Jack Coan is a notable X-ception in a social-media-oriented world.
The 27-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback last posted on X — or Twitter, as it was known at the time — on Jan. 4, 2021.
The post pertained to his transfer to the storied University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program.
Prior to that, Coan last had a presence on X on June 14, 2017, when he reposted a tweet that originated on the University of Wisconsin’s football account. He first suited up for the Wisconsin Badgers the following September.
With one post and one retweet to show for the past 3,255 days, Coan was asked in joking fashion: What would it take for you to post something on X again?
“Yeah, I need to,” he replied with a laugh following a practice at Coors Light Riders Training Camp.
“I get yelled at every day from my family. I get all these people saying, ‘You need to get your social media up.’
“It has never been my thing. I’ve never been that comfortable doing it, but I really need to get it going again. Maybe I’ll do it just for you.”
There are, you should know, signs of a breakthrough. Shortly after the interview, the Roughriders’ resident writer followed @jcoan17 on X. The next morning, there was a follow-back.
No tweets, though.
That is in accordance with Coan’s preference to exist outside the limelight — as much as one can, considering the prominence of the position he plays for a beloved football team.
“The spotlight is not something I seek or like to be in,” the third-year CFLer said. “I don’t mind being in it, but it’s not something I seek out.
“I’d rather focus on my teammates. At the quarterback position, so much has to go right for you to have success. The emphasis should be on the O-line, the receivers, the running backs — all those guys — instead of us.”
Those are the words of someone who has played at a high level beneath the bright lights at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., before 80,000-plus fans and national-TV audiences.
“I guess you’re in the spotlight, but you don’t really view yourself like that,” the always-thoughtful Coan said leading up to Monday’s pre-season game against the host Calgary Stampeders.
“You know all eyes are on you every play. You touch the ball every play. But you’re just doing your job every single day.
“You don’t think about all the outside stuff. Obviously, I’m not on social media a ton, so I don’t see much or know too much about what people are saying. That’s probably good, and sometimes bad, but I think it has been good for me — just staying in my own head space.”
That has been the approach since he was a star quarterback at Sayville (N.Y) High School.
Football then took him to Madison, Wisc., where he played for the Badgers from 2017 to 2019 under then-Head Coach Paul Chryst.
From the it’s-a-small-world department: Chryst was the Roughriders’ Offensive Co-ordinator and Quarterbacks Coach in 1996.
“Before you go to your school, you look up your coach and see his page on Wikipedia and the places he has been,” Coan said. “I saw he was with some CFL teams, but I had no connection to Saskatchewan at that point, so it didn’t mean anything to me.”
Coan eventually discovered that Chryst was a guest coach with Edmonton during its training camp in 1993. The team’s Head Coach at the time: Ron Lancaster, whose grandson is current Roughriders Offensive Co-ordinator Marc Mueller.
There’s more: During Chryst’s single season in Saskatchewan, Roughriders running back Robert Mimbs rushed for a league-high 1,403 yards and was named the West Division’s Most Outstanding Player.
His son, receiver D’Sean Mimbs, is now a teammate of Coan’s in Saskatchewan.
“It’s kind of crazy, all the connections that happen,” Coan marvelled.
He connected for 3,278 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions, over 25 games (including 18 starts) at Wisconsin.
A broken foot, sustained during practice in October of 2020, forced him to miss the entire COVID-shortened season.
He then transferred to Notre Dame and became the starter for the Fighting Irish. In 13 games as a senior in 2021, he threw for 3,150 yards and 25 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions.
Included in those totals were the 509 aerial yards and five TD passes he registered in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State on Jan. 1, 2022.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder subsequently spent training camp and all the pre-season with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts in 2022.
After a stint with the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, Coan signed with Saskatchewan on March 15, 2024. He signed a contract extension with the reigning Grey Cup champions this past Jan. 19.
From the outset, Coan has received effusive testimonials from quarterbacking cohort Trevor Harris.
“He has been the same guy every day, every year he has been here,” the Roughriders’ starting signal caller said. “He has been a consummate pro. He works really, really hard.
“You can tell that football means a lot to him. He prepares for meetings, he prepares for practice, he prepares for games and he’s in the weight room all the time. He’s awesome and he has been really fun to have as a teammate — and a good guy for me to learn from.”
Coan, like Harris, is known for poring over video in search of the tiniest details that can make a big difference.
“Trevor has been an amazing influence on me,” Coan said. “My routine has a lot to do with him, just with the way he goes about his business. Obviously, he’s a starter, so I’ve always got to try to do a little bit more. Whether I do that or not probably depends on the day.
“Me and Trevor are always trying to outwork each other, but the way he goes about his weekly preparation is basically the way I do it now. He has done it at a high level for so long in this league. Why wouldn’t you try to do exactly what that guy does? He’s just an amazing guy to be around.”
How tough is it to even conceive of outworking Harris?
“It’s a challenge,” Coan acknowledged. “I’m not saying I do or don’t (outwork him), but we pretty much do everything together.
“I think every QB in the league should model their game after him. I’m lucky to be in his room and get to know what he does on a daily basis.”
Very shortly, he gets an opportunity to apply all that knowledge on the field.
“From a mental standpoint, he’s going to know it as well as anybody,” Head Coach Corey Mace said of Coan. “It’s just about going out there and executing. With Jack, he’s getting better every single day.
“Ultimately, when we get to these pre-season games, we’ll see what that looks like with live bullets going.”
Just don’t expect any live tweets.
