REGINA — As you move through the ranks of football, from high school to college and the professional levels, your job and position become more and more specialized.
By the time a player reaches the Canadian Football League, you generally are what you are — a receiver catches passes, a running back carries the ball, offensive lineman block for everyone on the offence.
So seeing a player make a major change to their game is a rare thing, in no small part due to the fact it’s simply impossible for most due to the high level of skill it takes to play in each spot.
Saskatchewan Roughriders centre Logan Ferland has proven to be the exception.
The 29-year-old Melfort product played guard on the offensive line through the first four years of his career, but took over snapping duties prior to the 2025 campaign. And while it’s technically only a move of a couple of feet to his left or right, the additional responsibilities on top of getting the ball off to the quarterback with precision each and every time has taken plenty of preparation.
Fortunately for the Riders, Ferland has proven adept at his new duties, and will begin the 2026 campaign getting the ball to Trevor Harris so the veteran QB can work his magic.
While one would think snapping the ball would be the biggest change, there’s a whole lot more to it, including basically running the whole offensive line. With that comes a bit more work and preparation.
“Honestly, getting into the film a lot more,” Ferland said of adapting from guard to centre. “Just studying what the opponent does just so we can put the guys in the right position. As a center, that's your job. You're the quarterback of the O-line, so getting us into the right call as fast as we can and just get rolling.”
Ferland’s opinion of his now-not-so-new position hasn’t changed in the year he’s been working at it.
“I'll do what the team needs,” Ferland said. “They need me at center, I'll play center. They need me anywhere else, I'll play that. But we do a great job of staying prepared all across the line. We've got lots of guys that can play multiple positions and that's what we really pride ourselves on is competing in every spot that we have.”
That resiliency, and the fact that Ferland now anchors one of the top offensive lines in the CFL, has seen him quickly develop into a player to look up to for youngsters aiming to crack the line-up.
“Yeah, that means a lot,” Ferland said. “That's the whole goal. You know, that's why I play the game is to mentor and also for my family, but the main part is to mentor those young guys and give them a hope and a chance that they can make it if they work their butt off.
I hope I can set that example for them.”
Part of being a team leader is taking any kind of adversity in stride, and the Roughriders have certainly had to deal with some of that right off the hop thanks to what amounted to essentially a three-week layoff prior to their opening game of the 2026 campaign.
Ferland said the team has tried to just treat it all as if they were in season and a game was coming up that week.
“So it’s just continue to compete with the guys,” he continued. “We've got a great O-line room that just continues to work and compete. We’re ready to get after it.”
There’s one order of business left from last season that the Roughriders will be taking care of on Saturday night. That would be the raising of the 2025 Grey Cup championship banner in a pre-game celebration at Mosaic Stadium, a moment that Ferland admits will be special — and also the last time they want to think about last season.
“We're just looking forward to the future and just trying to get better,” Ferland said. “I think either way you have to reset regardless. If you can or you can't, you've got to figure out a way and the way to do that is just resetting each week and working with the guys in that room.”
Ferland and the Roughriders kick off their 2026 campaign at 5 p.m. on Saturday night against the B.C. Lions. You can catch the Rider Broadcast Network pregame show at 2 p.m. followed by Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder with the call at game time.
