Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Seyi Oladipo Jr. is hoping to make the most out of his first start in the Canadian Football League.
And if the former Boise State standout can channel some of what made him a success back in his college days, it could be a long night for Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly.
The Riders depth chart revealed Friday that Oladipo will be in the starting lineup at strong-side linebacker when the Green and White face the Argos on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, with the opportunity coming in the 23-year-old rookie’s third CFL game.
“It’ll be a blessing to go out there and be able to showcase my talents and honestly earn the trust of my brothers and get us a win,” Oladipo said after the team walkthrough on Friday.
Oladipo primarily lined up at safety while at Boise State, but became known as a bit of a sack machine in his final season. He got to opposing quarterbacks six-and-a-half times, leading the entire NCAA in defensive back sacks in 2024.
That’s a unique stat for a safety at any level, and Oladipo felt it was just a matter of thriving in his role.
“I would call it just the ability to do what I'm told,” he said. “When a coach says, ‘We're blitzing this play and that's how we're going to use you,’ it's just, accept the role that I was given. Some people complain about being a defensive back that gets sacks because DBs, we want to pick the ball off. But I just heard I'm a star in my role and that led to the six-and-a-half sacks my senior year.”
Oladipo pointed to the system he played under in Boise State as a key factor in his success, with the team concept working well when it came to creating his opportunities.
“We all had to work together to get those sacks, so by them buying me time to get there, it made it easy,” Oladipo said.
While Oladipo is listed as a defensive back on his CFL.ca player page, the Colorado product has mostly played SAM linebacker in Saskatchewan. He suited up in a backup role in Week 4 against Toronto and Week 10 against Ottawa, picking up a special teams tackle in each outing.
Oladipo might not be chasing down receivers as often as he has in the past, but the position he’s in now isn’t that far off from what he’s previously played, likening a CFL strong-side linebacker to a nickelback in U.S. football.
“It’s very similar in the sense that you blitz, you cover, you are a linebacker when it comes to your body type and what they ask you to do,” Oladipo said. “But you also have to be a defensive back and cover those receivers out of the waggle. So I say the waggle is a big difference.”
However things work out, Oladipo is ready to simply do whatever is asked of him when he hits the field on Saturday night.
“I think my role would be whatever the coaches tell me to do,” he said. “Just start in that role and go from there.”
The Riders Broadcast Network will have the pregame show beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder bringing you the game call from Mosaic Stadium at 5 p.m.
