Nick Wiebe.
The 2023 Canada West conference’s most outstanding defensive player in his final year with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
Named by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the CFL club’s most outstanding special teams player in 2025.
And (jokingly), still flying under the radar during the final week of the Riders’ 2026 training camp.
“I'm kind of the forgotten Wiebe these days,” Nick Wiebe said with a laugh Thursday, reflecting on his former Huskies teammate Daniel Wiebe’s game-winning touchdown catch in the Roughriders’ final preseason game five days earlier at Saskatoon’s Griffiths Stadium.
“Just the way he is around the game, his process, how hard he works, I don’t think anybody who knows him well is very surprised with his success here.”
But back to Nick, who is entering his third CFL season but, for all intents and purposes, considers himself more of a sophomore. He played just one game – the Banjo Bowl at Winnipeg – in 2024 before adding 16 more in last year’s regular season, scoring 20 special teams tackles and two more on defence.
Wiebe added two more special teams tackles in the West Division final, notably limiting the B.C. Lions’ kickoff return to 15 yards after Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw the go-ahead touchdown pass with 11 seconds to play.
And he had two more special teams tackles in the first half of the Roughriders’ Grey Cup win over the Montreal Alouettes, limiting Als punt returner to a combined 12 yards on those two plays.
“It was a super cool year to be a part of, obviously,” Wiebe (yes, still Nick) said of his goals for the 2026 season. “Kind of a pseudo-rookie year for me as well so obviously just trying to build on that.
“Same way guys like (Jayden) Dalke and Benoit (Marion) and those guys like that kind of brought me along last year in my semi-rookie year, I'm kind of trying to do that same thing with a couple of the younger guys in the locker room this year.
“So hopefully embrace more of a leadership role on special teams and hopefully rack up some tackles as well.”
A linebacker by trade, Wiebe also hopes to carve out a larger role on defence, with the weak-side spot potentially up for grabs after the off-season departure of Grey Cup starter — and the team award winner for most oustanding Canadian — A.J. Allen.
“I think part of playing well on (special) teams is kind of trying to find your niche on defence as well, play more snaps than obviously just special teams,” he said. “I think that's always been a goal for me. It's always been a goal for anybody on special teams … but obviously still love running down with my guys.”
Could a revamped offseason training schedule have something to say about that?
“Mobility actually this off-season was a big emphasis for me,” said Wiebe. “I feel like as soon as you get to a certain age and been playing football for a certain amount of time, muscle maturity and density and then speed kind of comes along with that.
“So just being able to have the last whatever it is, 10 or 12 years of pretty dedicated weight room work, I was able to kind of place a bit more of an emphasis on mobility and movement this off-season, which has been working really well for me. So I think that has been the biggest thing and hopefully prevent some of the injuries and the dings that I got last year.”
