Recruiting has changed for Regina Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay from when he used to work for the University of Regina Rams.
"A lot of times with the Rams back in the day, you didn't really go recruiting until you went to the Senior Bowl, which was in May. Then, as things progressed, guys were recruiting more in the new year, January and February," MacAulay said on The SportsCage.
"I remember the University of Alberta Golden Bears came out, they were coming to guys in August, and that caught everybody off guard. Now that things change, where you almost got to be a year ahead, that's what we're preparing for right now. As much as we're closing down the recruiting class for this year, we're already starting to focus on the 2027 class and get to know who they are. Times have changed."
Last year, the Thunder finished the regular season with a 7-1 record but lost to the rival Saskatoon Hilltops 30-27 in the Praire Football Conference Final in overtime. With these new recruitment changes, MacAulay is aware that he and his staff can’t be stuck in their old habits if the team wants to remain competitive.
"I believe strongly in the whole process of going to camps, trying out, asking to see if guys are full of grit, able to push themselves, get teammates and all that stuff,” MacAulay said.
"Things have changed now where you got to go watch them out at all the different camps, Sask Selects or the different teams, Saskatchewan Trials, or have your own camps, and then you got to rely on their high school coaches or friends calling on them to see a little bit more about their character and see if they're the right fit or not. So times have changed, and we've had to adapt as well.”
Beyond the evolution of recruiting, MacAulay explains the problems juggling duties with the Thunder and his coaching staffs other jobs.
"It's been super busy since the season ended. I want to take some time off, get caught up with work. All the coaches and my staff are volunteers. Nobody gets paid, not even our team president or equipment manager or myself, we're all volunteers,” MacAulay explained.
“You've got to hit the road and get caught up with work. But at the same time, you still have to get out there and keep on recruiting. I'm extremely happy with the recruiting class we have right now."
Some Thunder players won't be with the team next season and are going to B.C., MacAulay clarified why.
"There are some guys that weren't as happy with their playing time, they wanted to have the opportunity to play for a different team and see if they're able to play there," MacAulay said.
"One of our coaches, Chris Ashman, who's also moved on to B.C. for V.I. (Vancouver Island Raiders). Because of that, his sons are going to want to move there and some of their friends as well. So we have lost two or three guys so far to V.I. with guys who are currently on our team. The next guy up, we do have a big roster, and we have a bunch of guys that we do believe in."
For the upcoming season, MacAulay shares which position he thinks is a strength for the Thunder.
"I automatically look at our defensive line. Last year, we had a lot of injuries, and we had a lot of guys that are in their third or fourth year that unfortunately were injured. That group was still very solid throughout the season," MacAulay pointed out.
"Now, those guys have had a chance to bounce back from their surgeries, do the rehab in the weight room, and they're all coming back."
Besides praising the defensive line, MacAulay knows which position could use some work.
"Some areas that we need to shore up, I automatically think about our offensive line. We lost four and five starters. But at the same time, it was somewhat part of the plan of action. We're still looking to bring in maybe one, maybe two veteran types of guys that had playing experience," MacAulay said.
"We really wanted to make sure that our young guys such as Parker Robertson, Ben Rutherdale, even first-year guys, like last year Logan Leason and (Matthew) Zdunich, those guys can build a step-and-play right away. That's going to be an area of growth that they're going to need to grow right away, but we bought them another year of lifting weights. Hopefully, Dan Farthing and Dan Yaskowich at Level 10 are doing their job again, a little bit stronger, faster, bigger, meaner, I think they're going to do a hell of a job."
