Watch above: The 15th annual Dogs’ Breakfast, one of the most anticipated mornings of the year, was yet another success for the Saskatchewan Huskies. Kim Thue introduces us to some of the new recruits.
SASKATOON – Twenty-five new recruits were introduced early Thursday morning at the 15th annual Dogs’ Breakfast. The young men put on the Saskatchewan Huskies jersey for the very first time.
“It’s an honour,” says linebacker Eric Thakurdeen, who comes to the Huskies from the Notre Dame Hounds. “I’m excited for the next five years. It’s going to be good.”
Defensive back Jacob Solie, who’s dad Greg played for the Huskies from ’83 to ’85, says suiting up for the Huskies is a dream come true.
“Starting from Grade 8, when I first starting playing tackle football, I wanted that ultimate goal of playing at the college level. When I got offered that opportunity I jumped on board.”
The 2015 recruiting class features a healthy dose of both high school stars and junior football standouts. The Huskies welcome eight former juniors from the Prairie Football Conference and four of them were All-Canadians: Wayndell Lewis, Ben Hodson, Brooks Falloon and Vince Greco.
READ MORE: Three former Hilltops ready to tackle new challenge with the Huskies
It’s more of the same in regards to the high school kids coming in, which includes a trio of players who suited up for Canada’s U-18 team: Ben Whiting, Payton Hall and Eric Thakurdeen.
The overall theme of this recruiting class however was defense. In specific; defensive backs and linebackers, which were 13 of the 25 players introduced on Thursday.
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“We didn’t have a lot of depth last year at either of those spots,” head coach Brian Towriss says of his defensive back and linebacker positions, making that a priority in this recruiting class.
“We got the three best high school kids that we thought were available, plus three All-Canadian juniors in those spots too.”
The eight junior players will have an opportunity to step in and make an impact right away. The players coming out of high school will have a tougher road in year one, but that road begins at this weekend’s spring camp.
“They wouldn’t have recruited me if they didn’t like my style of play,” says a confident Ben Whiting, who heads into spring camp looking to earn a spot in the defensive backfield.
“Everyone is good at this level, it’s just a matter of being consistent now and I think I can bring that to the team.”
Huskies spring camp resumes Friday, before wrapping up with Sunday’s Green and White scrimmage, which will be a great opportunity for the new recruits to leave a lasting impression heading into the summer.
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