REGINA — With the way things have gone for Saskatchewan Roughriders' offensive lineman Jacob Brammer in his short Canadian Football League career, it would stand to reason he was a highly sought after recruit courted by powerhouse schools when he came out of high school.
But as incredible as it may seem, the six-foot-four, 301-pound right guard didn’t get a lot of national interest coming out of Foster High School in Richmond, Texas. And as it turns out, that situation played a large role in turning Brammer into the player he is today.
The All-CFL blocker joined The SportsCage to talk about his first season with the Riders and being a part of the Grey Cup tour currently working its way through Saskatchewan. One of the topics of discussion was his path to the CFL, which saw Brammer spend five years at the University of North Texas before playing his final season with the Vanderbilt Commodores.
After taking on the likes of Alabama, Georgia and the rest of the SEC in the 2022 campaign, the NFL came calling as Brammer attended rookie mini-camps with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. After failing to catch on there, he went through ‘some of the toughest times of my career’ in the ensuing months before signing with the Roughriders on December 22, 2023.
Brammer often talks about his post NFL struggles during his Grey Cup tour presentations, and that comes with advice on how to work through difficult times.
“I always had this dream of playing in the NFL, and it was tough when it didn’t happen,” Brammer said. “I tell them to rely on their support system, everyone is going to go through tough times, it’s a matter of being able to pick yourself up, knock off the dust and keep going.”
That feeling, combined with getting overlooked by major schools after high school, played a big role in turning Brammer into the kind of player he is today.
“I’ve had that chip on my shoulder and kept it with me going through my career,” he said.
That attitude fit the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a tee, something Brammer got a feel for right from the first meetings with head coach Corey Mace after signing with the team.
“That starts with Mace and our whole coaching staff,” he said. “They instill that chip on our shoulder attitude about everyone. It was talked about to me when I got there, about how we came from all these different places, different backgrounds and stuff like that, but we’re all here with one goal in mind."
“Playing next to our offensive line and our whole team, we had a bunch of guys who push everyone to be better every day. Playing next to Logan Ferland and Jermarcus Hardrick, they show up to work every day and it’s like a brotherhood on our offensive line. Everyone is pushing everyone else to be better and they make it easy to show up to work every day.”
All that work and effort among like-minded individuals fosters another feeling important for a championship winning team — camaraderie. And talk to any member of the 2025 Grey Cup champs, that’s something that quickly comes to the forefront, how close the Roughriders were as individuals last season.
“These past two seasons have felt like a college team,” Brammer said. “We’re always looking to hang with each other, whether it’s post practice or days off. I lived with Logan during the season, and not only for the offensive line, he had a free invite for anyone to come over. He’d put together a couple briskets on the smoker, get some ribs and wings going as well, then it’s a potluck. It’s been a great experience for me and that was a big thing when I did re-sign. I love the guys, the team we have, the coaches we have, everything feels like a brotherhood from the top down.”
That’s also part of the message Brammer has been delivering on his tour stops. Two of those saw him make the trip to James Smith Cree Nation and then Prince Albert, and having a chance to interact with the fans helped solidify how important the Riders are to the province.
“I get to tell my story, but it’s cool you get to hear everyone else’s background. All the teachers, even family members and everything that showed up for it, to see how much it means to the province itself,” Brammer said. “Being around P.A., we were in a Co-op and I probably heard from 20 to 25 different people about what it meant to them."
"Hearing their story and what the Riders mean, what the Grey Cup means to this province, it shines a light in my eye on how special this is.”
In fact, it all reminds him more than a little about back home.
“Coming from the States, I didn’t know a lot about the Grey Cup, but in my two seasons up here I’ve learned a lot about it. I grew up in Texas and people love football up here as much as they love it in Texas,” Brammer said. “It’s a home away from home feeling for me and I know how much people like football back home.”
Before long it’ll be time to get things going for the 2026 campaign and defending the title. There are more than a few new faces around the team, and the message to them will be the same as it was when Brammer first set foot in Mosaic Stadium.
“It’s not about thinking so far ahead, we’re trying to go 1-0 every week,” he said, echoing the season-long mantra from 2025. “Our leaders do a really good job about us as a whole team not thinking too far ahead. We do a pretty good job staying just focused on the week at hand and taking it one step at a time.”
