SASKATOON -- It’s safe to say Saskatchewan Roughriders' running backs coach Andrew Harris has settled nicely into his new position since taking over this off-season.
A four-time Grey Cup champion, Harris joined the Riders on January 20 and has been working with the team in the lead-up and through training camp, gearing up for the team's first pre-season game Saturday in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers.
It’s naturally taken some time to get used to the Roughriders systems and the players under his tutelage, but as one might expect from a former player of his calibre, that’s all just a formality. What has been a bit unusual are the colours he’s been wearing since signing on with the team -- especially after a full 14-year career filled with games against the Green and White.
“It's definitely grown on me now,” Harris told the voice of the Riders, Dave Thomas. “I'm not going to lie to you, the first time I put the full green sweater on, I had to do a double take in the mirror, but it's football, a lot of great guys I played with and played against are on the coaching staff, so it feels like family. I'm excited to be here working with the group we got and I can't wait to get this season rolling.”
It certainly doesn’t hurt Harris’ learning curve to have a talented crew of running backs to work with, beginning with one of the players at the top of the offensive depth chart in A.J. Ouellette. The sixth-year veteran had 130 carries for 558 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 and spent much of the offseason transforming his body into a far leaner and stronger form that Harris hopes will lead to big things.
A key to that will be to use Ouellette’s frame to his advantage, with more mobility and a less wear-and-tear style as two of the main points.
“The big thing for me with A.J. is he's a physical runner,” Harris said. “My job and our goal this year was to make him a little more dynamic, take less shots and learn how to break tackles a little differently than running a guy over, which we all love… A.J. has a lot more quickness and better feet than I had, so it’s using the skill set that he has in a positive way to make sure that he's not taking as many shots ultimately throughout the season.”
The ultimate goal will be a healthy campaign from start to finish and as many reps as Ouellette can handle in the process.
“I want to be able to see him play 18 games and doing that in the CFL is tough, especially at this position. We're going to work our best on that and make sure we're as efficient as possible on every single run, catch and blocking protection," Harris explained.
Canadian Thomas Bertrand-Hudon has also looked stronger and quicker during the Riders’ time at Griffiths Stadium, drawing praise from Harris for his progression and showing in camp thus far.
“Thomas honestly really surprised me from what I saw on film and then seeing how he works,” Harris said. “He's very patient, he sees the game well, he knows his assignments and he's been really, really solid… He’s been piecing off big run after big run throughout camp, so I'm really excited to see live bullets flying and seeing how he takes those intangibles and that skill set in live action.”
As for the remainder of the Rider running backs -- including Mario Anderson and Trent Pennix, both of whom have also shown strides through camp -- it’s all a matter of working hard and being ready to step up when the time comes.
“Show up in every way you can so no matter what they're doing, whether it's pass pro, catching the ball, running the football, special teams, show up and be impactful,” Harris said. “The biggest thing in football is can you make impact plays? Can you consistently make an impact? The reality of this business and coming in as a newcomer, you need to know how to play special teams. It'll be a big preseason for them to show up on specials and we're going to see some excitement out of those on offence.”
The Roughriders do have one other running back with the team, one who ran for more than 1,300 yards as recently as 2019 and has over 10,000 yards on the ground in his career. Of course, that would be Harris himself, who retired in 2024, and jokingly admitted putting the pads on again has crossed his mind.
“There's been a couple of times where I'm doing the rep or helping to fill in or showing how we're trying to do something and there's a little bit of an itch there,” Harris said. “I'm a competitor and a guy who loved doing what I did on the field, it's a big part of the reason why I'm back and into football. Coach Mace gave me a call shortly after I was thinking about getting back into it, so it worked out perfectly. Timing's everything and I'm very grateful and appreciative and excited to be here.”
Adding to the excitement of the first pre-season game for Harris is it’ll be taking place in his hometown and old stomping grounds in Winnipeg, where he played five seasons and won a Grey Cup in 2021.
“It’s definitely going to be a special day for me,” Harris said, adding that the memorial for one of his former coaches, Oak Park High School Raiders legend Stu Nixon, will also be taking place that weekend in Winnipeg.
“It’s gonna be an emotional day for me for sure, especially coming full circle. But ultimately, my passion for this game, my excitement for this game is to help the guys on my side of the sidelines to be better. I got no allegiance to the Blue and Gold, other than the fact that I played there for five years. For me, it's the excitement of being out there and helping my team that I'm coaching to win the football game.”
Be sure to keep an eye on Sportscage.com and listen to the SportsCage every afternoon from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for regular updates from Roughriders training camp. You can hear the game on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
