Arriving for his second training camp as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, running back A.J. Ouellette is nearly unrecognizable.
For starters, he shed 25 pounds during the off-season following some trash talk with co-workers at his home gym in Ohio.
“I have a sports performance gym back home,” Ouellette said. “I was sitting in the sauna and people were talking about not being able to stick to a diet or something like that. We were like, ‘Everybody throw $100 in, let’s see who has the best transformation in two months.’
“We had like nine people in and every person in the competition looks amazing after the transformation.”
Ouellette may have finished second place in that competition, but he’s optimistic his off-season regimen will lead to a top place finish with the Roughriders in 2025.
Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace shares that outlook as the start of the CFL season nears.
“We still identify him as the man that we thought he was when we brought him in,” Mace said. “He’s in better shape, no doubt. I think having [running backs coach] Andrew Harris on board as well is going to put a different dynamic for them and how these guys run the ball. I’m just excited to see him take off.”
Harris joined the Roughriders coaching staff in January, which means Ouellette has been reunited with this former backfield partner from the Toronto Argonauts.
Their goal this season will be helping Ouellette bounce back from 2024, which was marred by a mid-season hip injury and significant time on the shelf. He played only eight games last year and ended the campaign with fewer than 600 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“I don’t think A.J. is happy with last year,” Harris said. “His expectations are high, as are mine. For us as a tandem, as a coach and player, we’re just trying to check those boxes every day. Making sure that we’re consistent and doing the right things.”
Ouellette admited his first training camp in Saskatchewan was difficult as he adjusted to Mace’s first-year system and got his feet under him as a big free-agent signing in early 2024 following a breakout season in Toronto.
The difference this year, he said, has been night and day, with a stable group of teammates and play calls.
“[The 2024 season] kind of sucked because it was my first time here,” Ouellette said. “I kind of had to prove myself. New team, new coaching staff, you’re just trying to show that you are the person that everybody writes about. You’re trying to do everything extra, you’re not really protecting yourself out there. This year, the coaches are doing a little bit better at protecting me.”
Despite feeling quicker and more elusive following his off-season workout routine, Ouellette is still calling himself a “power back” entering the 2025 campaign.
He says he has plenty of room to grow and get back to his 2023 form, a season in which he eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground and landed on the Roughriders’ radar.
“My role is to do what’s asked of me,” Ouellette said. “Still be the best pass-blocker I can be, make my productivity better in the run game. We were looking at my stats from a few years ago to this past year. We’re just trying to get back to some old numbers and just try to win every game.”
Ouellette and the Roughriders will hold their annual Green and White Day at SMF Field in Saskatoon on Saturday, featuring the team’s State of the Nation address to fans at 1:45 p.m. before a full roster scrimmage at 4 p.m.
The Roughriders head to Winnipeg for their first pre-season game, where they will meet the Blue Bombers on May 24.