It won’t be a wholesale change with the coaches of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Last week, the team announced Special Teams Coordinator Kent Maugeri was among the first hirings of Corey Mace’s staff alongside new offensive coordinator Marc Mueller.
Fresh off the announcement, Maugeri joined Michael Ball on the Sportscage to discuss his return to Saskatchewan for another season.
The Special teams coordinator has been with the green and white since
2016, joining the team as a quality control coach working alongside the team’s offence.
Over the last two seasons, he has led the Roughriders special teams units that have experienced some success.
In 2022, returner Mario Alford was named the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player of the Year after he became the first player in franchise history to complete “the trifecta” of (kick return touchdown, punt return touchdown, missed field goal return touchdown) in a single season. Alford also established a single season of return touchdowns (4). This past season, Alford became the franchise leader in return touchdowns.
Maugeri says it’s rewarding to see a player like Alford take a return all the way for a touchdown.
“It’s got to be the same feeling as an offensive or defensive coordinator.” He added, “You’ve been practicing it for a week, sometimes for multiple weeks, you just call it at the right time and just to see the guys to execute, it’s super rewarding, it’s a lot of fun.”
Besides the return game, Maugeri has played a part in the kicking game. Saskatchewan used their first pick of the 2023 CFL Global Draft to select punter Adam Korsak.
After arriving in Saskatchewan, Korsak would solidify himself as one of the top punters in the Canadian Football League. He was named a Divisional All-Star, finishing second in the league punting average (47.6), and recorded the longest punt of the season (90 yards).
Like the rest of the province, Maugeri is excited to see Mace leading the Roughriders in his first season as head coach. He believes the former Toronto Argonauts defensive coordinator will provide the spark that will ignite the entire franchise.
“He (Mace) is going to bring a different type of energy, and enthusiasm, I can’t wait to see his intensity at practice and on game day, I really do think he’s going to be great in the community.”
As one of the holdovers from the 2023 season, Maugeri wants to help reverse the Roughriders fortunate after a pair of 6-12 campaigns with the Roughriders missing the playoffs both years.
“On to the next one, everyone has a chip on their shoulder, players included, we’re going to attack this thing, attack the offseason, hopefully put a product out there that everyone is proud of.”
The Roughriders special teams coordinator wants to finish the season with a dream ending.
“I want to drink out of that cup, come Grey Cup time.”
The Sportscage was live on location last week in Florida, a familiar surrounding for Maugeri, who splits his time between Saskatchewan during the football season and his other home in the Daytona Beach area.
During the football season, Maugeri brings his wife, Cathy and their three children (Blaine, Kylie, and Kaden) up north.
He doesn’t mind relocating to the south for the winter.
“Rather be shovelling sunshine instead of shovelling snow.”
Like a coach committed to his team, Maugeri says he’s succeeded as much as he has because of his wife.
“In order to be a coach, especially at this level, you got to have a wife, who’s all in, who can handle all that stuff and she does.”
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