“This is our year!” It’s a phrase that will be shouted at all twenty-seven U SPORTS Football training camps this August. 2025 will be the year of redemption, retooling, or revitalisation, with every team’s slate wiped clean and every player hoping to capture the eyes of the nation. However even with a clean slate in the record column, each team will have questions to answer in 2025. Below are those questions.
Regina Rams
2024 Regular Season: 3-5 (Loss vs. UBC, @ Alberta, @ Manitoba, vs. Calgary, @ Saskatchewan)
CW Offence: 6th (157 PF)
CW Defence: 1st (177 PA)
2024 Playoffs: 2-1 (Hardy Cup Champions, Mitchell Bowl Finalists vs. Laval)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: 5th
Opponents 2024 Record: 30-34
Can the magic of 2024 continue into a winning regular season?
Although 2024 ended in heartbreak at the hands of the Laval Rouge et Or, the Regina Rams’ season was far from a failure. The team managed to secure the conference’s top defensive ranking, allowing only 177 points against through eight regular season games. This dominant defence propelled the Rams to a Hardy Cup victory. It was only the second in school history, and the program’s first since the year 2000.
Although dominant throughout the Canada West playoffs, the Rams’ path to Saskatoon was extremely uncommon. A 3-5 regular season forced Regina to adopt the road warrior mantra, where they would knock off the top two ranked Canada West opponents; the Manitoba Bisons and Saskatchewan Huskies. With the likely return of starting QB Noah Pelletier, leading rushers Marshall Erichsen and Christian Katende, along with a host of ball hawking defenders such as Jacob Tkachuk, look for Regina to make some noise in the Canada West in 2025.
With the 60th edition of the Vanier Cup set to grace Mosaic Stadium in Regina for the first time ever, the question on everyone’s mind will be: can the Rams’ offence make significant strides to help their dominant defence secure home field throughout the Canada West playoffs on their way to a potential home Vanier appearance?
Saskatchewan Huskies
2024 Regular Season: 5-3 (Loss @ Manitoba, @ Regina, @ UBC)
CW Offence: 2nd (233 PF)
CW Defence: 6th (233 PA)
2024 Playoffs: 1-1 (Hardy Cup Finalists vs. Regina)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: 3rd
Opponents 2024 Record: 33-31
Will a trio of fifth-year stars make Saskatchewan an offensive juggernaut?
In 2024, the Saskatchewan Huskies scored 233 points, good enough for a second place ranking as far as CW scoring offence. A huge part of that success was the trio of then fourth year offensive stars; QB Anton Amundrud (70.1 CMP%, 2,984 YDS, 15 TD), WR Daniel Wiebe (139 REC, 923 YDS, 9 TD), and RB Ryker Frank (196 ATT, 1,182 YDS, 12 TD).
Despite their eye popping numbers, Wiebe was the only one to receive an invite to CFL camp this past spring. In two preseason games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Wiebe tallied five catches for 34 yards with the longest coming for 16 yards. His skills in the return game were also tested with two kickoff returns for 48 yards with a long of 25 yards, and four punt returns for 26 yards with a long of 9 yards. Unfortunately for Wiebe, he was sent back to school by the Riders following preseason.
Fortunately for Huskie faithful, this probably means that the trio of offensive leaders will all be back for a fifth and final season. Football is not a three-man game by any stretch and even these prairie stars would probably tell you that it will take an entire team to reach the Vanier Cup promise land. However, having experienced talent certainly won’t hurt. Huskie Nation should be excited to watch what the dogs will do in 2025.
Manitoba Bisons
2024 Regular Season: 7-1 (Loss @ Saskatchewan)
CW Offence: 1st (251 PF)
CW Defence: 3rd (204 PA)
Playoffs: 0-1 (Loss vs. Regina)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: 6th
Opponents 2024 Record: 29-35
Can the Bisons keep it together after an early 2024 playoff exit and the retirement of Brian Dobie?
Last season was supposed to be the year of the Bison. A Hec Creighton nominee in QB Jackson Tachinski, a thousand-yard rusher in RB Breydon Stubbs, a turnover hungry defence who led the conference in interceptions, and a 29-year legend calling the shots in Brian Dobie. While Manitoba earned the top ranked CW scoring offence, a third ranked CW scoring defence, and a 7-1 record in the CW regular season, their playoff run was short lived. They were ousted 28-25 by the eventual Hardy Cup Champion Regina Rams on their home field at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
Shortly after the loss, Dobie announced his retirement and defensive coordinator Stan Pierre was promoted to serve as the new head coach. To fill the void that Dobie’s exit created on the offensive side of the football, former wide receivers coach Blair Atkinson was hired as the program’s offensive coordinator. Pierre has been with the Bisons program since 1998 and Atkinson has been in and out of the Manitoba program since 2007, so don’t expect there to be much of a culture shift in Winnipeg. They will however, be leading a different group of players as the Bison’s offence graduated a number of stars this offseason.
The return of Jackson Tachinski will help stabilize some of these new faces at new spots, and expect a big year from last year’s CW MVP. With some familiar faces in new roles, will 2025 be the revenge year that Bisons’ fans covet? Or will the first season without Dobie in nearly three decades cause Manitoba’s quest for national glory to come up short?
