Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders/Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards
Jack Coan recognizes a great opportunity when he sees one, whether it’s identifying a streaking receiver or the backup quarterback job with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 27-year-old entered 2026 training camp as the front-runner to win the job behind franchise QB Trevor Harris after Jake Maier signed with the Ottawa Redblacks in CFL free agency.
“Trevor’s been an amazing influence on me. My routine is a lot to do because of him. He’s the starter, so I try to do a little bit more, whether I do that or not probably depends on the day — me and Trevor are always trying to out-work each other,” Coan told the media.
“We pretty much do everything together. I think every QB in the league should model their game after him. I know there’s a few other QBs in the league that have asked him questions, and Trevor’s like, ‘Look, I can’t help you right now, you’re on a different team.’ I’m lucky to be in his room and get to know what he does on a daily basis.”
The six-foot-three, 218-pound pivot admitted it’s a challenge to outwork Harris and would not say if he does or doesn’t. Regardless, learning from a 14-year veteran has helped the Sayville, N.Y., native develop since arriving in Canada two years ago after stints with the Indianapolis Colts and San Antonio Brahmas.
“The way he goes about his weekly preparation is basically the way I do now. He’s done it at a high level for so long in this league; why wouldn’t you try to do exactly what that guy does? He’s been an amazing guy to be around,” Coan said.
Saskatchewan has spent two years putting energy, time and resources into Coan and is looking to have those efforts pay dividends. He has to beat out Brayden Schager and Tommy Stevens for the number two spot, and performances in exhibition games will go a long way towards deciding the depth chart order.
“From a mental standpoint, he’s going to know it as well as anybody; it’s about going out there and executing. Jack, he’s getting better every single day. Ultimately, we get to these preseason games, we’ll see what that looks like with live bullets going,” head coach Corey Mace told the media.
“Jack’s been around the system now three years. He’s always been in Trevor’s hip pocket, so someone that can mimic what that looks like. But, he’s his own man. He’s got to go out there and take advantage of the reps that’s he’s getting. He’s competing just like everyone else.”
The former Wisconsin and Notre Dame star continued to work on his arm strength in the offseason to prepare for the most important CFL training camp in his career to date. He also aimed to improve his ability to move around and tried to put on muscle for added strength.
“It’s my third year in the offence, so I feel a lot more comfortable. I can look at plays and film at a different level now than learning everything for the first time,” Coan said.
By all accounts, Schager seems to be attracting attention from the Riders’ coaching staff. The 22-year-old signed with Saskatchewan last September, which gave him extra time to learn Marc Mueller’s offensive playbook coming into the new campaign. He’s used his advanced preparation to his advantage in Saskatoon.
“Schager’s making the most of his reps,” Mace said.
Monday, May 18, against Calgary and Saturday, May 23, versus Winnipeg will be pivotal games for the Roughriders’ backup quarterback competition.
