Dawson Hodge is finally about to get his opportunity in the CFL.
After a week filled with conversations about what the Saskatchewan Roughriders should do about the kicking game and the struggles of Alex Hale, the team decided to make the change at placekicker heading into the Labour Day Classic rematch.
It’s been a bit of a long road for Hodge to get to this point. After graduating from Wilfred Laurier in 2024, he had stops at Riders and Toronto Argonauts camps in 2025 and with the Calgary Stampeders earlier this season but didn’t catch on.
With Hale’s early season struggles, Saskatchewan opted to sign Hodge for another shot back on Aug. 5, and he’s been biding his time on the practice roster ever since.
Hodge spoke to the Voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas about getting another opportunity in the CFL and was naturally happy for the chance.
“It's been quite a journey, just bouncing all around,” Hodge said. “I'm just grateful to be back out here for sure.”
A Coquitlam, B.C., product, Hodge handled both kicking and punting for Laurier, connecting on 51 of 76 career field-goal attempts, including a career-long 49-yarder. He was named a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star and a second-team U Sports All-Canadian in 2022.
That helped put Hodge on the Riders’ radar. He played a preseason game against Winnipeg in 2025, hitting a 31-yard field goal on his lone chance in the contest.
Hale appeared to have found a rhythm for a few games after Hodge signed with Saskatchewan. But a pair of misses against the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic was enough for the Riders to make the change, and Hodge now has to be ready to go after all this time on the sidelines.
“It’s just about being (ready) mentally, just making sure I'm in a great spot mentally,” Hodge said. “I think one of the biggest things is confidence. Just being confident when you're stepping over the football and knowing that you're going to make the kick and trusting your teammates.”
Part of that is getting in synch with holder Oscar Chapman and long snapper Mike Benson, and Hodge has done his part by getting in as many reps as possible over the last few weeks.
“Anytime I can get out there and get reps with the holders, that's going to make us have more confidence as a unit,” Hodge said. “That's going to be big for us.”
Hodge has also done as much as he can to prepare off the field, including taking in what the opposition tends to do on kicks.
“At the end of the day, yeah, you're just kicking the football, but prior to games, watching the film, seeing how the teams rush, if they pressure off the sides, if they pressure up the middle,” Hodge explained. “And then during the week is just getting reps, making sure you feel good, feel the wind kicking both ways. And that all helps to make sure you're ready on game day.”
The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday with Teagan Witko, Wes Cates and plenty of special guests. Dave Thomas and analyst Luc Mullinder will then have the game call at kickoff at 2 p.m.
— With files from Riderville.com
