1.)  FOOTBALL RUNS DEEP IN YOUR FAMILY LINEAGE.  FOR READERS WHO DO NOT KNOW, TALK ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER, AND WHY FOOTBALL IS SO IMPORTANT IN YOUR FAMILY.
A: My grandfather, Doctor Robert Jackson, was a legendary orthopaedic surgeon. He was also the team doctor for the Toronto Argos for over 20 years. My mom and her siblings grew up going to CFL games and this created a love for football in my family. This was instilled in me and my brothers at a young age. I can remember sitting in my grandfather’s arms at the cottage watching the Argos playing and I would guess I was 4 or 5 years old at the time.

2.)  MAKE NO MISTAKE, YOU ARE A BIG GUY.  STANDING TALL AT 6’5” AND 300LBS.  HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED PLAYING FOOTBALL
A: I started playing football when I was twelve, on the Peewee Jr. Argos team. My first Head Coach was current Jr. Argos President Dan Grossi.

3.)  WHERE DID YOU PLAY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL?  WHO WERE YOUR COACHES?  WHAT POSITIONS DID YOU PLAY IN HS?
A: I went to Northern Secondary School and my coaches were Dan Domenico and Tom Gretes. I played all five spots on the offensive line as well as defensive tackle.

4.)  AS A PLAYER, WHAT ARE YOU FAVOURITE MOMENTS AS A JR. ARGOS?
A: My favourite moment as a Jr. Argo was when we beat Peterborough in the semi-finals in the 2015 season. We won the game scoring a last second touchdown! The entire season was filled with last second wins, it seemed that every game came down to the wire.

5.)  HOW MUCH DID SUMMER FOOTBALL COMPLEMENT YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS YOU PROGRESSED AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER?
A: Jr. Argos was integral to my development. I received great coaching with the Jr. Argos because they had multiple position coaches and many of the coaches were currently playing or had recently played at the university level. This gave me an insight of what was ahead and elevated my on-field play.  The competition was also better because you would be playing against the best players from a region, not just a high school.

6.)  DID YOU PLAY ANY OTHER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BESIDES FOOTBALL?
A: I played rugby in grade 9 and 10.

7.) WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH?  WERE THERE ANY OTHER UNIVERSITIES THAT YOU WERE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING AT THE TIME?
A: I spoke with several universities during the summer season, but Guelph was a clear favourite for me. This was because Guelph offered the school program I wanted to be in, and it also felt like a place I could call home. I was recruited by Mike MacDonald the O-line coach at Guelph and he was a big part of my decision. He showed me that Guelph was going to help my development as a football player and a person. He was also at many of the Jr. Argos games through out the summer, along with many other universities scouting potential players. The difference with Coach Mike, he went out of his way to get to know you as a person and a player.

8.)  IN 2016, YOU WERE AN OUA ALL-ROOKIE.  LOOKING BACK ON IT NOW, HOW MUCH OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS THAT FOR YOU?
A: Being named to the OUA All-Rookie team helped me with my confidence and was a feel-good moment. But the award did not mean as much as having my teammates and coaches gaining confidence in my play moving forward and winning a starting position in my second year.

9.) WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE ON THE FIELD MOMENT OF YOUR COLLEGIATE CAREER?
A: My favourite moment in my collegiate career was when we beat Ottawa University in the semi-finals. We won on a broken play that our QB Theo Landers completed a 60-yard pass to steal a last second win. The packed stadium and my teammates went crazy! Those moments are special and few in the game of football, but when the magic happens it’s ingrained in your memory for life.

10) TAKE US THROUGH AN AVERAGE DAY AS A STUDENT ATHLETE?
A: In season, an average day starts around 7:00am with meal prepping, then heading to the university. Once at the university I would be doing schoolwork as well as day to day football training, film, coaching meetings, therapy, and practices. The schoolwork would include classes, tutoring, and homework. These daily activities would be at different times depending on the schedule. We would have practice and meetings between 4pm and 8pm followed by dinner. Then I would head home, get to bed early and do it again. Consistency is what leads to successes in my eyes.

11.) WHAT DID YOU STUDY AT GUELPH?
A: I studied Real Estate and Housing at the Lang School of Business at Guelph University.

12.) WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE TURNING POINT IN YOUR PLAYING CAREER WHERE YOU STARTED SEEING PERSONAL SUCCESS IN YOUR PLAY?
A: During my time at Guelph, I faced many adversities in many aspects of life: football, injuries, personal life, school and my career. A specific example of something I had to overcome was changing my body and play style over my first two years at Guelph. When I first went to Guelph, I was overweight and lacked body control. These two aspects showed greatly in my performance on the field. I saw some success early because I was very aggressive on the field and eager to learn off the field, but I had a ceiling on my development because I was overweight and played recklessly. I was able to overcome these flaws through consistent hard work. I started to eat better and train hard to fix my weight issues, I saw the most success between my second and third year. To fix my reckless play style I constantly worked the drilled with Coach MacDonald. I did my best to ingrain the fundamentals into myself so that when I played, I was under control and relied on my technique. I found that the best way for me to get through any adversity was hard work and taking help from people around you.

