Blake Nill had a long to-do list this summer, which began with finding a new offensive coordinator.
After three seasons as OC with the Thunderbirds, Stevenson Bone moved on to a head coaching position at the University of Alberta in January, prompting a series of alterations to UBC's coaching staff.
Longtime CFL quarterback Khari Jones joins the Thunderbirds as Bone's replacement, a move that Nill is extremely excited about.
"I just feel that, most teams, when they lost the coaching talent that I did in the off season would be really... we landed on our feet and more so," said Nill.
"I'm very, very excited, with the addition of Khari — I think his approach is different than coach Stevenson's, and we did a lot of really good things with coach Stevenson. I was sad to see him go, but when your young coach has a chance to become a head coach, you have to move them along."
Noah Cantor was elevated to defensive coordinator, while Pat Tracey, longtime Thunderbirds DC, shuffles over to special teams coordinator. Nill is also fortunate to welcome back a familiar face, as Don Termansen is returning to UBC in the capacity of secondary coach after a year's absence.
"I think Don is a superstar in the making when it comes to to his potential," said Nill, a three-time Vanier Cup champion. These moves, of course, come after UBC's final minute collapse against the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Hardy Cup semifinals last fall.
On the first day of camp, Nill acknowledged the shortcomings from the last time fans saw the Thunderbirds on the field in Vancouver, a game in which they led the Huskies by 13 points entering the fourth quarter but gave up 18 unanswered in the frame, including two touchdowns in the final minute alone.
He also explained that such heartbreaks are a part of the game's nature. For the returning players, this season is about forging their own legacies, not letting that be the game they're known for, but rather to create their own paths.
With a revamped coaching staff in the boardroom that Nill has inspired to take more responsibility and accountability to prepare each athlete as much as possible — all thats left is for the pieces to configure themselves on the field.
'Do the math'
Garrett Rooker's departure in June instantly made the roster battle for QB1 the most intriguing heading into training camp at Point Grey.
Grapevine, Texas native Derek Engel — Rooker's backup for the past four seasons — remained in B.C. over the offseason to get a full summer of training with strength and conditioning coach Joe McCullum.
He's got a playoff win under his belt already from 2022 when he was thrust into the starting position, and in turn the entire team has his respect. Engel needs to prove himself at camp once more for Khari Jones, however.
Jones' new energy isn't described as 'cutthroat' despite his reputation as a CFL vet but "crisp" and "professional." His approach to coach these students on a professional-like program appears to have their full attention. Players aren't chatting during walkthroughs and are locked in on drills.
"When you're getting coached by a guy who's played at a high level you have instantly more respect for him, and take what he says to heart, and immediately want to play; because he's been at high levels, you want to try to emulate how he's played," said Engel.
The number one thing off the field Engel worked on this offseason in part for his pro day invite was speed. On the field, that included being more detailed with his eyes, looking off defenders, and being more vocal.
Engel is used to competition at the position and has impressed his head coach with the intangibles he brings to work everyday during his tenure as the backup quarterback.
"If there's a characteristic that I admire a lot from him, is first of all, he understands the game," said Nill. "He understands the evaluation but he's a teammate, so whether you're from another positional group and having a tough day, or whether you're Garrett Rooker the last four years, Derek's a great teammate."
Part of the QB battle is the "vastly improved" Alex La Vecchia who recently completed a CFL internship with the BC Lions and is awaiting his first regular season throw. His path also got a little more daunting with Drew Viotto moving to the West Coast.
"You want everyone to be afraid for their life," said the coach. "At the beginning of the year when I talk about what the culture is in the UBC program, one of the slides I put up is 'do the math.' And what I mean by that is, let's be real if you want to be the guy, there's one starting quarterback, there's five starting O-lineman."
As for Viotto, the coaching staff is enamoured with his his pass accuracy and attitude. He brings a vibe with him thats made each quarterback on the field the best versions of themselves through camp. Despite the open battle, most would expect the NCAA bounceback to be the favourite to take the first snap on opening night.
But just as Engel showed in 2022, a team is only as good as their backup, and sometimes it can only take a game for the backup to unseat the starter. Nill says his team knows to "be ready."
"Things change in a heartbeat," recalled Nill.
