Quarterback Trevor Harris and linebacker Jameer Thurman each earned unanimous decisions to claim back-to-back team awards, the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced Thursday. In total, six Roughriders were recognized for their individual play this season. The CFL awards are voted on by representatives of the Football Reporters of Canada from each CFL city and each team’s head coach for six categories: From the team awards, three players from across the league will be nominated for each of the league awards before ultimately, one is chosen as the winner. Traditionally, the CFL hosted a league awards night as part of Grey Cup week. However, that is not the case this season. “In lieu of a traditional awards ceremony, the league will introduce a fresh new approach to recognizing the winners of CFL Awards,” the league said in a statement Thursday. “Recipients will be honoured through special surprise presentations as the season draws to a close and during the postseason, creating more personal and intimate moments to celebrate players’ outstanding seasons.” Here are the Roughriders’ nominees for 2026: Most Outstanding Player – Trevor Harris, QB For a second-straight season, quarterback Trevor Harris highlights Saskatchewan’s team award winners as the team’s MOP. “It’s an honour,” Harris told reporters Thursday. “You know me, I’m not too concerned about that, I always want to just make sure I’m doing the best I can for this team.” Not only was this season one of the best of his career, but it is also one of the best in franchise history. He enters the final weekend with a league-high 5,370 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes. There are only three other instances of a Roughrider passing for 5,000-plus yards in a season. “I’m very thankful to my teammates,” Harris added. “KeeSean had a tremendous year; [Kian Schaffer-Baker] going over 1,000 yards in 11 games, the offensive line playing superb and coach [Marc] Mueller calling it really, really well. It’s a total team effort regardless of who’s to this honour.” The 2025 Grey Cup MVP has thrown for 300 or more yards in nine games this season, including two outings with more than 400 yards. He has also thrown four touchdown passes in a game twice. Most recently, Harris connected with KeeSean Johnson for a 17-yard touchdown late in the game to give Saskatchewan a 16-12 win over Montreal and clinch a playoff berth. “It’s an incredible season he’s had,” said head coach Corey Mace. “With the rotation of receivers he’s had, what am I to tell you: Trevor’s a good quarterback. Extremely proud of him and I know – for him – it was big to be able to go through the entire season healthy.” Harris is the first Roughrider to win back-to-back MOP nominations since Cody Fajardo in 2019 and 2021. However, only twice has a Saskatchewan player gone on to win the league MOP award – including the award’s namesake, George Reed (1967-69), along with Kent Austin (1990-92). “Just because you throw for a certain amount of yards doesn’t mean you’re playing the better football,” Harris said. “And because you throw for a lower amount of yards, you’re not playing good football.” “Some of my better games have been with lesser output, but I feel like I’ve played pretty good football this year for the most part; the most important thing is we as a unit are playing our best going into playoffs.” Most Outstanding Canadian – Kian Schaffer-Baker, WR Despite playing a little more than half the season, receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker earned the Roughriders’ MOC nomination for the second time in his career. Playing in just 11 of the 17 games to date, Schaffer-Baker still put up career highs in most major receiving categories, including his first 1,000 yard receiving season. “Every time I step out on that field, I leave everything out there,” he said. “Could more have been left out here, no, I don’t think so. I did everything I possibly could have done with the opportunity I was given. Sometimes injuries come into place or whatever setback it is but I kept grinding, I kept working, I didn’t quit.” The Guelph, Ont. product caught 67 passes for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 91.5 receiving yards per game, third-best in the CFL. Schaffer-Baker has recorded four 100-yard games this season, including a career-high 185 receiving yards against Edmonton on July 23. He had multiple touchdown receptions in two games and caught at least five passes in seven games. His season-high 11 receptions came in Saskatchewan’s season-opening win over the B.C. Lions, when he also recorded 165 receiving yards. “He’s a fan favourite [because] of how he interacts with people, but I’d also like to say it’s because of the things he does on the field,” Mace said. “He’s an incredible football player, and you just look at the body of work through 11 games – what could be, we don’t know.” Schaffer-Baker’s 1,000 receiving yards in 11 games ties him for the second-fastest pace in Roughriders history. Entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against Edmonton, Schaffer-Baker needs one reception to match his career high of 68, set in 2022 – when he earned his first MOC nomination. He was also named the team’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2021. “There’s no one person out there doing it on their own,” added Schaffer-Baker. “It takes every single one of us to win.” Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Jameer Thurman, LB Alongside Harris, linebacker Jameer Thurman also earned a unanimous decision for the Roughriders MODP award in 2026. For the second straight year, the veteran linebacker posted another productive season anchoring Saskatchewan’s defence. “It means a lot,” Thurman said. “I’m very thankful and appreciative of the award; it just shows the work I put in each and every week. