Noah Zerr felt right at home as a first-year Roughrider
Yesterday at 08:42 PM
Noah Zerr resolves to build on a year of firsts.
After becoming the first Langenburg-born player to suit up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the towering offensive lineman logged Starts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of his burgeoning CFL career.
For good measure, he is among the first prospective free agents to re-sign with the Green and White. The new deal, for one year, was announced on Tuesday.
"We wanted to get it done early and try and get it out of the way," the former Yorkton Regional Raiders and University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout said.
"For me right now, it's a simple equation. I just want to stick with this team and keep building on what we did last year and the individual success I had last year.
"It's just a really great opportunity to keep playing with a great squad, a great coaching staff and a great culture."
Zerr signed with Saskatchewan on Dec. 23, 2023 after playing in seven games over his first two seasons of Canadian professional football.
Selected by the B.C. Lions in the second round (12th overall) of the 2022 CFL Draft, he appeared in four games as a rookie. He then dressed for four games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023.
A breakthrough season followed in Saskatchewan, where Zerr was in the lineup for 11 games. He started at left guard in four games.
"I still feel like I'm waking up from a favourite dream every now and then," Zerr marvelled. "It was such a dream come true.
"Being on teams that had played against Saskatchewan at (Mosaic Stadium), there was always that feeling of, 'I kind of wish I was on the other side of the white lines, wearing the green and repping Saskatchewan and Regina.'
"The first time out of the tunnel to Bring 'Em Out at Mosaic was surreal. It was like everything you had hoped it would be and more. Then you just got to do it a bunch more times, which was amazing.
"Playing in that Labour Day Classic and starting my first game in Winnipeg the next week, I don't know if you can write a better story than that. It was a really cool experience.
"I was lucky enough to get my fair share of playing time and I'm excited for more opportunities to come and to keep building with this great program."
Zerr, 26, was among 12 offensive linemen who started for the Roughriders during a season in which they were riddled by injuries along the front five.
Despite the constant shuffling, Saskatchewan allowed only 35 sacks — just six shy of the league's best total — and led all West Division playoff qualifiers in touchdowns (45) and offensive points (453).
"It was a big year for us," Zerr said. "We wanted to improve on what we had been the last couple of years in Saskatchewan.
"We worked really hard and it was easy to kind of get lost in the 9-to-5 and the routine of showing up with the guys and watching the extra film and putting in the extra work.
"Logan Ferland, Jacob Brammer, Yoshi Hardrick, Peter Godber and all those guys are so good at making it a normal, every-day job. You show up and the work is expected. The extra work is also expected.
"It was a lot of fun. It was really easy to get into a rhythm with the guys and just have fun being a group and being a unit. We did a lot of things together outside of football that really helped with that camaraderie."
Ferland was named the West's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman after starting at three different positions and seeing playing time at four.
"Logan's leadership all season long was amazing," Zerr said. "He dressed for every game and played every position we needed him to play.
"I think he was a huge component for that continuity and that rhythm, because he brought a sense of calmness and a sense of experience to that line when we did need it."
The credit extends to Head Coach Corey Mace and Offensive Line Coach Edwin Harrison.
"Both those guys are great coaches," Zerr said. "They set the tone.
"They expect a lot, but they also give you a lot of opportunities."
Zerr would have appreciated the opportunity anywhere. But for it to materialize in Saskatchewan, what could be better?
"It was extra special," he said. "You can't really say enough about what the culture in Saskatchewan is.
"It was so cool to have that breakout opportunity with Saskatchewan and to finally get my chance to kind of show my stuff with the squad I grew up watching.
"It’s everything that a little kid in Saskatchewan hopes for. The organization has been great to me. The fans have great to me. All the fan opportunities have been so amazing.
"Seeing these people in the crowd who I've known my whole life and teachers from my small town coming up to me at autograph signings and things like that, those are the little things that you don't get anywhere else."
Now he hopes for bigger things ahead.
"I can't wait for another season," Zerr said, "and to get another chance to run it back with the guys."
