SASKATOON \u2014 Mario Anderson\u2019s cutting ability is clear to see.<\/p>\n
As a running back or a barber, he applies his skills to benefit the Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir!\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cIt all fits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson Jr. was a nice fit for the Roughriders during his rookie season of 2025. The former University of Memphis standout carried the ball 24 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns \u2014 both of which were scored in the Labour Day Classic against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.<\/p>\n
He averaged an impressive 5.6 yards per carry as a complement to backfield bulwark A.J. Ouellette, whose 1,222 rushing yards placed him second in the league, and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to seize the opportunities I got last season,\u201d Anderson Jr. said at Coors Light Training Camp. \u201cThis year, I\u2019m hoping for more opportunities and being able to seize them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
It helps to have a full season of professional football on his resume.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m more prepared than ever for training camp and ready for the season,\u201d the 5-foot-8, 205-pounder said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game has slowed down a lot more for me. Last year was crazy, coming from the States and seeing all the different motions and different calls. This year, I\u2019ve been able to hone in on a lot of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson Jr. also honed his hair-cutting talents during the off-season, working at VIP Barber Shop and Salon in Charleston, S.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my freshman year, I walked on at Newberry College,\u201d Anderson Jr. recalled when asked how he became a barber.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom actually took out loans for me to be able to go to school. That was a real big thing for her to do for me, so instead of me asking for money while I was in school \u2014 she had already taken out loans \u2014 I picked up a pair of clippers that my uncle gave me. I learned how to cut hair so I could make a little bit of money on the side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven years later, Sequoya Anderson\u2019s 25-year-old son is still putting those skills to good use. And he is still very grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate my mom so much,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s a single mother who raised four boys. Everything that I do, I try to put my best foot forward not only for myself, but to recognize the hard work and dedication of my mom and the sacrifices she made for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for her taking out those loans so I could play college football, I probably wouldn\u2019t be here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
After being redshirted at Newberry College in 2019, Anderson Jr. rushed for 3,301 yards in 29 games at the small South Carolina school.<\/p>\n
He produced 1,237 yards in 13 games with the Newberry Wolves in 2021 before increasing the yardage total to 1,560 in 10 contests the following year. He scored 19 touchdowns in 2022 while averaging 7.4 yards per carry.<\/p>\n
Anderson Jr. transferred to the University of South Carolina in 2023 and rushed for 707 yards in 12 games, eight of which he started.<\/p>\n
For his senior season, he transferred to the University of Memphis and rushed for 1,362 yards \u201411th in the nation\u2014 and 18 scores in 13 games with the Tigers. He averaged 5.8 yards per rush.<\/p>\n
Shortly before training camp in 2025, Anderson Jr. signed with the Roughriders. He was placed on the practice roster following the pre-season, only to be released on June 23.<\/p>\n
A season-ending knee injury suffered by veteran CFL running back Ka\u2019Deem Carey prompted the Roughriders to once again reach out to Anderson Jr. He re-signed with the Green and White on July 22 and ended up being a part of a Grey Cup championship team.<\/p>\n
During his brief time away from Saskatchewan, he worked as a barber back home in South Carolina. He also put those skills to good use as a first-year Roughrider.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was telling people that I\u2019m a barber,\u201d Anderson Jr. said. \u201cAt first, they were kind of skeptical. Once people have got their barber, they don\u2019t like to cheat on their barber. I understand that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once people saw what I could do with the clippers, I got more and more of my teammates coming to me (for haircuts), and some of the coaches as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try not to charge too much. I try to keep it at a fair, reasonable price. We\u2019re still ballin\u2019, keeping the main thing the main thing, and cutting hair is just something I like to do on the side.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SASKATOON \u2014 Mario Anderson\u2019s cutting ability is clear to see. As a running back or a barber, he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-669457","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\/669457","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=669457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}