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February 3, 2025

Tevaughn Campbell is “super-excited” to return to Saskatchewan

Tevaughn Campbell is celebrating a new contract and a rare hat trick.

For the third time, he is destined for Saskatchewan to play football.

A graduate of the University of Regina Rams, the speedy defensive back has just become a second-time member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. His signing was announced by the CFL team on Monday morning.

“It’s dope, because there’s so much history — going to school there and later on playing for the Riders,” Campbell said. “I’ve been in Regina for so long before that it’s kind of second nature.

“When I get on that plane and land in Regina, I think I’ll find my way fairly well.”

Campbell, a standout in football and track at the U of R, was selected by the Calgary Stampeders in the third round (22nd overall) of the 2015 CFL Draft.

At the time, Corey Mace was a defensive lineman with the Stampeders.

Campbell returned to Saskatchewan in February of 2016 when he was acquired in a trade.

He played in 17 games with the Green and White in 2016, registering one interception, six pass knockdowns and two fumble recoveries. He returned one of the fumbles for a 14-yard touchdown.

Campbell was traded to the Montreal Alouettes in a 2017 deal that brought quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. to Saskatchewan.

In 19 games with Montreal, Campbell registered three interceptions (one of which he returned for a 37-yard touchdown) and also scored on an 87-yard fumble return.

He headed to the NFL after two seasons in Montreal and spent time with the New York Jets (2019), Los Angeles Chargers (2019 to 2022), Las Vegas Raiders (2022) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2022 to 2024).

Campbell was with the Chargers for 30 of his 37 NFL regular-season games. He scored touchdowns for Los Angeles on a six-yard interception return (in 2020) and a 61-yard fumble return (2021).

The pick-six, at the expense of quarterback Joe Flacco, helped the Chargers defeat the Jets 34-28 on Nov. 22, 2020.

“In the moment, it felt amazing,” Campbell recalled of the six-point interception return. “In the week, it felt amazing. Then it kind of dies down, because you’ve got a job to do and you’ve got the next game.

“I started with the Jets. That was the first team I was on. They released me, so I went to the Chargers. Having my first interception, my first pick-six, against the Jets … man, it was great.”

The short jaunt to the end zone at SoFi Stadium was part of a remarkable journey for Campbell, who was in Grade 11 when he was recruited by the Rams out of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute in Toronto.

As a U Sports athlete, Campbell excelled on the football field in addition to becoming a national 60-metre sprint champion.

His speed was also evident at the 2015 CFL Combine. He completed the 40-yard dash in a scorching 4.35 seconds — still a Combine record.

“When I was in college my first years, I wasn’t thinking too much about the league,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t thinking too much about the CFL. I was thinking about the now and how I could get better in that moment.

“Once the Draft started to happen, I thought, ‘Oh, wow. This is actually possible.’ But if someone had told me after my first game playing for the Regina Rams, ‘Hey, Tevaughn, you’re going to do all this stuff,’ I would probably have laughed.”

Now he is returning to Saskatchewan, where so many memories have been created. It helps that Mace is entering his second season as the Roughriders’ head coach and defensive co-ordinator.

“I think there’s a good connection between Corey Mace and I,” Campbell said. “We also share the same agent.

“My first year in the league, he was in Calgary as well. We got on the phone (recently) and had a little talk and we decided to make it official.

“I’m super-excited. With the team we have and the coaching staff we have, I think there’s a lot of potential to go all the way. That’s kind of why I wanted to come back and be a part of that.”

As a bonus, the Roughriders will oppose the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 14 — Campbell’s 32nd birthday — and meet the Toronto Argonauts six days later to complete a timely two-game trek through his home province.

“It’s definitely very convenient,” he said. “My fiancée and my kids can come down. My family and everyone can come down and celebrate while watching me play, so it’s definitely cool.”