The turf at McMahon stadium may be new this season, but the feeling of stepping onto it for a game never gets old for Jalen Philpot.
And the former U of C Dinos star and fourth-year Stampeder will no doubt have a little extra pep in his step when he hits the field Saturday at 2 p.m. when Calgary hosts the Ottawa Redblacks in the annual Family Day game (TICKETS).
Philpot is coming off a monster performance in the Red and White’s 29-19 victory over the Argonauts in Toronto last Saturday, as they improved to 2-0 on the season.
He eclipsed the century mark for the first time in his career, hauling in six passes for 117-yards, including two huge plays.
“A lot of texts, for sure,” smiled Philpot after practice Thursday morning, when asked about checking his phone in the locker-room. “Just lots of support. You know, I got lots of friends who are my corner. You know, they’ve seen me make plays like that.
“So just super excited for me to be able to show what I can do on a main pro stage like the CFL, and just help our team get a win.”
That 100-yard hill can be a tough one to climb and something he’s thought about a lot since being drafted by the Stamps in the first round (fifth overall) in 2022.
“I think I got to like 89 or maybe 93 a couple times in the last couple of years,” he explained. “Definitely nice to just break that milestone of 100 but I got big goals this year for myself, but also for this team.
“You know, we’re a motivated team. We saw the power rankings early on. We know where everyone in the league kind of holds us, so we’re kind of just out here trying to prove everyone wrong. And we’re going to do that. Gonna do that this weekend.”
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— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) June 14, 2025
His performance Saturday included a catch where he blew up a would-be tackler for some extra yards and another catch in double coverage that’s an early highlight-of-the-year contender.
And where would a guy who started playing football at the ripe old age of six rank that second grab all-time for him?
“It’s definitely up there,” he said. “I don’t know, maybe top five? It’s definitely special again, too, because, you know, first 100-yard game in the CFL, especially because Reggie (Begelton), unfortunately, got injured. So just felt like I had to help the team get a win, and just kind of show what I bring to the table.”
That injury to the veteran Begelton, an integral part of the passing attack, has certainly left a void that must be filled by committee via the team’s other receivers, including Philpot.
“You never want to see guys go down,” he explained. “Unfortunately, it is part of this rough sport that we play, but we’re rallying for Reggie. He knows that we got him. We talk to him every day, you know, especially me filling in for him, being able just to pick his brain and ask some kind of little tricks of the trades to what he does.”
“He’s been such a successful receiver in this league. So, to have a guy like that just be able to want to mentor you and give you some help, it’s huge. We trust the coaching staff. We know they brought in a stout receiving core this year, so they trust us, and we’re just gonna go out there and ball out.”
The early synergy between new starting pivot Vernon Adams Jr. and Philpot and the rest of the receivers has been on full display in the team’s two season-opening wins.
Everyone is on the same page and they’re writing a nice story so far.
“Lots of confidence,” Philpot nodded in agreement. “I’ve got lots of confidence in my quarterback to just trust me. Now, we’re kind of building this connection, me and VA, so just continue to do all the little things, all the right things, and not to get too high.
“He’s just such an awesome guy … such an easy, easy leader to follow.
Philpot is obviously hungry and doesn’t lack for motivation to make his mark on the league and continue to improve, especially after missing the 2023 season due to injury.
But not only does he want to be one of the best receivers in the CFL, he wants to ‘beat’ his twin brother, Tyson, who plays for the Alouettes and was a teammate with the Dinos before being drafted by Montreal ninth overall in 2022.
Philpot currently has the edge in yards this season with 138, but Tyson has two more receptions (nine) and a touchdown.
“I’m seven minutes older than him,” laughed Philpot. “So, I hang that on his head all the time whenever people ask who’s older. But if you asked him, he’ll say no. He’s a big motivation for myself, too. He’s had an awesome start to his career, so just kind of chasing him and competing with him.
“There was a clip last year where he was kind of shouting me out. He scored the game before we played them, talking about, ‘this is what I can do now, what can you do’ kind of thing? We have that constant back and forth where we just want to know what each other can do. We know what we’re capable of. So, it’s just pushing each other to who can be better. So, always some good bragging rights, one hundred percent.”
Heading into this weekend’s clash, Philpot knows his performance against the Boatmen has put him front and centre in the spotlight.
And he’s ready to rise to the challenge.
“Talking to (GM and head coach) Dave (Dickenson), you know, they weren’t really prepared for me as much,” he said. “So now teams are gonna see me on film, kind of what I did, and prepare for me a little bit differently now.
“So that just means I gotta do all the little things right and just continue to stay in my playbook and stay focused.”