{"id":694084,"date":"2026-05-26T04:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694084\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T04:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:24:10","slug":"abdul-janneh-jr-was-a-slam-dunk-choice-to-be-interviewed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694084\/","title":{"rendered":"Abdul Janneh Jr. was a slam-dunk choice to be interviewed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Abdul Janneh Jr. redefined \u201cmeeting the media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before being interviewed at Mosaic Stadium on Monday, he made a point of introducing himself to everyone in a scrum that consisted of reporters and camera operators.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter who you are, from top to bottom, I\u2019m going to introduce myself and treat you with respect, because everyone deserves that,\u201d the 23-year-old son of Abdul and Claudia Janneh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s from my mom. She\u2019s definitely my hero. She\u2019s in her mid-60s and she\u2019s still working two jobs. Seeing her hard work and how, no matter what, she\u2019s around people and how she treats people, I take that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Janneh Jr. has also introduced himself to the Roughriders\u2019 fan base in fine style.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, for example, he caught six passes for 107 yards to help Saskatchewan post a 31-27 CFL pre-season victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n

His 39-yard reception ignited a seven-play, 99-yard, game-winning touchdown drive that concluded with 42.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.<\/a><\/p>\n

Over two pre-season games, he caught nine passes \u2014 tying him with Mathew Sexton for the Club lead \u2014 for a team-best 151 yards.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an outstanding kid and tough as nails,\u201d Head Coach Corey Mace said of Janneh Jr. \u201cWhenever his number was called, he showed up and he made big plays for us and moved the chains and got us out of backed-up positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has been very reliable. Regardless of his circumstances, he just pushes through things. With him being here last year as well for training camp, it was a little bit easier for him to settle into the playbook, and you can tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-2, 197-pounder played collegiately at Duquesne and Georgia Tech before signing with Saskatchewan on May 21, 2025 \u2014 only three days before last year\u2019s first pre-season game.<\/p>\n

He caught three passes for 36 yards over two pre-season contests before being released.<\/p>\n

The Roughriders wanted another look \u2014 a longer look \u2014 and therefore re-signed him to a futures deal on Oct. 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just really excited to get back up here,\u201d Janneh Jr. said. \u201cI knew I needed to come in with the right mindset, like I\u2019ve been doing my whole life, and put my best foot forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset helped Janneh Jr. excel in football, basketball and track at New Oxford Senior High School in Pennsylvania. Newspaper accounts of his basketball games routinely refer to \u201chighlight-reel dunks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe liked to put on a show down there in high school,\u201d Janneh Jr. said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasketball was always my main sport. That\u2019s what I thought I was going to continue to do. Then my first school, Duquesne, came in very, very late in the recruiting process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Duquesne Dukes\u2019 coaching staff was intrigued by an elite athlete who caught 57 passes for 1,071 yards and 14 TDs as a senior in high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just took a chance,\u201d Janneh Jr. continued. \u201cThey were taking a chance on me, and I believe in myself, so I decided I was going to stick with football.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ended up working out, being here.\u201d<\/p>\n

CAMP CONTINUES<\/p>\n

Although the pre-season has concluded, Coors Light Training Camp continues through Friday at Mosaic Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the guys, it\u2019s crucial,\u201d Mace said. \u201cThey know they\u2019ve still got to be out here and get those reps in. The reality is that this is a job interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final cuts must be made by Sunday, so the coaches have plenty of decisions to make in short order.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have some hard ones,\u201d Mace said. \u201cWe\u2019ve still got another week of evaluation, obviously, but that\u2019s what you want. You want guys to shine. We definitely thought we had more than a few guys do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll leverage the weight of those two (pre-season) games and the full body of work throughout camp to make those decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s practice, the Roughriders will begin a bye week. Their first game will take place on June 13 \u2014 during Week 2 of the regular season \u2014 against the B.C. Lions. The pre-game festivities at Mosaic Stadium will include the unveiling of the Roughriders\u2019 2025 Grey Cup championship banner.<\/p>\n

Tickets for the regular-season opener are AVAILABLE HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

THE ROAD TO REGINA<\/p>\n

Quarterback Trevor Harris routinely makes road trips to and from Saskatchewan with running back A.J. Ouellette, who is also from Ohio.<\/p>\n

There was a departure from tradition when Harris hit the highway on Sunday, driving from Saskatoon \u2014 where most of training camp was held \u2014 to Regina alongside receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchaff and I have gotten very, very close this off-season,\u201d Harris said. \u201cHe and (receiver Samuel Emilus) came out to my house for four days this off-season and spent time with my family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018If you guys are going to come out here, you\u2019re going to eat like me,\u2019 so I made them all the meals that I usually eat. We had a ton of fun together.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the drive here, it was good to reflect on the first part of camp. You evaluate yourself. I came here (to Mosaic Stadium) to watch some film.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come back home and kind of breathe a sigh of relief that we\u2019re back here. There\u2019s something magical about this place. I love this place. I\u2019m just very, very thankful every day to come here and be the quarterback here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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