The Saskatchewan Roughriders have earned the CFL’s inaugural Ted Goveia Football Operations award.
The award recognizes a football operations department for outstanding achievement in scouting, player identification, roster building and leadership. It is named in honour of former Hamilton Tiger-Cats general manager Ted Goveia, who passed away in September at the age of 55 following a battle with cancer.
The Riders were voted the winners by the football operations departments of the nine CFL teams. Saskatchewan received a 15 out of a maximum 24 points in the voting system, beating out fellow finalists the Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who each finished with 13.
“This is a proud moment for our organization and for Rider Nation,” president and CEO Craig Reynolds said in a statement.
“It recognizes the countless hours of hard work, preparation and belief required to assemble a professional football roster that can withstand adversity, finish atop the league and ultimately deliver a Grey Cup Championship. Being recognized in this way by peers across the league makes it especially meaningful. It reflects the high standard this group has set and the pride they take in representing our team, our fans and our province.”
Honoured for their collective contributions to the construction of the Green and White roster were general manager Jeremy O’Day, assistant general managers Kyle Carson and Paul Jones, director of football operations Jordan Greenly, and player personnel coordinator Larry Dean.
The Roughriders led the CFL with nine All-CFL selections: Jacob Brammer, Tevaughn Campbell, Logan Ferland, Jermarcus Hardrick, KeeSean Johnson, Micah Johnson, Rolan Milligan Jr., C.J. Reavis and Jameer Thurman.
Hardrick was named the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, following Ferland’s nomination as the West Division finalist in 2024. Together, those two anchored an offensive line that helped A.J. Ouellette rush for 1,222 yards — second in the CFL — while providing protection for quarterback Trevor Harris, who was not sacked in either the West Final or the Grey Cup.
Harris led the league in completion percentage (73.6) and capped the season with a Grey Cup MVP performance, setting a championship-game record with an 85.2 completion rate. Samuel Emilus earned Most Valuable Canadian honours in the Grey Cup after a 10-catch, 108-yard performance.
In 2025, Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the franchise’s first championship in 12 years.
Notable moves cited as reasons for the Roughriders’ victory included the repatriation of long-time NFL cornerback Tevaughn Campbell and the signing of veteran defensive tackle Mike Rose. Also noted were key negotiation list additions such as American left tackle Payton Collins, and draft selections like Canadian defensive lineman Ali Saad and Global punter Jesse Mirco.