13.) AT WHAT POINT DID PLAYING IN THE CFL BECOME A REALISTIC GOAL OF YOURS?
A: I believed I could play in the CFL since I was playing JV football with Jr. Argos. I always knew if I put in the work and got a little lucky, I could make my dreams happen.

14.) YOU WERE THE 5TH OVERALL PICK IN THE 2020 CFL DRAFT.  FIRST TAKEN FROM A CANADIAN USPORTS PROGRAM.  WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU GOT THE CALL FROM THE HAMILTON TIGER-CATS?
A: There were so many things that went through my head when I got the call from my agent Fred Weinrauch. First was how surprised I was to be picked in the top ten and then how great of a fit the team is. Then I was just so excited and celebrated being drafted with my family, it was a moment I will never forget.

15.) IT MUST HAVE BEEN SO DIFFICULT TO HEAR THAT YOUR ROOKIE YEAR AS A TIGER-CAT WOULD-BE PUT-ON HOLD DUE TO COVID-19.  WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO STAY IN SHAPE AND GROW AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES?
A: This has been a difficult year, but I have tried to take it one day at a time. I only focus on things around me that I can control and that is really three-fold.

First being training.  I am fortunate that my parents have a full gym in their home. This has allowed me to train throughout the pandemic and reach new personal records lifting and continue working on improving my technique through field work.

Second, I focused on my career outside of football. I have committed to growing my skills and network as a contractor in the residential construction industry.

Third, I have tried to put an importance on the relationships in my life, focusing on the people around me.  This has helped me develop myself as a better person.

16.) SOMETHING INCREDIBLY UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF IS THAT YOU STARTED COACHING WHILE YOU WERE STILL PLAYING AT GUELPH.  YOU WERE THE O-LINE COACH FOR THE TORONTO JR. ARGOS JV TEAM FOR SEVERAL YEARS.  WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART ABOUT COACHING?  LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT BEING A COACH?
A: My favorite part about coaching is the connection you make with your players and the coaches. Its very cool today to see some of the players I coached in JV in 2016, are now going to university. Getting to watch and be a part of that growth is a unique experience that I would recommend to any former football player.

What I learned about coaching is how difficult it can be to lead. Each player comes with their own challenges and finding a way to bring people together as a team, is not an easy task. A quote I like about how to treat players you coach or people you work with is “Treat them all the same, by treating them differently”  (Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

The skill level at Jr. Argos is high, because many of the kids put a lot of effort into learning. Some of the players in JV were new to football or had little coaching before but with hands on coaching that was provided they were able to compete with everyone else.

17.)  YOU HOLD A UNIQUE RESUME IN TERMS OF JR. ARGOS AFFILIATION.  YOU PLAYED FOR THIS ORGANIZATION.  YOU COACHED FOR THIS ORGANIZATION.  YOU ARE A CURRENT BOARD MEMBER FOR THE CLUB.  AND YOU ARE ENTERING YOUR FIRST YEAR IN THE CFL AS A PLAYER.  NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT.  WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE FOOTBALL COMMUNITY THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO GIVE UP SO MUCH OF YOUR TIME TO GIVE BACK TO THE FOOTBALL COMMUNITY WHILE BALANCING AN ACTIVE PLAYING CAREER?
A: Football has given me so much in my life, it has truly helped develop me into who I am today. The Jr. Argos is where I learned the game and felt most accepted as a teenager. I struggled as a teenager with my weight and school, the Jr. Argos community gave me a sense of inclusion and purpose.
I am so thankful for all the connections I made with coaches and players during my playing days with the Jr. Argos and now with coaching and sitting on the board of directors. These connections and the mentoring I received gave me the drive I needed to push myself to get through high school and play for Guelph. As a coach, having the opportunity to offer a player or many players a better brighter future and the love of the game, keeps me coming back.

18.)  WHAT CAN THE HAMILTON TIGER-CATS EXPECT OUT OF YOU WHEN YOU SUIT UP FOR THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME?
A: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats can expect me to show up early and work my ass off. I am going to do my best to learn and grow as much as I can.

19.) ANY ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO ANY PLAYER WHO IS EITHER IN HS OR IN U-SPORTS TRYING TO NAVIGATE AND DEVELOP THEMSELVES AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES.
A: The advice I would share with a player fighting through these times is just take each day, one at a time. If you can separate yourself mentally from how hard things are now and just take care of what you can control each day, it will lead to success. Worrying about when you will be able to play or if you will have access to the proper training or coaching. Can make you feel like, what you do today does not mater, BUT it does matter. If you do not have any access to coaching or gym equipment don’t let it be the reason you didn’t workout today. There is only one sure way to be successful, get up early and work your ass off!


Interview conducted by André Brock