Ajou Ajou was go, go, go at the 2024 Grey Cup Festival.
From the moment he arrived in Vancouver, the 22-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver relished his role as a CFL social media intern.
“I’m an outgoing guy, but I feel like I’m even more outgoing now,” Ajou said after a Wednesday morning workout at Mosaic Stadium.
“I talked more during Grey Cup week than I did in 22 years of my life.”
Ajou was among five players who interned throughout the Festival — the others being Tre Ford (Edmonton Elks), Austin Mack (Montreal Alouettes), Bo Levi Mitchell (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) and Alexander Hollins (B.C. Lions).
“It’s the first year the league has done the (intern initiative),” Ajou noted. “They chose five guys and we were basically trying to build our personal brands out there.
“They picked guys who had personality and wanted us to showcase it.”
Ajou, who exudes personality and positivity, was an easy choice.
“One time, I was mic’d-up and I was asked to go around and ask people if they had met the Jonas Brothers,” Ajou said, referencing the Grey Cup Game’s halftime performers.
“They had three pictures — Kevin, Nick and Joe — and they asked me to make it a YouTube video. I was just going around and trying to make it funny and get some content.”
That didn’t prove to be difficult, considering the degree to which the popular pass-catcher is a magnet for fans.
“I’ve got time for Rider Nation,” he said with a smile. “Me and my girl — she was my plus-one — we were walking around and I was hearing, ‘Country Roads …’ I said to her, ‘Do you hear that playing?’
“We just kept walking and I kept thinking, ‘Where is that sound coming from?’ She said, ‘I don’t hear anything. You’re crazy.’
“All of a sudden, I look and all I see is green. I thought, ‘Is that Rider Nation’s band right there?’ We walked a little bit closer and they were literally playing ‘Country Roads …’
“I posted it on Instagram. I thought, ‘Post it right now, because this might be the only time I ever see this.’
“It was absolutely insane. Selfies, videos … I got to be an ambassador with Ro (teammate Rolan Milligan Jr.) at Riderville. That was amazing.
“We got in there and everyone wanted signatures and pictures. I was, ‘OK, cool. It’s all good.’ But there was music playing and I thought, ‘Why is everybody sitting down?’
“So I personally went to everybody and said, ‘Come on … let’s go dance … you, too … let’s go dance.’ I was getting everybody up there and having a great time.
“I was like, ‘This is Rider Nation. Let’s do it the best, because Rider Nation is the best.’ ”
Ajou reached that conclusion not long after being selected by Saskatchewan in the 2024 CFL Draft.
“I appreciate Rider Nation, because I fell to the seventh round,” he said. “I almost didn’t even get selected.
“Jeremy O’Day and Corey Mace took a chance on me. Rider Nation took a chance on me. So every time I see a fan, I’m going to make sure their experience with me, their interaction with me, is something they’ll remember forever.”
The flight home certainly won’t be forgotten.
“I got on the plane and it was all Rider Nation,” the 6-foot-2 Ajou marvelled. “All Rider Nation. They were all like, ‘Hey, Ajou, what’s up?!’
“It was a great plane ride. I was standing up in the back because, oh, my knees … I’m 90 per cent legs. I can’t sit down for a whole flight. So I was just standing in the back. I’ve got my beats on and I’m jammin’ and whatnot.
“Then we finally land and I look at the flight attendant and said, ‘Can I hop on the intercom?’ He was like, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘I just want to thank Rider Nation. I play for the Roughriders.’
“He said, “Oh, yeah … for sure! You just have to press this button and start talking.’ ”
The Ajou Show, such a sensation in Vancouver, was about to reach the encore stage.
“I was just like, ‘Rider Nation, how are y’all doing?’ ” he said. “I said, ‘It’s Ajou Ajou in the building!’
“(Roughriders offensive lineman) Logan Ferland was also on the flight with his girlfriend, so I said, ‘Shout-out to Logan Ferland up there in front. If you want pictures, go to him, because he wants all the photos.’
“Then I said, ‘I appreciate everyone for showing up. We have the best fans in the nation.’ We had more fans than anybody out there, so I said, ‘I appreciate you guys. Get your ring replicas ready, because we’re coming for everything we should have had this year.’
“Everyone was going, ‘Whoooooo!’ It was fun … so much fun.”
