There will come a time when Jameer Thurman takes full advantage of a university degree in civil engineering.
For now, though, helping to engineer victories for the Saskatchewan Roughriders is his priority.
“It’s all about winning,” states the 29-year-old middle linebacker, who signed with the Green and White on Feb. 13 — the opening day of the CFL’s free-agency period.
“I’ve been playing in Mosaic Stadium for many, many years (as a visiting player) and I understand the fan base there. I understand what the team means to the city and the province.
“I’m looking forward to having that support behind me now and making sure that they can go home and boast about how good the Riders are to all their friends and across the country and everywhere else that Rider fans usually show up — which is all over the world.”
Thurman is speaking on the phone from his Chicago-area home, using the very same mobile device that was buzzing from the moment the free-agency negotiation window opened on Feb. 4.
“Once the window opened, it pretty much was a no-brainer to me where I was going to be going, honestly,” he says.
“I feel that I have been one of the most consistent linebackers in this league ever since I’ve been in the league. I’ve been trying to find some stability throughout my career and it has been hard.
“As you know, in this business it’s very hard to have stability, but I saw an opportunity to work with a lot of people I’ve worked with in the past and a defence that I’ve been pretty good in throughout my career, so I just jumped at the opportunity.
“It wasn’t that hard of a decision for me. Once they came with an offer and everything, I was excited.”
So were the Roughriders after landing a player who registered career highs in defensive tackles (98) and sacks (five) with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. He added two interceptions, four pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Previously, he spent four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, recording 267 defensive tackles, six sacks, six interceptions and eight forced fumbles in 64 games.
He also helped the Stampeders win a Grey Cup in 2018. That title also capped Corey Mace’s third season as Calgary’s Defensive Line Coach.
After being hired as the Toronto Argonauts’ Defensive Co-ordinator, Mace was part of a Grey Cup championship effort in 2022 and a 16-win season in 2023. He was named the Roughriders’ Head Coach on Nov. 30.
“Most of the staff, I worked with in Calgary,” Thurman notes. “The familiarity made that decision much easier, because I understand what all of them are looking for.
“They know exactly what I’m looking for, too, so I feel like we will all be on the same page and it will be a pretty smooth transition as far as working together in a new organization as well.”
In another sense, it isn’t necessary for Thurman to become acclimatized to a new home.
All roads (or flight paths) inevitably lead him back to Chicago.
“It’s the greatest city in the world,” says Thurman, who grew up in Bellwood, Ill. “I tell people that all the time.
“Ever since I was younger until now, I’ve always told people, ‘If you’ve never been to Chicago, you have to come.’ If you really want to enjoy the city, in the summertime there’s so many things to do.
“It’s the best city overall but, in the summertime, it’s just that much better because there’s so much to do and so much going on with so many different professional sports teams, museums, and the best skyline you’ve ever seen. The food is amazing.
“I can go on and on.”
A recitation of Thurman’s sporting resume would also be lengthy.
“When I was younger, my year consisted of football, wrestling and baseball all the way up to high school,” says a proud graduate of Proviso West High School, located in Hillside, Ill.
“Then I just switched baseball with track, because they always say that football players need to run and all that stuff. That has been the majority of my life, since I was younger.”
As a wrestler, Thurman earned a varsity letter in all four years of high school.
“I guess you could say I was a pretty accomplished wrestler, but I didn’t love wrestling like I loved football,” he continues.
“I started football when I was younger. My dad was a coach. My brother played. My uncles played. Seeing that, and seeing them coach, I was around the field all the time as a kid.
“I was literally the water boy until I got to high school. Even when I was in the seventh and eighth grade, I was the water boy for the high school team. I was always on the field in some capacity.
“We watched football all the time, too, so that’s why I chose that path.”
The next step took Thurman to Terre Haute, Ind., where he attended Indiana State University — the alma mater of NBA legend Larry Bird.
As a senior in 2016, Thurman crossed paths with future Roughriders quarterback Isaac Harker, who transferred from Indiana State to the Colorado School of Mines and joined the Orediggers after the 2017 season.
While excelling for the Indiana State Sycamores, Thurman also earned a degree in civil engineering, with a minor in construction management.
He balanced athletics and scholastics so effectively that he earned All-Academic honours in addition to being an impactful linebacker.
“It was a lot of long nights and minimal hours of sleep,” he says. “There were a lot of times of missing class and missing tests because of travelling and all that.
“With time management, I was able to hone in on that skill during that time in college, and now I’m able to deal with whatever is thrown at me.
“It was a gruelling schedule, but I was able to manage it as best I could and I found a way to make it work for me — and I was able to come away with a nice degree.”
From there, Thurman proceeded to the CFL.
He spent two seasons (2017 and 2018) with Calgary before signing with the hometown Chicago Bears in January of 2019.
In four NFL pre-season games, he registered 15 solo and three assisted tackles before being released on the final cutdown day.
Shortly thereafter, Thurman was drafted by the DC Defenders of the fledgling XFL.
In five games with the 2020 Defenders, he registered 28 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble before the league suspended operations in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season.
When play resumed in 2021, Thurman was back with Calgary. He spent two more seasons there before signing with Hamilton as a free agent in February of last year.
“There’s always bumps in the road or adversity that shows up throughout the journey,” he reflects. “But, at the same time, I don’t regret any of it, because it has all helped me become the person I am today.
“Starting off in Calgary, I signed late — the first day of training camp. There was no rookie mini-camp and I wasn’t getting any reps the first couple of days. I was thinking, ‘This is tough.’
“I just stayed in the playbook and did what I was supposed to do. Whenever I had the opportunity, I’d try to make a play. Whenever I got into games, I showed up like it was my last opportunity.
“Every part of the journey — even signing with the Bears and my whole time there — I learned so much.
“Every year, I feel like I’ve learned and taken something from the guys I’ve played with and the coaches and taken the experience and improved in many different areas.
“I feel like I’m still improving each and every year, as well, and I’m still climbing to being even better.”
