SASKATOON — Dayton Black’s dorm adheres to the norm.

Ensconced in residence at the University of Saskatchewan during his first training camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the 26-year-old offensive lineman is reminded of his collegiate years with the Huskies.

“I’m only one room away from my old room,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to be back here.”

As a bonus, Black’s first home game as a Roughrider will be played at Griffiths Stadium, on the U of S campus.

The Green and White is to oppose the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on May 23 in the first CFL pre-season game to be held in Saskatoon since 1991.

(Standing-room tickets for the Roughriders-Bombers game are AVAILABLE HERE.)

The former U of S standout signed with the Roughriders on Dec. 13. The sixth overall selection in the 2023 CFL Canadian Draft was previously a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2023-24) and Ottawa REDBLACKS (2025).

The upcoming matchup with a Manitoba-based opponent won’t be anything new for Black.

Born in Brandon, he was a 6-foot-6, 240-pound high school quarterback for the Neelin Spartans. In Grade 12, he passed for 1,981 yards in seven games — a Winnipeg High School Football League single-season yardage record in the AA/AAA ranks. He erupted for 493 yards in one game.

“In Brandon, I definitely was the biggest guy,” Black recalled. “My O-line was smaller, but it was just the way it was and I was happy with it.

“We were a smaller school. We only had about 300 kids in our school and I’d say we had about 24 kids on our team, so it was both ways all game, every game.”

He was also an athlete for every season. At Neelin, he also played basketball, volleyball and, for one season, baseball. He was also a member of the school’s track and field team.

Rewind even further and Black was a hockey player. He hung up the blades around Grade 6.

“I’m very happy I grew up playing every sport,” the 6-foot-6, 316-pound Black said. “My parents gave me the opportunity. I would tell every kid to play as many sports as you can, because it helps you to become a better athlete. There’s still the same fundamentals — running, jumping and all that.”

Black’s versatility was also evident when he enrolled at the U of S and joined a Huskies team that is coached by Canadian Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Scott Flory.

“I was first going to be recruited as a quarterback and play at the U of S, but I switched to the defensive line coming into camp (as a rookie),” Black said.

“Then Coach Flory said, ‘If you really want to play at the next level, you probably should (move to the offensive line).’ When Scott Flory says something about the O-line, you should probably listen. Of course, he was right.

“It has just been a crazy journey and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

The Roughriders are, in turn, delighted with Black.

“He was obviously thought highly of when he came out (of college),” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “He’s just getting acclimated to the new playbook and our order of operation.

“He has all the intangibles. With how freakin’ large of a human being he is, we love that.”

PADS WERE POPPING

Tuesday’s session was the first with pads this year at Coors Light Training Camp.

“It was a physical practice,” Mace said after the third day of main camp. “There was good decision-making.

“Usually after this practice, we’ve got to hit some sprints (as a consequence of penalties), but we didn’t have to do that today. We’ve been harping on the penalties and guys were smart for the most part.”

Some of the players were smarting as the result of collisions.

“There were a lot of thuds and there was a lot of aggressive play, which is the mentality we want to play with,” Mace said. “The guys understand that. Even the young guys, they figured it out pretty quick.”

TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTS

• Safety Nelson Lokombo had an interception and a pass knockdown in 12-on-12 drills.

• Defensive backs Rolan Milligan Jr., Marcus Sayles, Garnett Hollis Jr. and James Burgess Jr. had pass knockdowns in 12-on-12.

• Defensive end Chico Bennett Jr. pressured Jordan McCloud and forced the rookie quarterback to scramble instead of attempting a pass.

• The most notable offensive plays were completions from Trevor Harris to rookies Jaylen Johnson and Shemar McBean.

• Two field goals were attempted. Michael Hughes hit from 44 yards and Jonathan Kim made a 49-yarder.

• In one-on-one drills, D’Sean Mimbs and Benjamin Walz made leaping catches. Walz, from the Regina Thunder, is a junior-eligible camp invitee.

• In skeleton formation (excluding offensive and defensive linemen), Burgess Jr. had a pass knockdown and safety Jaxon Ford made an interception. For one completion, McCloud threw a dart over the middle to Mathew Sexton. Sexton made a tumbling catch in his first practice as a Roughrider.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Mace was asked on Tuesday why defensive tackle Caleb Sanders has yet to practise during training camp.

“He’s just an ugly guy,” the Head Coach responded. “We didn’t feel like dealing with him.

“No … we love Caleb. Sorry, Caleb.”

Mace added that Sanders should be practising “in the next day or two.”