REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders' offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick was a 21-year-old youngster one season removed from playing for the Utah Blaze in the Arena Football League when the B.C. Lions came calling midway through the 2014 season.
The Blaze needed an offensive lineman, and the six-foot-five, 311-pound University of Nebraska graduate and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints prospect most certainly fit the bill. Four days later, Hardrick was playing in his first Canadian Football League game. A week after that, he made his first CFL start. And now, 11 seasons and 150 games later, ‘Yoshi’ is still getting the job done.
The Batesville, Miss. native reached the impressive milestone in Week 14 when the Riders took a 21-13 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic rematch. While that’s naturally a cause for celebration, Hardrick was mostly taking it in stride.
“Oh, a little bit on the plane ride,” he said about enjoying the moment. “Thought about it a little bit, but wanted that Banjo Bowl the most. Didn't celebrate too much, but definitely called my wife. We had a little thing on the phone, but nothing crazy.”
As one might expect, Hardrick was naturally thankful for the opportunity to have such a lengthy career.
“A lot of people trusted me,” he said. “I got a lot of chances. A lot of people helped me, my family, coaches, players. I’m still learning how to be a pro and a lot of people helped me be a pro for sure.”
After the 2014 season with the Lions, Hardrick played eight games for the Riders in 2015 and then played seven seasons with Winnipeg. He again signed with Saskatchewan in 2024 but only played five games last season due to a quad injury, but has been all systems go through the first 12 games in the 2025 campaign.
Through it all, Hardrick has done his best to keep a low profile and remain humble while letting his game do the talking for him.
“Tough sport we play, you can get beat at any moment, so never get too high, never get too low,” Hardrick said. “Don't give anybody bulletin board material. Why talk crazy in the media? Why give anything? Our job is already hard enough. Why put a target on your back? Nobody cares about what happened Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, we’re in it for the long run.”
That attitude has worked and then some this season, which is quickly shaping up to be a special one. While Hardrick was at home healing at this point last season when the Riders were going through a seven-game winless skid, he’s been around winning teams before and sees the similarities.
“Guys are playing for each other, guys are loving on each other, guys are having each other’s back,” he said. “No one's gonna be perfect, no one's gonna have a perfect game.
"The defence is helping us when we need it, we're helping them when they need it, special teams come when nothing’s working. Guys having each other’s back, that's the biggest thing and on the sideline, no panic when anything happens.”
Saskatchewan can clinch a playoff spot with a win in Week 15, but to Hardrick, it’s another game in the bigger scheme of things.
“Means nothing to me,” he said regarding locking up a postseason berth. “When we come back [from next week’s bye] we still gotta work. Still got Week 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and we still gotta work in the playoffs.”
Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates bring you the Rider Broadcast Network pre-game show at 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder with the game call at 5 p.m.