UBC Thunderbirds
2024 Regular Season: 5-3 (Loss vs. Alberta, vs. Manitoba, @ Manitoba)
CW Offence: 4th (216 PF)
CW Defence: 4th (222 PA)
Playoffs: 0-1 (Loss vs. Saskatchewan)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: T-1st
Opponents 2024 Record: 34-30
Will the addition of Kahari Jones and QB Drew Viotto bring the Thunderbirds back to championship form?
Two seasons ago, the UBC Thunderbirds were Hardy Cup champions. They then won the Mitchell Bowl and came up just short in the Vanier Cup to a Montreal Carabin team led by an all-time defence. The program was then thrust into the international spotlight when offensive guards Giovanni Manu and Theo Benedet were added to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears rosters respectively.
That was 2023. 2024 was unfortunately a different story. After a 5-3 regular season, the Thunderbirds lost a first round playoff game at home to the Saskatchewan Huskies. 2024 also thrust some adversity at QB Garrett Rooker who experienced a statistical dip in passing yards and touchdowns while throwing a few more interceptions. Looking ahead to 2025, the road for UBC does not get any easier as former offensive coordinator Stevenson Bone exits to take the University of Alberta head coaching position. Adversity may be at every turn for these UBC Thunderbirds, but if head coach Blake Nill knows one thing, it’s how to recruit and replace talent with talent.
Earlier this year, Kahari Jones, former CFL QB, offensive coordinator (OC), and head coach, was announced as the Thunderbirds’ new OC. They also recently welcomed transfer quarterback Drew Viotto to their roster. With confirmation that four year starter Garrett Rooker will not be returning to UBC for a fifth season it looks like Viotto, who spent the last three seasons at the University of Minnesota, Missouri State University, and Eastern Michigan University, will receive the keys to the offence.
With Jones' professional experience in the building, it will be interesting to see how first year starter Viotto and the rest of the UBC offence will respond after a disappointing 2024. The CW might be the tightest of the U SPORTS Football conferences top to bottom, so we shouldn’t forget that the Thunderbirds are actually not that far removed from championship level football. UBC could be the dark horse to make a significant run on the national stage this fall.
Alberta Golden Bears
2024 Regular Season: 2-6 (Loss vs. Calgary, @ Manitoba, @ Saskatchewan, vs. UBC, vs. Manitoba, @ Regina)
CW Offence: 3rd (231 PF)
CW Defence: 5th (229 PA)
Playoffs: (Missed Playoffs)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: 4th
Opponents 2024 Record: 32-32
Can a pair of former Mustangs breathe new life into the Golden Bears after a disappointing 2024?
One year removed from a heartbreaking 2023 Hardy Cup defeat, the Alberta Golden Bears attempt at a ‘run it back’ campaign fell flat. A 2-6 regular season saw the Bears miss the playoffs with the third ranked CW scoring offence and the fifth ranked CW scoring defence. To add insult to injury, long-time head coach Chris Morris exited the Bears program following the 2024 campaign to take the job as the president of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks.
Enter Stevenson Bone. The former Western Mustang QB began his young coaching career with three seasons as the running backs coach at the University of Guelph and most recently served as the offensive coordinator for three seasons at UBC. During his time with the Thunderbirds, working with their QB Garrett Rooker, they consistently neared the top of Canada West in many offensive categories.
The Bears are hoping that Bone can recreate that same success with veteran pivot Eli Hetlinger as he enters his fifth and final season. To help revamp the defence, Bone has hired his former Mustang teammate Jean-Gabriel Poulin. Poulin, after two years with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, has been a CEGEP head coach at Collège Bourget for the last three seasons. What will the 2025 Golden Bears look like on the football field? If it’s anything like Bone and Poulin’s Western Mustangs teams, Alberta fans will have a lot to cheer about.
Calgary Dinos
2024 Regular Season: 2-6 (Loss vs. Regina, @ Saskatchewan, vs. Manitoba, vs. UBC, @ UBC, vs. Saskatchewan)
CW Offence: 5th (178 PF)
CW Defence: 2nd (201 PA)
Playoffs: (Missed Playoffs)
Strength of 2025 CW Schedule Rank: T-1st
Opponents 2024 Record: 34-30
Can the Dinos’ offence make strides to help a defence that gave up the second fewest points in Canada West last season?
Not that long ago, the Calgary Dinos were a Canada West superpower. From 2008 to 2019, the program won nine Hardy Cups and were runners up in two others. Since the cancelled 2020 season however, they have seen incredible struggles with a CW worst 8-24 record. Heading into year number two under head coach Ryan Sheahan, the Dinos will be looking to take steps towards regaining their winning ways.
A big part of this will be an improved offence. Calgary’s offence ranked fifth in the CW last season with 178 points scored. The good news? Calgary had the second ranked CW scoring defence last season with only 201 points against. With a 2-6 record, they were only one win away from matching the record of the top ranked defensive team and eventual 2024 Hardy Cup champions, the Regina Rams. If Calgary can take steps to improve their offensive output in 2025, they may be able to make some noise in the post season with their stingy defence.