Glenn Love has made his name in the CFL on special teams.
He’s hoping for more with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Roughriders announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old linebacker to a free-agent contract. Love, who hails from Champaign, Ill., said he signed with Saskatchewan because he felt it represents “a great opportunity” for him.
“I know (Jeff) Knox was a great player who fit the role pretty well and he got picked up by an NFL team, fortunately for him,” Love explained while vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Maui. “That opened up a spot for me to come in and hopefully compete for a starting (weak-side linebacker) spot.
“I’ve also heard the fans in Saskatchewan are great and really supportive, so I want to get a good feeling for that and see what it’s all about.”
Love, a product of UCLA, began his CFL career with the B.C. Lions in 2012. He spent the past four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder had 21 special-teams tackles (tying him for third in the CFL) and 11 defensive tackles in 10 games with Calgary last season. In 44 career CFL games, he has 56 special-teams stops and 53 defensive tackles.
“He’s one of the best — if not THE best — special-teams players in the league,” said newly signed Roughriders receiver Bakari Grant, who played with Love last season in Calgary. “If you watch film on him, he’s unstoppable.”
“It’s just heart and working hard; that’s all it is,” Love said of excelling on special teams. “If you go to work and you enjoy your work, you’re going to work hard and you’re going to produce. If you don’t enjoy your work, then you’re just going to be another guy.
“As long as you enjoy your work and you look out for your teammates and try to be the best player you can be for them, then you’re going to be good.”
Love was good when he got to play in Calgary’s defence as well.
In 2015, he started six games at linebacker while filling in for an injured Juwan Simpson. Last season, Love replaced an injured Deron Mayo in the starting lineup down the stretch.
Love had five tackles (as well as two special-teams takedowns) in the 2016 West Division final and followed that with 10 defensive stops (and three special-teams tackles) in Calgary’s Grey Cup loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
In Saskatchewan, Love joins a linebacking crew that has undergone some off-season changes. Knox (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Otha Foster III (Baltimore Ravens) went to the NFL, while Korey Jones was released.
The current cast of linebackers comprises Samuel Eguavoen (who’s coming off a knee injury), Kevin Francis, Marvin Golding, Dillon Grondin, Greg Jones and Henoc Muamba.
Love isn’t sure yet where he’ll fit within that group, but he’ll take what he can get.
“If I get a good role in it, then I do, and if I don’t, I don’t — I’m going to support the team either way,” he said. “If I play one down or I play all the downs, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m a team player. I just want to help the team have a winning season.”
Love leaves a Calgary team that posted 15 wins last season for a Roughriders squad that won five times in 2016. The discrepancy between the teams’ records doesn’t concern him at all.
“I’ve been on rebuilding teams before, so it’s not a big deal for me,” he said. “It’s just part of the business.
“I’m happy to be with Saskatchewan. Hopefully I can build a family there and build a relationship that gets us to the Grey Cup. I know (the Roughriders) were there a couple of years ago, so what’s to stop them from getting there again?
“It’s about working as a team. We have a lot of vets, so if we can connect and create the right atmosphere, we’ll get there easily.”
The Roughriders now have signed nine players from other teams since free agency opened Feb. 14. The list comprises Love, Grant, offensive linemen Derek Dennis and Ryan White, running backs Kienan LaFrance and Aaron Milton, slotback Chad Owens, safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette and defensive tackle Zach Minter.
Saskatchewan also re-signed offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman, who had hit the market.
