TORONTO — AJ Ouellette knew from the beginning that signing in Saskatchewan was the right choice.
The thundering running back joined the Roughriders back in February after free agency opened after four years with the Toronto Argonauts. A big reason for his East-West shift was head coach Corey Mace, who shared the locker room with Ouellette in Toronto as a defensive coordinator.
“I knew I wanted to talk to (Mace) as soon as free agency opened up,” Ouellette told Donnovan Bennett and Henoc Muamba in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast. “And just the fact that he was the first coach to call me when free agency window opened, I’m talking to him maybe a minute into it.
“It just made me feel wanted and I realized once I signed there and all the love from the fans that it was the right choice.”
RELATED
» Riders reveal new Rider Nation alternate jersey
» Cutdown Tracker: Teams make their final roster moves
» Quarterback Mason Fine among Riders cuts
» Get Your Seat: Buy 2024 tickets here
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
The former Argonaut had a breakout season in 2022, rushing for a career-high 1,009 yards with eight majors, adding 163 yards and two more scores as a pass-catcher while captivating football fans across the country with his physical running style. He now joins Mace in a revamped Roughriders roster that looks poised to compete in a fierce West Division.
Saskatchewan brought in Ouellette alongside names like offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick, defensive lineman Malik Carney and linebacker Jameer Thurman to give Mace plenty of weapons on both sides of the ball. The team also went to work on extending in-house talent like National receiver Samuel Emilus, who had a breakout season in 2023 and enters 2024 with high expectations.
The young pass-catcher also knew it was the right choice to stay in Regina.
“For me, being drafted over there and (having the fans) showing love since day one,” Emilus told Bennett and Muamba. “It only felt right to sign that extension.”
In Ouellette’s case, it didn’t even take him playing in Regina to feel the love from a passionate fanbase.
“For me, it was the fans, even when I was playing with Toronto, we would be there playing and the fans would come up to you and just tell you how much they love the way that I play the game,” said the tailback. “They just love football. And I knew that was a fan base I wanted to be a part of.”
Ouellette intends to repay the love shown by the fans by replicating a skillset that pleases almost every football fan. The physical running back is capable of wearing down defences with his tackle-breaking ability, opening up a lot of possibilities for his offence, especially late in the game.
That means more opportunities for an aerial offence led by quarterback Trevor Harris, Emilus, Shawn Bane Jr., Kian Schaffer-Baker and the rest of the Riders receiving group.
“I’m gonna show up who I am,” said Ouellette about what he brings to the table. “I’m gonna start the Breakfast Club. Whoever wants to join it. They’re more than welcome to bring the t-shirts or bring the snacks and then the mentality when it comes to camp. My goal is to have the meanest nastiest o-line and run game in the league, and that’s just gonna let these guys have more fun in the back end. If people are scared of our run game, (Emilus) is gonna have a lot of touchdowns this year.”
“Having a guy like (Ouellette) is definitely going to bring attention to him and and leave us receivers one on one back there,” added Emilus. “It’s going to be an explosive playbook with explosive plays and they’re gonna have to choose if they want to stop the run or if they want to stop the pass. Regardless, they’re gonna pay.”