'A dream come true': Trevor Harris addresses Ridernation for the first time

Newly signed Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback, Trevor Harris, spoke to media and Ridernation on Wednesday for the first time since joining the green and white.

“You see the new colours and it becomes official and becomes a real life situation. To be fully transparent with you. I told my wife in 2015 when I was playing for Toronto, I said ‘I’d love to be the quarterback for the Riders someday,’ so this is a dream come true,” Harris said.

“I think he just needs to be himself. I think he’s played long enough in this league where he doesn’t try to do anything that he hasn’t already done. He just needs to be Trevor Harris,” Jeremy O’Day, general manager and vice president of football operations for the Rider’s told reporters on Wednesday.

Harris went on to say he’s honoured to join the Riders and is looking forward to the coming season.

“I couldn’t be more delighted to be here and I’ll never take for granted being able to be the quarterback for this franchise and truly look forward to the challenge,” he added.

Harris has 10 years of CFL experience under his belt and has spent time with four teams before signing with Saskatchewan.

The Ohio product has recorded over 28,000 passing yards and 151 touchdowns in 161 games. He spent last season and part of 2021 with the Montreal Alouettes and was believed to be on the Riders’ radar for some time.

“There’s always been a plan but until you get into free agency, you don’t always know how the plan’s going to shake out,” O’Day explained.

“You’re always looking for a good person, someone that’s high character and had success in our league. We were going into free agency with not a lot of our starters back so there was going to be significant change [on offence] and he certainly helped us in that process talking to players.”

“This isn’t a three year project. This is something we want to come in and we want to hit the ground running and win now,” Harris said.

One of the key players was Harris’s former teammate in Montreal, who will now be joining him in Saskatchewan, Jake Wieneke.

Wieneke played 16 games for Alouettes in 2022, where he recorded 45 catches for 589 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2021, Wieneke placed fifth in the league with 898 receiving yards and led the CFL in touchdown receptions with 11, according to a Riders news release.

“Seeing the opportunity present itself to one [of your former] teammates, he was one of the first calls I made [when I wanted to come to Saskatchewan]. He said ‘let’s do this!’,” Harris said, referring to Wieneke and himself.

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Wieneke knew from the moment he was an eligible free agent that he wanted to come to Saskatchewan.

“The first Sunday night I was like, ‘Hey I’d love to come here and I would love to make it quick as well’. I mean even just the professionalism throughout the organization just made things as smooth a possible. It was a really easy process,” Wieneke explained.

“We wanted to bring in someone that Trevor was familiar with and that we think is a good player. He’s only 28-years-old and he was fired up to come here. It’s always refreshing when you talk to free agents and [hear] how excited they are to come and play in Saskatchewan,” O’Day explained.

Wieneke agreed it’s an exciting time to join the green and white alongside his former teammate and quarterback, Trevor Harris.

“[Harris] is just a man you want to be like in every aspect of life. He has an amazing amount of faith, he’s so diligent in everything he does, whether it’s playing football or working out. He’s the smartest guy I’ve ever been around,” Wieneke told reporters.

“He’s such an amazing man. I’m just grateful for him to be my quarterback and to have him also as a mentor to look up to as well.”

However, Harris knows there are multiple challenges that come with being the quarterback of this organization especially given the dismal 6-12 record in 2022.

“Things that are most important to me are building a relationship in the locker room, making sure that you know your alignment from the President down,” Harris said, who also admitted he almost signed with the team in 2019.

“You’re going to get every ounce of effort and energy I have in terms of developing relationships. Get everyone on the same directions and we’re going to win some football games,” Harris said.

“The goal is to make sure this organizations, this province, this fanbase is proud of this team on opening day, Labour Day, Banjos Bowl and most importantly the third Sunday in November,” he added enthusiastically.

But as players join the Roughriders, others are expected to be on the way out. On Wednesday O’Day was asked about linebacker Darnell Sankey and long time offensive line veteran, Dan Clark.

“I don’t think there’s going to be an opportunity for Darnell. We were communicating with him throughout the process of free agency, back and forth with his agent and we weren’t able to reach an agreement,” O’Day explained.

But Sankey has reportedly signed with the XFL’s Arlington Renegade according to TSN.

As for Clark, the team signed well known centre Peter Godber on Tuesday which likely will lead to the 10 year veteran of the Rider’s offensive line losing his spot.

“I’d never say there’s never a chance but I would say going into camp it’s highly unlikely,” O’Day said, referring to Clark.