFL Global Draft.

“I heard of it (the CFL), but I didn’t even know they (the Roughriders) had drafted me. I discovered they had drafted me through one of my friends telling me. I (found out) like a week after,” he laughed. “I was still playing with the Giants at the time.”

“It’s a crazy journey, but fun,” he added. “I’ve met great people and I get to play the sport that I love, so it’s been good for me.”

Baldonado’s journey is one Roughriders head coach Corey Mace is familiar with.

“Haba is the man,” said Mace when asked what he thought of the Italian giant. “To see him progress through his college career and then (get) the limited snaps he got last year – you’re pleased to see that.”

Mace explained he’s known Baldonado since his brother attended high school with him.

“Haba is a good football player and he’s made a lot of plays out here the last two days. He’s kind of been the leader here on the defensive front,” Mace said. “He plays with a smile on his face and he’s disruptive. I’m looking for Haba to continue to do what he’s been doing and certainly when the vets come in (I’m hoping) for him to take it a step further.”

Baldonado said his goal for training camp is to get to know the team and hopefully get a job out of it.

So far, he likes the energy Mace has brought to rookie camp.

“I owe him (Mace) a lot,” Baldonado said. “I already had a contract with Saskatchewan – I was supposed to come here either way – but I was a little undecided. When I got the news that he was going to be the head coach, I came (to camp) without a doubt.” Baldonado said he liked what he’s seen so far from Mace.

“You can flip a difference from last year to this year. He’s handling himself like a pro – he asks us to hold ourselves to a high standard,” he said. “I’m thankful I came up here this year.”