Nelson Lokombo, just 27, is already one of the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 leaders in terms of continuous service.<\/p>\n
He is among only four members of the Green and White who have an uninterrupted association with the team dating back to 2021 or earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of crazy when you view it that way,\u201d Lokombo said after the Roughriders practised at Mosaic Stadium on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been on the team a long time and I\u2019m one of the longer-tenured guys. I definitely take pride in that and try to help the younger guys get accustomed to the culture out here and everything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful to have been in the position to be with the team this long and I hope we can continue that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lokombo, the Roughriders\u2019 starting safety for most of the past two seasons, joined the team after being selected second overall in the 2021 CFL Canadian Draft. However, an Achilles\u2019 tendon injury sustained in a pre-training camp workout sidelined the former University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout for the entire season.<\/p>\n
Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. both made their CFL debuts with Saskatchewan in 2021.<\/p>\n
The same year, offensive lineman Logan Ferland dressed for the Roughriders for the first time in a regular-season game. He had been on the practice roster in 2019 as a graduating member of the PFC\u2019s Regina Thunder.<\/p>\n
It should be noted, though, that fullback Albert Awachie \u2014 a rookie in 2017 \u2014 has spent most of his CFL career with Saskatchewan. But he did have a stint with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024.<\/p>\n
Rewinding even further, offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick played for the Roughriders in 2015. He rejoined the team nine years later.<\/p>\n
Cornerback Tevaughn Campbell, who played in 17 games with Saskatchewan in 2016, began Part 2 of his Roughriders career in 2025.<\/p>\n
And if we\u2019re really being picky, long snapper Aaron Crawford attended the Roughriders\u2019 training camp in 2013. Now in his 14th CFL season, he re-signed with Saskatchewan on April 6.<\/p>\n
Even if you factor in the experience of Awachie, Hardrick, Campbell and Crawford, Lokombo is still among the Roughriders\u2019 leaders in longevity.<\/p>\n
He is also in that sweet spot, where a player can combine experience and an ascending trajectory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve played six years and I still have a lot more to go,\u201d Lokombo said. \u201cIt definitely is nice to be at this point and have this experience. I\u2019m hoping to carry that over into the next couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experience has been evident at Coors Light Training Camp \u2014 which continues until Friday \u2014 and during both pre-season games.<\/p>\n
Lokombo intercepted Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. during a pre-season contest on May 13 at McMahon Stadium. Interceptions by Lokombo have also been common during training-camp workouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s catching the ball way better than he ever has, so that\u2019s a good start,\u201d Head Coach Corey Mace said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re seeing him grow as a vet. He\u2019s more comfortable than he was last year and he\u2019s able to command. He has been super rangy and effective at knowing where to set up and how to set people up for him to go get the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been really, really pleased with his progression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lokombo has a similar take.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it has been pretty smooth,\u201d he said. \u201cThe communication has been on point at my end and I feel a lot more comfortable this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good. I\u2019m ready to get going this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
This has already been a momentous year for Lokombo. He and his wife, Jessica, are newlyweds \u2014 having exchanged vows on April 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great milestone and I\u2019m super happy to be in this chapter,\u201d Lokombo said. \u201cIt has changed my life for the better.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely gives me a little more motivation to put my best foot forward to continue to represent myself well, represent Saskatchewan well, and represent my family well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nelson Lokombo, just 27, is already one of the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 leaders in terms of continuous service. He…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":697499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-697498","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\/697498","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=697498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}