For Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Brayden Schager, the journey from the beaches of Hawaii to the prairies of Saskatchewan has been filled with learning, adjustment and opportunity.
Now entering his first full training camp with the Roughriders, the 22-year-old pivot is beginning to feel more comfortable in the Canadian game after getting his first taste of the CFL late last season.
“It’s been a blast just to play football again,” Schager said following practice at Griffiths Stadium. “It’s been a while since I’ve been taking full team reps, and I got a taste of it last year when I was up here for a month. I think that really helped me with learning the plays and everything.”
Schager signed with Saskatchewan in September of 2025 and spent a month on the practice roster before re-signing with the club in November. While brief, that experience has already proven valuable as he battles to continue climbing the quarterback depth chart behind veteran starter Trevor Harris.
The former University of Hawaii standout admits he entered camp this year feeling much more prepared.
“Definitely,” Schager said when asked if last year’s experience gave him an advantage. “Every single day, I’m just taking notes, learning in those meeting rooms, learning from the older guys. I think that definitely gave me a head start with familiarity with the guys and the playbook and everything.”
At Hawaii, Schager built an impressive collegiate résumé. Over four seasons with the Rainbow Warriors, he threw for more than 9,000 yards and 62 touchdowns while starting 37 games. His breakout 2023 season saw him lead the Mountain West Conference in passing yards and touchdown passes while earning conference honourable mention recognition.
Those numbers came in a pass-heavy offence, something Schager believes has helped him transition to the CFL’s unique defensive looks.
“The twelfth guy is definitely a difference,” Schager explained. “But it actually is somewhat similar to college because we threw it a lot and had a lot of drop-eight coverage. So I know a lot about the drop-eight stuff just because we saw that a lot.”
Like many quarterbacks making the jump north, Schager has had to adapt to the wider field, faster pace and additional defender.
“The wider field and being able to make those hole-shot type throws, having to put it out there over the corners, those types of throws are a little bit different than throws in the States,” he said.
Despite the adjustments, Schager’s athleticism and natural ability have stood out early in camp. The young quarterback said he dedicated himself to improving physically during the off-season.
“I had a great off-season, worked really hard to get myself in great shape,” Schager said. “It’s the best I’ve ever felt, and I feel like I have an athletic ability in my game. I’m just trying to go out there and show the coaches what I can do with every chance I get.”
He credits much of his development to learning from Harris and the veteran quarterbacks around him.
“You see Trevor do certain things and you pick up on that and try to mimic things,” Schager said. “He’s been in this league for a long time and has had a lot of success. Anything he’s doing, I’m trying to be doing as well.”
Back in Hawaii, Schager still has a loyal following keeping tabs on his progress in Saskatchewan.
“I’ve been getting a lot of questions from Hawaii,” he said with a smile. “Shout out to the 808. I miss it. It was a special place, and I loved my experience there.”
Now, Schager is hoping to create a new football home in Saskatchewan’s 306, one rep at a time.
