For most football players, the Canadian Football League Combine is something they grew up watching and imagining themselves in one day. This week, that dream becomes real for University of Regina Rams linebacker Colin McKellar.<\/p>\n
McKellar is one of the U Sports\u00a0standouts invited to compete at the CFL Invitational Combine in Waterloo, Ontario, an opportunity to earn a coveted spot at the league\u2019s main combine March 27\u201329 in Edmonton. And\u00a0if you ask the Rams defender, the excitement has been building ever since he got the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh man, it doesn\u2019t get much more exciting,\u201d McKellar said. \u201cThis is what we dream about as football players our whole lives, and it\u2019s finally happening. So yeah, pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKellar\u2019s road to this opportunity hasn\u2019t followed a straight line.<\/p>\n
After beginning his university career with Simon Fraser in 2022, where he recorded 10 tackles in nine games with the Red Leafs, uncertainty followed when the program shut down. That led him east to Regina and the Rams program, a move that has helped reshape his football path. Looking back, McKellar admits it would have been difficult to imagine this moment\u00a0a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pretty crazy journey for me to get to this place. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve always dreamed about, but something that seemed very difficult to obtain in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
He credits the Rams coaching staff for helping him develop into the player he is today.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the credit to the coaching staff here and the Ram, they\u2019re unbelievable with us. They put in the time, the hours in film, developing our skills — they know how to develop talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKellar\u2019s growth has shown clearly on the field. After playing all eight Canada West games in his first season with the Rams in 2023, he began to emerge as a defensive presence. By 2024, he led the team with 57 total tackles, added 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and forced a fumble, while also recording an interception in Regina\u2019s Hardy Cup victory over Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n
He followed that up with another productive campaign in 2025, finishing with 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack, including a season-high eight tackles against Manitoba on November\u00a01.<\/p>\n
Across three seasons of U Sports\u00a0football, McKellar has totalled 98 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, along with an interception and a forced fumble. But Friday\u00a0in Waterloo is less about game tape and more about testing numbers, speed, strength, explosiveness and measurable athleticism. That has meant a very different offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a lot more running in straight lines and doing the drills you expect at the combine. Less football movements and more trying to run fast, jump high and be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKellar isn\u2019t completely new to this environment. In 2025, he was invited to the prestigious U Sports\u00a0East-West Bowl, an experience that gave him an early taste of what elite-level evaluation looks like.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome. You meet guys from all across Canada doing the same thing you are.\u00a0Being in that environment a year before the CFL Combine really helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll return to the same field in Waterloo for the Invitational Combine, something he believes will help calm the nerves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the turf there, I know what cleats to wear,\u201d McKellar said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice knowing what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, with dozens of athletes competing for limited spots at the national combine, the challenge becomes staying focused on personal performance rather than the numbers others are posting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m competing against myself,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t control what other guys do,\u00a0I\u00a0focus on doing what I can do to put myself in the best situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Friday approaches, preparation isn\u2019t just physical. McKellar says visualization has been a major part of his mental approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been dreaming about it, visualizing running a fast time, putting up a lot on the bench press. I\u2019m a firm believer that when you visualize yourself succeeding, it prepares you.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is pressure, of course. Opportunities like this are rare. But McKellar views that pressure through the lens of something Rams head coach Mark McConkey often tells his players.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely pressure, but it\u2019s a privilege. Not everyone gets this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the mission in Waterloo is straightforward: perform well enough to earn that\u00a0invitation to Edmonton. Ask McKellar how he\u2019ll know if the weekend was a success, and he doesn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I run a 4.6 forty,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cIf I run fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Rams linebacker, the dream is already unfolding. Now comes the chance to prove he belongs at the next level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For most football players, the Canadian Football League Combine is something they grew up watching and imagining themselves…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,204405,82],"class_list":["post-516440","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-regina-ramsuniversity-of-regina-ramscolin-mckellar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516440","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=516440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}