Jacob Brammer is a player with layers.
“I bought my first winter coat,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ All-CFL right guard says. “Last year, I was kind of surviving without one. Then I decided, ‘I may as well get one if I’m going to be up here full-time.’ ”
Soon to be added to the look: A Grey Cup ring.
The Texas-born Brammer was part of a formidable offensive line that helped the 2025 Roughriders finish first overall in the CFL’s regular-season standings and capture the fifth championship in franchise history.
“There’s always room for improvement, but it was one of my favourite seasons of my whole career,” says Brammer, 26, who became entrenched as a front-liner as a second-year Roughrider in 2025.
“It felt just like a brotherhood. We all hung out at the house. There were no cliques throughout the team. Everyone felt like we could hang out with anyone on the team. It was a fun time for me.”
And a rather novel one.
Brammer experienced only one winning season in the U.S. college ranks — with the North Texas Mean Green (9-4) in 2018.
North Texas then went 4-8 (2019), 4-6 (2020) and 6-7 (2021) before Brammer transferred to Vanderbilt, which was 2-6 in 2022.
“Some university teams were (close-knit), but we really didn’t win anything so it was more just a fun time,” Brammer recalls.
“In our COVID year, we didn’t do a ton of school, so we were just kind of hanging out and everything.
“Here, we all showed up for work and put in the extra work and hung out with each other outside of work. It really built our chemistry.”
Chemistry was a major reason why Brammer signed a one-year contract extension with the Green and White on Jan. 26.
“It was a big relief to me to get that,” says Brammer, who had been eligible to test free agency. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I love Saskatchewan. I love the people here. I love our team and our coaches, so it’s awesome.
“(Corey) Mace and the whole coaching staff make it easy to come to work every day. You put together our offensive line group and, really, our whole team and everybody we were able to bring back. It was an easy decision for me once we got to talking.”
Sort of like the decision to buy a winter coat — not something many residents of Richmond, Texas are accustomed to purchasing.
There are, of course, other adjustments.
“Being from the States, I didn’t know how big a deal the Grey Cup was,” Brammer says.
“Then, after the clock hit zero (in the 2025 Grey Cup Game), you got to see all the emotion run down on everyone’s faces who was born and raised here.
“It meant that much more to me to see how much it meant to everyone, players and fans.”
