In conjunction with the CFL Combine, Riderville.com is profiling the four attendees from Saskatchewan-based university teams. The four-part series continues today with a story on University of Regina Rams offensive lineman Ethan Graham.

While routinely lining up in a three-point stance, Ethan Graham provides six-point credentials.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound University of Regina Rams standout — one of 82 participants at the 2026 CFL Combine — is the rare offensive lineman who can discuss the excitement of scoring a touchdown in the U Sports ranks.

“Oh, I still talk about that,” Graham said from Edmonton, where the Combine runs from Friday to Sunday. “That is one of my favourite memories.

“I don’t think it’ll ever happen again. I don’t get too many touchdowns, so when I saw that ball go up in the air, I knew I was coming down with it no matter what.”

Graham caught a one-yard TD pass against the host University of Manitoba Bisons on Sept. 29, 2023.

“(Former Campbell Tartans all-star signal-caller) Brayden Wagg was a linebacker playing as our short-yardage sneak quarterback, so every time we lined up at the goal line, I was the sixth lineman at that point in my career,” recalled Graham, who became entrenched as a starter in 2024.

“Every time we lined up near the goal line, I thought, ‘Is this going to be the day we run it?’ We kept saving it and finally, when we got to Manitoba, we ran it. We had been stuffed on the goal line once or twice that game, so we finally pulled it out.

“I was just excited. You can see it on the film. One thing the coaches told me was, ‘Make sure you report (to the officials as an eligible receiver), because if you catch the ball and don’t report, this is going to mean nothing,’ so I think I looked at six different refs and reported several times.

“And then, when the time came, I saw the ball go up and I came down with it.”

Graham thus became just the second U of R Rams offensive lineman to be credited with a catch. Brenden Bennett registered the team’s ice-breaking O-lineman reception in 2008.

For Graham, the gridiron journey began in earnest shortly after he enrolled at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate.

“I started taking football super seriously in Grade 9, after I was cut from the basketball team in high school,” he recalled. “I loved basketball growing up.

“I played football (for the Sheldon-Williams Spartans) in my Grade 9 year and then tried out for (junior boys) basketball. When they cut me, I figured, ‘I’m going to put all my focus and energy into football,’ and that’s when I really fell in love with the game.”

Why, the towering Graham was asked, would the basketball team cut someone who now stands 6-foot-7?

“I was still just a short little fat kid,” he responded with a laugh. “I hadn’t hit my growth spurt. In Grade 9, I was about 5-foot-10 … maybe six feet.”

In Grade 12, he dealt with the height of frustration. His senior season of high school football was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was definitely tough,” Graham said. “I don’t know what I’d be doing without football. It’s my life. So when it was taken away from me, it made me realize how much I love it.”

Realizing there was a void for so many players, local football teams and organizations created an opportunity for Graham and others in his situation.

“The Rams, Regina Thunder and Football Saskatchewan put on a two-week camp for players to come out and just work on their football craft,” Graham said.

“(Rams head coach) Mark McConkey immediately noticed my size and just the pure potential I had and offered me a scholarship — an opportunity to play for the team right there.

“The Thunder also made me an offer. I thought about it for a few days and ultimately decided I was going to go to the Rams. I took that opportunity, ran with it, and worked as hard as I could to get to where I am right now.”

To this day, Graham is grateful to the Rams, the PFC’s Thunder and Football Saskatchewan for going the extra mile to benefit developing players.

“Even though we were in a dark time due to COVID and sport was taken away, people still banded together to keep sport going,” he said.

“It meant a lot that they did that, because sport is really important.”

That mindset was instilled in Graham at a young age. His mother, Cori Watson, played college basketball in Alberta before becoming a member of Canada’s national bobsleigh team.

“My mom has always been an athletic person,” her proud son noted. “She loves sports and played a lot of them growing up, so for her to give me some of those athletic genes, it was nice.

“She could have very well made it to the Olympics, but she gave that up to become a mother.”

Graham is now determined to make his mark nationally by becoming a mainstay in the CFL.

One key step in that direction is the Combine. Today’s agenda consists of testing in the morning and the bench press in the afternoon.

The testing component consists of the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, short shuttle, broad jump and vertical jump.

Two practice sessions will follow on Saturday. A final practice is to be held on Sunday, concluding an event that is presented by Anytime Fitness.

Prospects for the 2026 CFL Draft, to be held April 28, will also be interviewed by representatives of the nine teams.

Graham and defensive back Carson Sombach are the Rams’ representatives at the Combine.

Offensive lineman Jack Warrack and defensive lineman Charlie Parks are appearing on behalf of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

“I’m excited to get out here, compete with the best talent in Canada, and show the CFL what I’m capable of,” Graham said.

By so doing, he would also reinforce how people can rebound in robust fashion from a setback, such as not making a high school basketball team.

“I definitely think it was a blessing in disguise,” Graham reflected. “At first, I was sad, but it has worked out great for me and, looking back, I’ve got to be so grateful I was cut from the basketball team, because now I’m sitting here at the CFL Combine with a chance to be on a pro team.

“I don’t think I could have done that without basketball being cut from my life.”

(The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation supports all elite football in Saskatchewan.)

 • PHOTO CREDIT: Piper Sports Photography