‘A wonderful human being’: High school coach thrilled Logan Ferland is a Grey Cup champion

The Riders had nearly 400 yards in net offence in Sunday’s Grey Cup, including 93 yards rushing and 302 yards passing. Quarterback Trevor Harris, the MVP of the game, was not sacked in the contest and had a lot of time to find open receivers. His 85 per cent completion percentage was a Grey Cup record.

“Logan did such a great job, and he’s done a great job his entire career,” Rogers said.

As mentioned, Ferland got his start with the Melfort Comets – but not on the offensive line. Rogers said Ferland started high school football as a defensive back, but he said he didn’t have the footwork necessary to be in that position.

As Logan grew, his calling was the offensive line, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Ferland moved on from the Comets to the Regina Thunder and joined the Riders as a territorial junior during his time with the Thunder. After spending time on the practice roster, he started his career in 2021 and has been steadily getting better.

Rogers said Ferland has some key attributes that make him an exceptional offensive lineman, including his versatility. Ferland was a right guard but moved around the offensive line in 2024 due to injuries, and this season started at centre.

Ferland’s athleticism is also a huge factor in his success in the pro game.

“He is really athletic, he trains hard. You can see that in there,” Rogers explained. “A lot of people would maybe find it hard to believe that he’s over 300 pounds, because he doesn’t look like he’s over 300 pounds.”

Rogers said his athleticism and his willingness to train sets Ferland apart from many others at his position. In a post-game interview with TSN, A.J. Ouelette outlined Ferland’s willingness to study as a huge reason for the success of the running game, with Ferland staying up until midnight to study film to get an edge.

According to Rogers, film study is extremely valuable in learning more about a team’s defensive scheme and their tendencies, and also the habits and patterns of individual opposition players.

Winning a Grey Cup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders is especially meaningful for home-grown talents like Ferland, who told the Canadian Press post-game that this has been his dream since he started playing football.

“It’s very hard to fathom. I’m still pinching myself,” he said. “It’s going to take a while to soak in.”

Rogers said Ferland and the Riders have etched their names in history in Saskatchewan, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer man.

“He’s a great representative not just of the Riders but of the community and of himself and his family,” Rodgers said. “He’s active in Saskatchewan, he participates in the Rider Reading Programs and things like that, and it’s just really an indication of how much it means to those guys that are from the province to win for the province.”

The Comets head coach said Ferland is a great human being off the field.

“He’s humble but he’s confident. He’s willing to give his time to the people in his life, whether it’s his family or his friends or even back into our community,” Rogers said. “He comes back into Melfort and participates in all sorts of activities here around our community, and he’s just a wonderful human being.”

Ferland brings that service mentality to his role as a Saskatchewan Roughrider, as recognized by him receiving the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award, which is given to the player who best demonstrates the attributes of Canadian veterans including strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship, and contribution to Canadian communities.

“He’s just an outstanding individual, and it’s great that he was part of our community, and remains part of our community,” said Rogers.

The Rider victory is great for the entire province, said Rogers, and added it’s awesome that a kid from Melfort was part of the experience.

“I know that there were lots of people from Melfort that were either watching or at the game, and that’s great.”

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

by Cam Lee

‘A wonderful human being’: High school coach thrilled Logan Ferland is a Grey Cup champion

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