REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Samuel Emilus is looking forward to showing fans what being completely familiar with a team’s offensive system can do for a player.
Entering his fifth year with the Green and White, Emilus was only able to get into seven games last season due to injuries, but he still finished with an impressive 37 catches for 588 yards — which would have translated into another 1,000-yard plus performance over the full 18 games.
That all means Emilus was plenty effective when he was healthy, and that was no more apparent than in the biggest game of the season, where he had 10 catches for 108 yards and was named the Most Outstanding Canadian in the Grey Cup.
Now, the goal is to take another positive step in his career, something that began this past off-season as Emilus and his teammates took an ‘attacking’ approach and mentality to preparing for the upcoming campaign.
“I feel like the offseason is really the hardest part for me in my career, because I'm really working out in a way where I'm ready for the season, where when it comes to the season and playing against other teams, it just comes natural,” Emilus said. “It's something that when you play, it's really all about preparation. So I prepare in a way where when I play against other teams or I get ready for other teams, I just know my assignment and everything. It just becomes second nature. That comes from the offseason work that I put in.”
A major boost to Emilus’ and the entire receiving corps; prospects is the aforementioned familiarity with one another and quarterback Trevor Harris. The core of the crew is entering their third season under offensive coordinator Marc Mueller’s scheme, and that chemistry will only be an advantage.
“ Being three years in the same system, building a relationship and building trust with your quarterbacks and other receivers also definitely shows on film throughout the years,” Emilus said. “And it's only going to get better. Everything gets better with years and I think we've got a great chance of showing this again this year, exactly what we did last year, but even better.
So I'm excited for the opportunity of 2026. I'm excited for Trevor and especially Coach Mueller. They always put us in position to make plays and I'm excited. “
You don’t have multiple thousand-yard-plus seasons without having a solid connection with your quarterback, and that’s something that Emilus and Harris have fostered in their time under Mueller.
“I would say the thing with me and Trevor is we, every day we talk about something like that could be a tiny detail that might not be really important to other people or other players,” Emilus said. “Ee just talk about it just to make sure we're on the same page, so when that little detail comes about in a play, you can see it come to fruition… we've been doing this for three years now and our relationship and communication, you just keep on growing.”
That also extends to the competitive spirit on the field, both during training camp and in the lead-up to their season opener on Saturday night against the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Place.
The team’s receiving corps has been working against the Riders’ lethal team of defensive backs, and that’s led to some big plays on both sides of the ball. Emilus admits he isn’t a big fan of when it happens to him, but completely understands the process.
“You know, the DBs made some plays on me today and I was sick to my stomach, but I just know that it makes them better going against me and they make me better also,” Emilus said. “So come game time I'm going to be prepared and ready to go. That's definitely going to fuel me, them making a play on me, so it's just good competition and we're good competition. That's how, that's how you win games.”
Emilus and the Voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas had plenty more to talk about on The SportsCage, including his time with the Grey Cup this offseason, the favourite catch of his career and what he thinks of this year’s receiving room. You can watch the complete interview below.