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be here without the guys on this team pushing me every single week to be who I am.” The team captain ranks fifth in the CFL with 99 defensive tackles through 17 games, surpassing his previous career high of 97, set with Hamilton in 2023. Thurman has also recorded three sacks, five tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and two pass knockdowns. He has five or more defensive tackles in 13 games this season and has recorded 100 total tackles, including special teams. His season-high nine defensive tackles and added a sack in Saturday’s 16-12 win over Montreal, helping the Roughriders clinch a playoff berth. Ninety-nine defensive tackles put Thurman within reach of becoming the latest Roughrider to record a 100-tackle season, a milestone reached just 12 times previously in franchise history – a key contributor to a Saskatchewan defence that has allowed an average of 27.3 points per game. “I sacrificed more turnovers for tackles this year because I’m on pace to have a career high and that’s what I’m going to say on that part,” the middle linebacker noted. “I feel like I could have been a lot better. But I am thankful for where I am and there’s still a lot of work to do there.” With his second-straight MODP award, Thurman becomes the first Roughrider to win the honour in consecutive years since Tyron Brackenridge in 2012 and 2013. Thurman is the seventh player in franchise history to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman – Logan Ferland, OL Dependable centre Logan Ferland represents Saskatchewan as the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman this season – the fourth time in five seasons he has been nominated for the award. The Melfort, Sask. product anchored the Roughriders offensive line that has allowed the second-fewest sacks in the CFL this season, with 24 through 17 games. The protection has helped Trevor Harris lead the league with 5,370 passing yards. “There’s a lot of guys very deserving of this award, and it really is a team award on the offensive line,” Ferland said. “No guy can win this without the help of the other guy beside him, so it really goes out to those guys and I’m just very grateful.” Ferland has also played a key role at centre for short-yardage specialist Tommy Stevens, who has rushed for 15 touchdowns this season. Ferland was born in Saskatoon and grew up in Kindersley and Melfort before moving to Regina to play for the Prairie Football Conference’s Regina Thunder. He recently played his 100th game with Saskatchewan after becoming a starter on the offensive line in 2021. He spent his graduating year with the Thunder in 2019 on the Roughriders’ practice roster. Ferland was named the West Division’s MOOL in 2024. He is the fifth Roughrider to be nominated at least four times, joining Roger Aldag (nine), Gene Makowsky (five), Jeremy O’Day (four) and Brendon LaBatte (four). Teammate Jermarcus Hardrick is the CFL’s reigning MOOL, winning the league award last season. “I don’t think I’m there yet,” Ferland responded when asked about being mentioned among that list of players. “Those are some very big shoes to fill. It is an honour when you do hear your name mentioned amongst those guys but I really try to stay humble and continue grinding each day to get better.” Most Outstanding Rookie – Daniel Wiebe, WR A second Saskatchewan product is being recognized for a standout rookie season. Daniel Wiebe, the former University of Saskatchewan Huskie wideout, has earned the Riders’ Most Outstanding Rookie award. “I attribute a lot of that success to [my teammates and coaches],” Wiebe quickly said. “That leadership shown all throughout the season has been amazing. To back up some of those vets means a lot; I’ve learned so much from them and just having that guidance from all those guys in the locker room means a lot.” Selected in the eighth round of the 2025 CFL Draft, Wiebe has caught 20 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.8 yards per reception in 13 games in 2026. “It’s been a crazy journey,” he said. “Last offseason, I wasn’t too sure where I’d be at come [training] camp and to be able to get there and play, that means a lot. To be out there playing, helping out the team, it’s really a lot to look back on.” He has also returned 19 punts for 230 yards, an average of 12.1 yards per return, while starting five games for Saskatchewan. Wiebe made an immediate impression in his CFL debut on June 26 against the Toronto Argonauts, recording his first catch, a 31-yard reception, and his first touchdown. He has recorded six catches in a game twice, including a season-high 88 receiving yards against the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 2, when he also caught a touchdown pass. His longest reception of the season was a 72-yarder in the Labour Day Classic win over Winnipeg. “Having conversations with him through the offseason about the expectations of, ‘Hey, these are the things you need to do to make the team,” Mace explained. “He’s done an excellent job and what a cool moment for him to be able to represent our team this way.” Born in Rosetown and raised on a farm near Herschel, Wiebe is the sixth Saskatchewan-born player to earn the Roughriders’ MOR nomination and the first since Levi Steinhauer in 2013. Wiebe and Steinhauer are also the only University of Saskatchewan Huskies graduates to receive the honour. “The support from everyone has been absolutely crazy,” Wiebe said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for that. And to be doing it for the hometown, playing with the Riders, it’s a dream come true.” Most Outstanding Special Teams Player - Melique Straker, LB Since being selected in the fourth round (32nd overall) of the 2024 CFL Draft by the Roughriders, Melique Straker has quickly established himself as one of the CFL’s top special teams contributors. “It’s real when you are who you think you are,” Straker said Thursday. “Being represented in that way, or noticed in that way, is cool. It just lines up to how I see myself.” Through 17 games this season, he ranks third in the league with 21 special teams tackles, recording at least one in 14 games.Straker matched his career high with four special teams tackles in Saskatchewan’s 32-26 overtime victory over Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic on Sept. 6. He first reached that mark on Aug. 3, 2024, against Edmonton. The Brampton, Ont. product and Mississippi State alumni has made his presence felt through his physical play and relentless effort, helping set the tone for Roughriders special teams units, that currently sit first in the league in kickoff returns (23.85-yard average) and opponent punt returns (11.1 yards), second in opponent kickoff returns (19.5 yards) and third in punt returns (13.3 yards). “I see myself as the best,” he added. “The fact that lines up on the stat sheet and it’s how I’m viewed by my peers, my coaches and others around the league is awesome.”
