EDMONTON – It’s been a bit of a homecoming for Elks offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell.
The Alberta born, University of Alberta Golden Bear alumni, made his return to Canadian Football last season when he signed with the Elks in September of last year. O’Donnell left USports as one of the most highly touted prospects to ever come out of Alberta, but it would be a while before he made his Canadian Football League debut.
After five years in the National Football League, O’Donnell is ready to show that he was worth the wait.
GoElks.com sat down with Carter O’Donnell in the latest edition of Elks in the Offseason.
First of all, how is your offseason going so far?
“You know, it’s been really good. (My wife and I) recently purchased a house out in Strathcona County. We found out we’re pregnant, so we’re having a baby due in July, and those have been some pretty big things for us. So we’re really excited.”
What does a day in the life of Carter O’Donnell look like right now?
“Right now, I’m kind of in my normal offseason routine. I get up, make breakfast, come to the stadium and train. I just do some sort of body maintenance stuff, making sure I’m flexible and keeping the body in good shape. Then go I home to the wife and just kind of do stuff around the house and around the property. We’re also getting ready for the baby. Stuff like that.”
What does it take to feed an offensive lineman for breakfast?
“I do 16 ounces of egg whites with two eggs, usually a banana, a couple mandarin oranges, maybe like a couple pieces of sourdough.”
What has been the highlight of the offseason for you so far?
“Probably finding out where we’re expecting a child.”
How ready are you for that? What has been the process getting ready for your first child?
“Well, it’s all new. It’s all uncharted territory for us. I don’t know if we can be ready, but we’re just trying to prep as much as we can. I don’t know, just buying baby stuff, trying to get a baby room ready, doing all the doctor’s appointments. I think she’s about 20-22 weeks along right now.”
Do you have any family in Alberta? Anybody that can kind of help you out a little bit?
“Yeah, I’ve got pretty much all my family here. My mom and sister are down in Calgary. Grandparents are in Olds. It’s good to have them around.”
Courtney O’Donnell (middle) with her silver medal at the 2025 Rugby World Cup
For those that don’t know, your wife was a member of the Canadian women’s rugby team that competed in the rugby World Cup. What was it like supporting her and then just seeing her team captivate the Nation? It became such a big Canadian story.
“Yeah, it was awesome to see really the country kind of rally around them and support them. It was cool being able to watch them go to the World Cup. Sadly, they got silver, but the amount of improvement they’ve had the last few years in the program and the way it’s developed, it’s been awesome. I wish football and rugby seasons were different times because it would have been awesome to be there in person and watch her play. But unfortunately, I think we had a game in Hamilton that week, so I wasn’t able to watch.”
How did you guys meet?
“We both went to U of A and that’s kind of where we met in late December of 2019. The pre-Covid years. We kind of started talking and I think we kind of officially started dating, I want to say, January 27th of 2020. And yeah, we’ve been together ever since.”
Did you approach her or did she approach you?
“She wished me a happy birthday and then we kind of kicked it off from there.”
Is it nice having a fellow athlete as a partner? You have somebody who has been going through all the same things that you have to an athlete?
“Yeah. Kind of just what you said. It’s nice having someone who understands what you’re going through, knows kind of how you feel after a win or a loss. They have this understanding of your lifestyle. Also, when you have two people who are trying to be high performance athletes, it’s a lot easier to keep each other accountable to your nutrition, or your workouts, or stuff like that.”
You’ve settled down in Alberta now, how has that process been?
“Homeownership is obviously new to me and it has its ups and downs. It’s been great to be able to put some roots down. I have kind of been moving around quite a bit last few years, so it’s nice to just have some consistency in that regard.”
Let’s go back to when you were drafting the CFL. What was that process like playing at the University of Alberta under Chris Morris? How was that recruitment process to go from U Sports to the Shrine Bowl?
“I think growing up in Red Deer, I never really had any dreams of playing university football or professional football. I kind of just took it as it came. I feel like I just had a really good work ethic and if I wanted to do something, I was going to do it right and try my hardest and everything kind of just ended up working out. I remember getting an option to go to the U of A and play under Chris, and I took that opportunity. Even at U of A, I never thought it could become more than that, but it was the same mindset. I just thought if I’d do it, I was going to do it right and work hard at it and enjoy the ups and downs. It led to me playing pretty well at U of A and I was able to get on some scouting radars, which opened up that opportunity to go down to the Shrine bowl, which was awesome. That was a great experience, because I had been playing this Canadian game my whole life. Then, going to play the American game, and having to learn it all in like a week, and play a game, and practice, and play with like some really good talent down in the South, it was a good experience.”
Was there maybe a welcome to the NFL moment for you?
“When I went down to the NFL, I didn’t get drafted, but I worked out a deal that if I went undrafted, I was going to sign with the Colts. Luckily at the time they had a very good O-line with some future Hall of Famers. I got to learn under guys that everyone knows like Quinton Nelson, and a vet room I had with Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith, Anthony Costanzo and Mark Lewinski. Getting to learn from those guys, especially Quinton, really showed me and demonstrated to me what being a pro is, and how you should approach to the game. Something I never really understood when I was in college, but you learn as a professional, is everyone has a role to play and it’s very important. Even if you’re holding a bag and giving a look, it’s extremely important to give a good look, to have very high effort, not just when it’s your opportunity, but when it’s someone else’s to allow them to improve and become a better player.”
Welcome home 💚💛
OL Carter O’Donnell is back in the Green & Gold!
FULL DETAILS | https://t.co/jqZOymgqnz #GoElks x @PlayAlbertaCA pic.twitter.com/SiC4BlwF0s
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) September 2, 2025
Coming back to the Canadian game, was there a big adjustment or were you kind of just able to hop back in?
“They’re similar enough, I was able to just hop back in. The extra yard at the line of scrimmage and some of the little things are just a little different. Then there was the the kind of things that happen when you join a new team. There’s just different names for things that are all the same things that you’ve done before, but you just kind of have to learn those names.”
Now that you’re back in Alberta, what have you enjoyed most?
“Just being close to my family and being able to see relatives. I can just make a short drive and see my mom or see any of my family. It’s probably the best part.”
You’re obviously more of like a guy who enjoys country living, but has there been a favorite place to go to in Edmonton while even back?
“I think the restaurant Seoul Fried Chicken is probably one of my favourite places to go. They’re the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, so it’s awesome to go back.”
Last question is, what are you most excited for this season?
“I think just having a full offseason or a full preseason with the team and going out and playing in front of the fans and winning games for them.”