Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Ajou Ajou (80) runs the ball against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of CFL football action in Regina, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025.
Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Ajou Ajou (80) runs the ball against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of CFL football action in Regina, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025.
After wearing blue and white, Ajou Ajou is happy to be back in green.
Following a tryout with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts this summer, the 23-year-old receiver rejoined the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Aug. 28 and was inserted into the lineup just three days later in the Labour Day Classic against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
While he had a small role in the offence due to limited practice time, Ajou saw more opportunity last week in the Banjo Bowl and is now expected to see his workload increase on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN) when the Roughriders (10-2) host the Montreal Alouettes (5-7) at Mosaic Stadium in Week 15 of the CFL season.
“It’s been good,” Ajou said of rejoining the Riders. “Good to get back with the guys and build camaraderie again.
“Way more confident in the plays just seeing them for a second time. But also in my capability to play with these boys.
“I feel like I can definitely solidify myself as a playmaker in this offence whether that’s blocking or making plays.”
In order to relearn the Riders playbook, Ajou said he spent hours in the meeting room with offensive coordinator Marc Mueller, receivers coach Marquay McDaniel and offensive assistant Josh Donnelly before making his season debut after one full day of practice.
“It just goes to show that they definitely trust me as a playmaker in this offence and my ability to relearn the playbook,” said Ajou. “I just had 256 other plays in my brain, plus all the motions and whatnot.
“I was in here at like 5 a.m. every day. Just meeting with them and then after time, it was just like, ‘OK, yeah, I remember.’ ”
And his ability to pick up on what he learned last year in his rookie CFL season gave head coach Corey Mace the confidence to put Ajou into the lineup so soon after rejoining the team.
“We gave him a sample size of stuff that he felt comfortable with,” said Mace. “It’s a lot of stuff that he retained from the time here previous.
“And then just him spending the extra hours with the coaches and Quay and Muells and the quarterbacks, just to make sure that he was OK.
“We felt confident with the role that we had for him. And then obviously, as weeks progress on, he’s getting more and more stuff and more and more comfortable.”
In his first game back, Ajou made two catches for eight yards, including a two-point convert which proved to be the winning points in the Labour Day Classic, before grabbing one pass for seven yards in the Banjo Bowl.
Now the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is hoping a breakout performance is around the corner.
“I feel like the game has definitely slowed down a lot,” said Ajou. “I’m fine tuning details in the meeting rooms and whatnot.
“So it’s just a matter of time before that happens.”
After spending the last several months with the Colts before being released, Ajou was also intently watching his former teammates when they opened their regular season schedule on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
“It definitely makes me more hungry knowing that I had opportunity to go down there, and it didn’t go all the best, but I learned a lot,” said Ajou, who had four catches for 27 yards in three pre-season games with Indianapolis. “And every loss is a lesson at the end of the day.
“I’m just staying hungry, staying vigilant; keep working, never get complacent.”
Even though he has relearned Saskatchewan’s playbook since coming back to the CFL, Ajou didn’t forget the play calls the Colts were running in their 33-8 win.
“I was just like, ‘Oh, that’s that play. Oh, that’s that play,’ ” he said.
He was also rooting for some of his new friends, who “welcomed him with open arms.”
“The guys were good,” said Ajou. “Jonathan Taylor, freaking all-pro (running) back, I mean you would think he would be Hollywood, and he’s just a guy, man. He’s just outgoing, he’s good to be around, easy to talk to, he never had an ego; nothing like that.
“And that’s all the guys in the locker room, honestly.”
After holding a walk through on Tuesday, the Roughriders had a full day of practice on Wednesday and a few starters were once again not participating.
Cornerbacks Tevaughn Campbell (head) and Marcus Sayles (leg) were both absent as Benny Sapp III and Kerfalla Exume got starting reps on Wednesday.
Mace said both Campbell and Sayles are “day-to-day” and wouldn’t indicate which one has a better chance to play on Saturday.
“We’ll see,” said Mace. “Potentially we get both of them, but one of them might be a little bit game-time (decision) potentially. The other one I expect out here tomorrow.”
Safety Kosi Onyeka, who made his first start in the Banjo Bowl, continued to get reps with the starters on Wednesday with Jaxon Ford (knee) and Nelson Lokombo (ankle) missing another day of practice.
Linebacker C.J. Reavis (leg) was limited as Antoine Brooks Jr. got the majority of the reps with the starters while fullback Albert Awachie (hand) was also a non-participant for the second straight day after playing in the Banjo Bowl.
Meanwhile, receiver Samuel Emilus (knee) was limited as he slowly makes his way back into full form after missing the last five games while fellow receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker was also on the field doing individual work as he looks to make his return to the lineup in the coming weeks.
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