Saskatchewan Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace refers to defensive end Desmond Evans as a “disrupter” — in the most flattering manner, we hasten to add.
Evans lived up to the label when he last played in a regular-season game. In his finale with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, he registered 1½ sacks and 2½ tackles for a loss against North Carolina State on Nov. 30, 2024.
A 560-day wait for another regular-season appearance will end on Saturday, when he suits up for Saskatchewan in its regular-season opener against the B.C. Lions. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium. (Tickets are AVAILABLE HERE.)
“This means the world,” Evans said on Friday. “I love playing football. When I wasn’t playing football, I was thinking about playing football, so this opportunity to play football again is a dream come true.”
Since Nov. 30, 2024, Evans has played in five pre-season games — three last year with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and two in recent weeks with Saskatchewan. He signed a CFL contract on Jan. 19, signalling an end to the Roughriders’ relentless recruiting process.
“Non-stop calls, pretty much every day,” Evans, 23, said with a laugh. “There was a lot going on when I was away from football, but I just came back to it. I’m still young, so I gave it another chance.”
During the hiatus, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound product of Sanford, N.C. was residing in Atlanta and working closely with assorted Fortune 500 companies. A sweet gig, one would presume.
“You could say that, but it’s work at the end of the day,” Evans said. “It’s all the same. Being able to come out here and play football with people who you like, it’s different.
“I learned a lot from working there, but it’s pretty much the same thing here. You get paid off of performance. You get paid for getting tackles and getting sacks.”
Mace looks forward to plenty of both from the towering lineman.
“He’s a disrupter,” the third-year Roughriders field boss said. “He’s a tall, long guy. He plays behind his pads. He’s powerful. He’s got enough wiggle to him to win with a finesse rush. He condenses gaps in a hurry in the run game. It’s a different tool that has never really been in this defence before.
“He has been doing a pretty danged good job and he had a good pre-season. He should have had a great pre-season, but he missed about three sacks. We’ve got to get that out of him.
“Hopefully he’ll have a few opportunities coming up as he gets his career started up here.”
“IT’S TIME TO GO”
Saskatchewan and B.C. will both open their regular-season schedules with the sixth game of the 2026 CFL campaign.
The Roughriders and Lions had Week 1 byes.
By the time Saturday’s game kicks off at Mosaic Stadium, three teams — the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers — will have played twice.
The wait has been especially long for Saskatchewan, which has not played a game of any description since its 31-27 pre-season victory over Winnipeg on May 23 in Saskatoon.
“Tonight will be maybe a little bit different sleep going into it, with how your brain’s operating, than at any other time in 2026,” Mace said.
“It’s just that time of year. It’s so exciting for everybody — coaches, players, everybody in the building.
“It’s time to go.”
ONE YEAR LATER
Payton Collins was a rookie, right out of college at Eastern Kentucky, when he lined up at left tackle for Saskatchewan in the 2025 regular-season opener.
Now he is a veteran, albeit one who is just 25 years of age, and the proud owner of a Grey Cup ring. What a difference a year makes …
“Last year, there were a lot of emotions, for sure, with it being my first professional football game and being a rookie,” Collins, who was named the Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Rookie last season, reflected on Friday. “I knew what the stadium looked like, but there hadn’t been that many fans in it.
“This year, I’m just so excited, because I know what to expect from this community and these fans. I just can’t wait to see all these people at Mosaic Stadium, being loud.
“I can’t wait for the atmosphere. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
Saskatchewan quickly felt like home for Collins, whose signing was announced only five days before the team began its 2025 rookie camp in Saskatoon.
“I just feel so lucky for them to believe in me and keep me on the roster last year,” he said. “I just feel so blessed to be a part of this organization and this team.
“To be able to do what we did in my first year was pretty unbelievable. We’re hoping to keep building off that.”
WELCOME TO RIDERVILLE
Evans and seven other Roughriders players will make their CFL debuts on Saturday.
The others are offensive lineman Erik Andersen, defensive back Malcolm Bell, punter Oscar Chapman, linebacker David Gbenda, kicker Alex Hale, defensive lineman Liam Hoskins and receiver Jaylen Johnson.
Five players with prior CFL experience will suit up for Saskatchewan for the first time: Defensive linemen James Vaughters and Devin Adams, long snapper Aaron Crawford, receiver/returner James Letcher Jr., and linebacker Josh Woods.
The 13 new additions increase the Roughriders’ all-time total to 2,160 active-roster players.
NUMBERS AND NAMES
• Alex Hale will soon become the Roughriders’ first No. 11 to attempt a field goal or a convert since Eddie Johnson, who last suited up for the Green and White on Aug. 5, 2011 in B.C. Johnson was the Roughriders’ punter/placekicker for six games that season. Before Johnson, a player wearing No. 11 had not registered a point on a placement kick since John Steele recorded nine converts in 1971.
• Oscar Chapman is about to become the first No. 91 to punt for the Roughriders since Ferd Burket, who averaged 36.9 yards on seven boots in Winnipeg on Oct. 26, 1959. Also on that day, Burket ran for four touchdowns and caught a TD pass. The five majors are an enduring Roughriders single-game record.
• Chapman is also poised to become the first Oscar to play in a regular-season game with Saskatchewan. Oscar Gibson, a linebacker, tried out for the team in 1973.
• Vaughters will soon become the first Roughriders defensive lineman to wear No. 9 in a regular-season game. Only three linemen, period, have donned No. 9 for Saskatchewan — Vaughters, centre/guard Doug Drew (1947-48) and guard Tom Palyga (1949).
TACKLE HUNGER
Saturday’s season opener doubles as the Roughriders’ annual Purolator Tackle Hunger game.
Fans entering Mosaic Stadium are encouraged to donate a non-perishable food item or make a monetary contribution. An online donation can also be made by CLICKING HERE.
