Time was running out in the first half when Toronto Argonaut quarterback Chad Kelly dropped back, the line of scrimmage six yards away from the Saskatchewan end zone. When he released the ball, a bullet over the middle, it looked like it was going to be too high for the intended receiver. A Roughrider defender was lurking behind the target and seemed to be in a better position to make the catch.

Instead, Tyler Kahmann, a 6’3” rookie from Division II Emporia State, launched himself at the football. His body was fully extended and at a 45-degree angle when he got his hands on the ball, then became parallel to the ground as he secured it. Kahmann then maintained control as he survived a collision with another Rider defensive back, before completing the catch after crashing to the ground.

In a season filled with jaw-dropping catches, this one was at, or at least near the top of the list.

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“I think you’re just playing ball right there,” Kahmann recalled for Argonauts.ca. “I didn’t feel like it was that high. It looks pretty high on film, but honestly, coming out of my break I didn’t feel it was that high, it was almost as perfect as you could throw it.”

Kahmann knew the route well; he had just run almost the exact same pattern.

“We ran a similar play like that before,” the receiver explained. “Pre-snap, I knew there was a chance he was going to rip it in there. Knowing Chad, those timing routes are going to be on you right out of your break. He threw a perfect ball, there’s nowhere else he could have thrown it.”

The highlight catch in Regina was his second touchdown of the game, fourth against the Riders, and seventh of the season, leaving him tied for third most in the CFL. He’s also on pace for 1,078 yards after his eight-catch, 115-yard effort last week.

So where is his confidence level almost two-thirds of the way through his first year?

“It’s really high,” he confessed. “With Kai (injured teammate Makai Polk) being out, I’ve switched positions and played some more of the boundary the past couple of games. I’m extremely confident and Chad gives me that confidence. The coaches have a lot of confidence in me, which gives me confidence.”

Kierrie Johnson is the team’s receivers coach. He had a brief stint with the Argos in 2015 at the back end of a four-year CFL career that landed him a couple of Grey Cup rings, highlighted by a 66-yard touchdown pass from Travis Lulay in the 2011 championship game.

He was a different type of receiver than Kahmann, who is six inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than his coach. Johnson studied receivers of all sizes and skillsets when he was younger and enjoys helping players learn the nuances of the position.

Johnson loves that Kahmann is poised and is diligent about learning the playbook. He also appreciates the receiver’s versatility.

“It’s definitely valuable,” Johnson told Argonauts.ca. “I always tell the receivers the more you can do the more valuable you are, when you know what you’re doing and can move around to different positions. He came from the Y to the W (field to boundary side) to where he’s now getting a lot more opportunities.”

Kahmann was a superstar at Emporia State University. Before he finished, he would set virtually every receiving record in Hornet history. In his final two seasons in Emporia, he would total 201 catches, 2,722 yards, and a remarkable 40 touchdowns; all in just 23 games. He received First Team All-American recognition in 2024, Second Team the season prior.

Technically, it’s the Haysville, Kansas native’s rookie season, though he first arrived in Toronto last September, signing with the Argonauts a couple of weeks after being released by the Indianapolis Colts. He never got into a game, but the several weeks of exposure to the Canadian game gave him a head start on other American rookies heading into this year’s training camp.

Now, he gets a chance to become a part of a Canadian tradition; the Labour Day Classic.

“They say it’s a fun environment,” he said, perhaps not knowing what “fun” means to some Ticat fans on Labour Day. “This is really the fifth time we’ve played Hamilton if you count the pre-season games. We know them, they know us. I’m excited, it should be a fun game. It’s pretty incredible, I’ve never played a team more than one time in a season, so it’s different this year, it’s really different.”

With his Regina performance, Kahmann moved into the CFL lead among rookie receivers, passing Edmonton’s TJ Luther in yards, and now leading the Elk in touchdown catches 7-3. If he continues at this pace, the 25-year-old Argo will definitely be in the conversation for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie award.