SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Wayne Ruby Jr. has a catchy nickname.
Mr. Get Open.
“One of my teammates’ parents came up with it,” Ruby Jr., a former standout at the University of Mount Union, recalled after the Roughriders’ rookie camp concluded Friday at Griffiths Stadium.
“They watched me practise. They watched me get open in games. So they put something on Twitter and tagged me and said, ‘This is Mr. Get Open.’
“I just took the name and ran with it.”
He did so to the tune of 5,624 yards, amassed over 362 receptions and 56 games with the Mount Union Purple Raiders — home base: Alliance Ohio.
Over that time, Ruby caught 76 touchdown passes (averaging 1.36 per game) and was named the Ohio Athletic Conference’s top receiver in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
In 14 games as a junior, Ruby Jr. produced 105 receptions for 1,785 yards and 30 touchdowns. He led all NCAA Division III receivers in the latter two categories.
“He had 30 touchdowns?” Receivers Coach Marquay McDaniel marvelled. “That’s crazy. One-on-one, he must have been the guy, right? You throw it up and he was coming down with the play.
“You can see it. I don’t think he has put a ball on the ground and there are the tough catches he has made. I’m not surprised at all.”
The following nugget might be surprising.
Ruby Jr. was not a starter until his senior year at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
When he finally got that chance, he scored five touchdowns … in his first game!
“I just make plays,” he said. “That’s the name of the game — making plays, having explosive plays, being where I need to be, and just trusting the people around me … my teammates and coaches.”
The coaches, in turn, have quickly developed a level of trust in the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder.
“Wayne has made some great catches and he’s in one of the tougher spots to learn, so that has been good,” McDaniel said. “He has been sharp.
“A lot of guys from the States don’t really get to do that blocking that we ask them to do, so the first day he wasn’t so sure. But you could see him take that next step to understand defences, so that’s really big for him.
“He’s looking good. He looks fast, he looks quick, and he made some tough catches.”
This is the second pro football opportunity for Ruby Jr., who attended mini-camp with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024.
“I’m loving Saskatchewan right now,” he said with a smile. “This experience is wonderful. I get another opportunity to showcase what I can do.
“It’s a great organization. The coaches that we have here believe in me and gave me an opportunity. I’m just going to make the most of my opportunity when my name gets called.
“Whether it’s blocking, running routes, Mr. Get Open … whatever I have to do, I’m going to do it.”
ONE-ON-ONE TIME
Friday’s workout, an economical 90 minutes, was highlighted — at least from a spectator’s standpoint — by five one-on-one plays.
One quarterback. One receiver. One person in coverage.
The official scorekeeper, Head Coach/Defensive Co-ordinator Corey Mace, non-negotiably decided the overall winner.
“There were five reps,” he noted, “and the offence won three of them.
“There were 20 (push-ups) on the line, even though we ended up having a nice little interception there at the end by (linebacker) Braxton Hill.
“We won that battle, but we lost the war defensively, so you’ve got to pay the piper.”
The other defensive “win” was actually a semi-triumph for the offence.
Daniel Wiebe, from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, ran a corner route and made a fingertip catch of a Tommy Stevens pass deep in the right corner of the end zone.
Offensive players were adamant, to a man, that Wiebe got a foot in bounds. Defensive players vehemently and visibly disagreed.
The verdict was left up to Equipment Manager/Adjudicator-in-Chief Gordon Gilroy.
“I transitioned my eyes straight to Gordie,” Mace said. “Whether you trust Gordie or not, I went with it and trusted him.
“He said (Wiebe) was out. We’ll review the tape, but it was a heck of a catch.”
GALVAN-IZING EFFECT
Friday’s background music, piped over the speakers at Griffiths Stadium, was provided by Football Operations Intern Aldo Galvan.
The Mexico City-born Galvan, a former punter and placekicker with the University of Regina Rams, selected a phenomenal playlist that included a Latin influence.
As a punctuation mark, he pressed PLAY for “Jarabe Tapatio” — widely and popularly known as the Mexican Hat Dance — after an extended whistle by Mace brought Friday’s session to an end.
“Shout-out to Aldo,” Mace said. “I told him, ‘Give us a little bit of your home-country flavour and he overdosed.
“The whole day, it was Mexican music, but we were loving it. It was a good little change-up.”
