\u201cIf you woke me up in the middle of the night, I would be able to long snap,\u201d Leroux told The Winnipeg Sun.<\/p>\n
Published Jul 15, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Daytime, nighttime, anytime is the right time. \u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. 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Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Ever since Ian Leroux replaced injured long snapper Mike Benson in time for the Blue Bombers second game of the season, the Laval University product is delivering the football with a ferocious rate of precision.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIf you woke me up in the middle of the night, I would be able to long snap,\u201d Leroux told The Winnipeg Sun. \u00a0<\/p>\n The trio of Leroux, holder\/punter Jamieson Sheahan and kicker Sergio Castillo is 8-for-8 in field goals and 10-for-11 in point after touchdowns opportunities in three games. \u00a0<\/p>\n The trio was 3-for-3 two weeks ago in Calgary. The Bombers host the Stampeders on Friday night at the stadium. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor Leroux to come in Week 2 of the season, dialed in the way he has been, you can\u2019t ask for anything more,\u201d Castillo said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n As a brief refresher for point of reference, Benson injured his hip during the season opener against the Lions. The team brought Leroux back to town after re-signing him on June 16. Originally, the Bombers sent Leroux home after cutting him at the completion of main camp. <\/p>\n Benson did not participate in Tuesday\u2019s workout session at the stadium.<\/p>\n Leroux was selected by the Blue Bombers in the fourth round, 37th overall, of the 2024 CFL draft\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The 26-year-old says the entire hand to turf sequence happens fast. Precision and timing are paramount in the millisecond the ball departs Leroux\u2019s hand until it\u2019s on the turf laces up and ready for launch between the wickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are trying to do the entire sequence in 1.3 seconds,\u201d Leroux said. \u201cThis is our average.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In that brief moment in time, accuracy and rate of delivery are key elements to a successful boot for either three or one.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is all calculated,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cBut here is the thing: there are times when I am going to be off a bit but because there is a good snap and a good hold from Sheahan, it makes my job much easier. I have had a couple of mishits but because there is a good snap and a good hold, that helps me out a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Leroux prefers to collect his paycheque in anonymity. If no one is calling into a football call-in show to complain about a wide right or wide left shank, well a lot of work goes into staying anonymous on a continual basis. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is all about rhythm and routine,\u201d Leroux said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLeroux is doing all the stuff he needs to be doing to be a pro,\u201d Blue Bombers special teams coordinator Mike Miller added. \u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Every professional kicker has his own particular setup going on. Castillo is pleased the Quebec City resident can deliver when the moment arises. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c(I want) something that is tight with a great location, where Jamieson doesn\u2019t have to move, along with 12 o\u2019clock laces. That is money. Every long snapper wants to be like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The position is both mentally and emotionally demanding. It takes thousands of snaps to master the muscle memory required to perform at a high level, which is something the Bombers ask of every player.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have been doing this for a long time,\u201d Leroux said. \u201cIt is not the snap; it\u2019s more the moment that is harder to deal with. During a game you have moments that are very important and then you PAT\u2019s that are routine. You have to get that out of your head (and think) like it is Monday morning, and we are just snapping in routine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Leroux credits the Rouge et Or program for his ability to handle the pressure of the onrushing opponent and the moment. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn Laval we had great attendance and played in big games and won two Vanier Cups,\u201d he said. \u201c(Laval was) a great preparation for the bigger stage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers \u201cIf you woke me up in the middle of the night, I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Laval\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/leroux.jpg\")
Laval\u2019s Ian Leroux (48) was selected by the Blue Bombers in the fourth round, 37th overall, of the 2024 CFL draft. \u2002Frank Gunn\/THE CANADIAN PRESS Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Frank Gunn \/Winnipeg SunArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.1.4\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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