"2013; Andrew Buckley had been a backup in [Nill's Calgary Dinos] program for two years. He's behind the reigning Canada West MVP and he's not happy. It looks like it's just another year, same thing. And I think it was like eight minutes into the first game here at UBC, [Eric] Dzwilewski breaks his foot. Buckley's in, that year he went 11-1, lost in the national final. The next two years he won the Hec Crighton. So you've got to be ready, because you never know when your chance is going to come."
'Measure up'
Combined with the surplus of talent in UBC's QB room, the defensive line is as athletic as any in Canada West. The defensive unit is nearly identical to the one that couldn't hold the Huskies off in the playoffs, with the anchor of course being Deacon Sterna — the division's reigning rookie of the year who's returning this year at 240 pounds.
Nill wants the Peter Gorman Trophy nominee to bring the Sterna swagger he plays with on the field into his off-field persona to be more vocal.
6'4", 240-pound defensive lineman Deacon Sterna racked up 23.5 tackles (including 8.5 tackles for loss), 5.5 sacks, and forced three fumbles a season ago, leading him to be recognized as the Canada West Rookie of the Year. Photo: Bob Frid/Thunderbirds
"Both [Sterna] and Brayden Skaarup... I think both those two young men, if you watch them practice, they showcase the right kind of effort required to be champions in this country. And I'm encouraging all my players that if you feel you're working hard, watch those two in practice and measure up," Nill explained.
What has changed for the Thunderbirds is a revamped defensive philosophy.
Clark Leonard is returning after a year's absence from the team and along with Sterna applying relentless ball pressure, opposing offensive lines will have a hard time containing UBC on the edges. Leonard last played in the 2023 season when he started during UBC's run to the Vanier Cup game.
Another name to watch is third-year lineman Aaron Parker of Fort Sask., Alta. The 2024 season was his first earning consistent playing time as a starter and he is eager to apply what he learned regarding consistent efforts, particularly from tlast year's playoff.
"That last game, yes, it sucked, and yes, obviously we would have hoped for a different outcome," Parked said. "But again, first time in that situation where I'm the starter, so, good to get that feeling and figure that out and figure out, hey, [I] don't ever want to do that again."
Nill believes now is the time for Parker to become the player he is meant to become and notes that his maturity and urgency to become the best player possible is increasing by the year.
"When we got Aaron Parker... we felt like we hit a home run," said Nill. "We'd been recruiting him since Grade 10... and right now he's not far behind [Sterna and Skaarup]. The kid has got talent."
Parker will team up with Taaj Jhooty, the most experienced of the group, and new recruit Malcolm Fraser to protect the interior this season.
"At first I was a little bit uneasy with our D-line because we're all young guys," said Parker. "But after training camp, I just think we're getting stronger and stronger. I think our D line is a very big strong point for us, and [it] just comes down to our young guys stepping up."
2025 will be the first year with a exhibition game for Parker, who uniquely played in a Vanier Cup game before a preseason one. His season, which he describes as beginning in camp, is about doing everything the same way, be it running to the ball without stopping every single play, or hitting an offensive lineman with the same intensity on every effort.
Parker has seen a steady evolution so far in his career, doing his part and dressing every game for team that went to the Vanier Cup final and starting the next year on a playoff team. He doesn't want to just play his part anymore, he wants to make a difference.
"I think we have a great defence right now, I'm seeing a bunch of really good things from linebackers and DBs, and I'm all in. I'm ready to go chase for that again."
UBC's schedule begins with Canada West's top two teams from a season ago: the Huskies in an exhibition bout, and the Bisons in the regular season opener. The T-Birds dropped their first two games in 2o24 before rifling off five W's in a row, but Nill doesn't want his team starting the season comfortably despite turning it around last season.
"It's going to be a flat out fight there in 'Sask'. We have to be able to take one on the chin from 'Sask' and deliver one as well. And then you got Manitoba, who is always so skilled. There's no easy week. That's the only comfort that I have, I never feel really pressured," says the longtime head coach.
"When I was at St Mary's, and you're supposed to win by 70 and you only won by 21, you felt bad after a game. I never have those feelings here. I just know that every game here is is going to be decided on a handful of plays, and we're good enough to make those plays, I feel confident. Whether we do or not is another thing."