Ali Saad enjoyed a charmed existence as a first-year CFLer.
His rookie season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders was punctuated by a 25-17 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Nov. 16.
“That was a blessing, for sure,” the 23-year-old defensive tackle said after Monday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“I hadn’t really won a ring, ever, so experiencing that was a blessing. I got to spend time celebrating with my teammates in the locker room and on the field. The team having a great season last year was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“I still didn’t play to my full potential but, at the end of the day, I’m still developing.”
Selected fourth overall in the 2025 CFL Canadian Draft. Saad had 19 defensive tackles and one sack in 18 regular-season games as a rookie.
The sack was a pivotal play in the Roughriders’ 34-30 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic on Aug. 31.
Saad was also employed on offence as a supplementary blocker with the short-yardage unit. Quarterback Tommy Stevens scored one of his two touchdowns in the Grey Cup by following a path Saad helped to clear.
So there it was … the first championship for Saad.
Nothing in minor football?
“Never,” Saad replied. “Professional was the first one.”
No titles in, say, intramurals?
“Nothing,” stated Saad, who played at Bowling Green State before joining the Roughriders.
“In college, we got pretty close with some bowl games and stuff like that but, at the end of the day, we didn’t get the result we wanted.
“Experiencing one at the professional level in my first year, honestly, you can’t beat it. This is better than anything.”
The focus is to get better at everything as a sophomore CFLer.
“This year, I feel the game is much slower for me,” Saad said. “I’ve still got a couple of mistakes here and there, but it’s way better than last year. I feel more confident, obviously.”
The confidence was on display when the Roughriders faced the Toronto Argonauts on Friday at Mosaic Stadium.
Saad had a sack — his first of the young season — and three defensive tackles, one of which was for a loss.
The sack, on second-and-10, forced Toronto to settle for a field goal. He later felled the Argonauts’ Isaiah Smith three yards behind the line of scrimmage on a first-down running play.
“I thought I did pretty well,” Saad said. “There were a couple of mistakes here and there that I need to improve on.
“Besides that, I thought the guys on the defensive line worked really hard, especially Mike Rose. Mike did his thing at the end of the day.”
Rose had two of the Roughriders’ four sacks. Saad and rookie Jaylen Pate had the others.
Saad appreciates the mentorship of Rose, a three-time All-CFL defensive tackle, and Micah Johnson. Johnson, who earned All-CFL recognition five times during an illustrious playing career, is now the Roughriders’ Defensive Line Coach.
“It’s an honour and a blessing at the same time to learn from both of them,” Saad said. “Those guys are really helping me take my game to the next level and helping a lot of other people as well, especially our rookies.
“We just need to come out and continue stacking days.”
