Ramsey Derbas, a highly touted high school recruit from Saskatoon’s perennial powerhouse Holy Cross Crusaders program, had many options to continue his football career as he headed to university.
The Huskies rookie linebacker had to weigh the pros and cons of playing junior, playing at the university level and which school to attend before he ultimately decided to join his hometown University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
“I just felt like I was ready for this step and this would be the best place for me to become the best person and football player,” Derbas said on Aug. 18.
Beyond his athletic skill set, it’s what his coach calls “football intangibles” that make Derbas such a threat on defence. The way he thinks and sees the game has made him stand out to coaches and teammates alike as he prepares to join the Huskies.
“I think a lot of the intangibles are just what it is with Ramsey,” Huskies head coach Scott Flory said. “He’s just so smart, he’s so coachable. Some guys just get football, and he’s one of them. He just gets football.”
Fellow linebacker Tom Whiting echoed Flory’s comments.
“He’s just got a good attitude and he’s very smart, too,” Whiting added. “He just got into the playbook and figured it out really quick, better than me, for sure.”
Derbas, the 2018 Canada Cup Defensive MVP, hasn’t set any personal goals for his rookie season but should get an opportunity to be a difference-maker on the Saskatchewan defence.
“No numbers or anything like that, I just want to come out and, hopefully, help the team out,” he said. “Just try to do my job in whatever my role is and just do it to the best of my ability.”
Flory is confident the young rookie will excel in his first season with the Huskies.
“We all know he’s going to play,” he added. “He’s probably one of the smartest kids coming out of high school, from a football-savvy standpoint, that I’ve seen.”
And although Derbas has only spent a limited amount of time with the Huskies during both spring and fall training camps, he has already impressed his head coach.
“He’s exactly what I anticipated him to be and he’s come along so far in the short amount of time that he’s been here,” Flory said. “He’s going to have a great career as a Huskies football player.”