Many young football players aspire to someday make it all the way to the professional ranks, all while remaining well aware of the highly unfavourable odds.

Moreover, getting drafted by your hometown team and subsequently earning a spot on the opening-day roster the following season is merely a fantasy for most.

But for Andrew Buckley, it’s turned from fantasy to reality in the blink of an eye.

Born and raised in Calgary, Buckley attended Rundle College before joining the University of Calgary Dinos program in the fall of 2011, playing on the same McMahon Stadium field as his beloved Stamps.

After spending two seasons as the backup quarterback, Buckley went on to serve as the starting pivot for his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility, rewriting the record books along the way.

The now-22-year-old’s accomplishments with the Dinos include leading the first offence in Canada West history to break to 5,000-yard plateau in 2014, setting a CIS single-season record with 3,163 passing yards in 2015 and being named the Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the nation’s top player in each of his final two seasons. He was successful in the classroom as well, picking up academic all-Canadian honours.

Drafted by the Stampeders with the final pick of the 2014 CFL Canadian draft, Buckley returned to school for his senior season after attending training camp with the Red and White. This year, however, Buckley proved deserving of the third spot on the Stamps’ quarterback depth chart, becoming just the sixth Canadian signal caller in the club’s 71-year history.

“Basically, I didn’t get a phone call, which is a good thing,” explained Buckley on how he received word of his latest achievement. “No news is good news, so I just get to keep hanging around.”

Coming off the team’s final pre-season game against the Lions at BC Place – coincidentally, the identical opponent and location of Saturday’s regular-season opener – Buckley was satisfied with his final chance to showcase his abilities in light of a long and grueling process.

“I was pretty proud of how I played that last game,” Buckley expressed. “I thought it was a good game on my part and a good effort. So when we were flying out of there, I was in high hopes. There’s been a ton of pressure this last month that has been building this past year. It really is partly just a relief just to make the team and be able to settle in and keep on working and keep on improving.”

And in terms of the reaction from his family and friends, No. 15 has been truly appreciative of all those who have reached out to the local product since the news became official on Sunday.

“Just lots of supportive text messages and phone calls and stuff like that,” said Buckley when describing the outpouring of support. “Everyone’s pretty excited that I was able to crack the roster. It’s all excitement.”