More than 50 prospects took to the field at Griffiths Stadium on Wednesday for Roughriders rookie camp, meaning another CFL season is underway. Head coach Corey Mace says after 179 days since the West Division final against Winnipeg, everyone is ready to get started. “It’s a beautiful feeling,” said Mace. “179 might have been a little too long. Coaches, players, certainly everybody in the organization was waiting for this day, and man what a feeling.” Among the rookies are 34 Americans, two juniors, one global player and four of the seven players picked in the 2025 CFL draft. While Mace knows what it feels like trying out for a team, he says the expectations don’t change just because someone’s a rookie. “We’ve been trying to set a bar from that standpoint,” Mace told CTV News. “And then even some of the guys that have returned, who were with us last year, they’ve been pushed to kind of lead this group. Seeing what those leadership skills look like from the young bucks.” Mace says there’s always someone watching at camp, and everything is taken into account when picking the roster. “There’s so many things that we look at,” he said. “And I just told them, hey, there’s always eyes on you. Whether we see it in real time, whether we catch it on film. So be the professional we ask you to be.” For most rookies, it will be their first time suiting up and competing on the field at the University of Saskatchewan. But for Huskies Seth Hundeby and Daniel Wiebe, it feels like another day on campus. “It helps a lot being at home,” said Wiebe, an eighth round pick by the Roughriders in 2025. “And it’s super nice just having family close by. I was a ten-minute drive to the dorms, so it’s super nice. Being at home, knowing the clubhouse, knowing the university, the field, it helps a lot so yeah it’s awesome.” Wiebe and Hundeby have been playing football together in Saskatoon since high school, and those familiar surroundings make it easier to adjust to a new playbook while under constant scrutiny by Roughriders staff. “We got to know each other really well, and it’ll be nice to have someone to bounce questions off and just be comfortable around,” said Seth Hundeby, a fourth-round pick in 2025. “He’s super fun to play with and I’m excited to play with him again.” Hundeby has decided to return to the University of Saskatchewan for his final year of eligibility and schooling, but he says it’s fun to be on the same journey together with his friend and teammate. “It’s unreal,” said Hundeby. “Growing up in Sask. you watch the Riders and man, those guys are freaking heroes. I’m now getting the opportunity to represent the Riders, it’s kind of a dream come true, and definitely something that I didn’t know that this was going to be a possibility for me in high school or whatnot. So I’ve just been taking it one step at a time and now that it’s here, trying to capitalize on every moment I can.” Meanwhile Wiebe is looking to turn heads and earn his spot on the Roughriders by any means necessary. “My mindset, just wherever they need me, I’ll play,” said Wiebe. “And I honestly don’t care where that is. I’ll do my best in whatever position they put me at.” The Roughriders rookies practise Thursday and Friday morning with a day off Saturday. Mace says it’s important that the young players make the most of their time at camp. “Don’t be eyes too wide and eyes too bright,” he said. “Just understand that you’re here for a reason and everybody at some point or another was in their same spot. So come out here and be the player that we believe you to be, and do that at 100 freaking miles per hour.” Main camp begins Sunday at Griffiths Stadium.
