There’s an opening next to Ciante Evans as one of the Stampeders starting cornerbacks in 2018.

And the man with the inside track, it appears, is Patrick Levels.

“Who the other corner will be? Not quite sure,” Stamps President and General Manager John Hufnagel said. “Patrick Levels most likely has the head start because of his play last year. We’re very confident that he can be an every down player.”

Levels, a 5-foot-11 defensive back from Dallas, is looking forward to the challenge of earning a starting role in just his second season with the team.

And he’s using Hufnagel’s words as a source of motivation right now.

“I mean, it just gives me more drive to train harder, stay focused and keep going,” he said. “Now I have an opportunity that as a little kid that you’ve been trying to get to, you’ve been playing for so long and now it’s here, so what are you going to do?

“I’ve been training like I’ve been taught to train. I’ve been working on my footwork, watching film on guys and making sure that my mind is ready and prepared when I come into camp. I know that I have an opportunity to be a starter, so I can’t go in there and take it for granted. I need to go in there and compete. There’s a reason why they even have that thought about me, so I’m trying to stay focused.”

During the 2017 season, Levels played in 12 games for the Stamps, getting his first career start in the team’s season-opener against the Ottawa RedBlacks on June 23.

Having come to Calgary after participating in the team’s mini-camp in Florida last year, the 23-year old worked his way onto the roster and into a consistent role, playing on defence and special teams.

Although he’d had no experience with the Canadian game, he was able to pick up and understand the idiosyncrasies quickly.

“Last year coming in, I had no knowledge of the CFL game and the rules and the way that the game was played,” admitted Levels. “After last season, getting my feet wet, and being able to play alongside Brandon Smith and Josh Bell, Jamar Wall, having Ciante Evans and Tommie Campbell as guys who guided me and taught me what to look for, it helped me prepare to be the player that I am. It’s not that I can’t play football, but I had to learn the ins and outs of the CFL, which is different than what I’m used to.

“I’ve been playing football since I was three years old. I think getting knowledgeable about the game was my biggest obstacle. I wasn’t coming in fully ready, knowing the intricacies of the game and the playbook. There were a lot of things going into it. But as the weeks went by, I started picking up things, learning the coverages, learning what things mean and I realized that things were similar to what I was used to.”

With help from the other defensive backs on the roster, Levels was extremely confident in his abilities going against some of the top receivers in the CFL.

Having the veterans on his side was a big help for him during his rookie campaign.

“I had Bell and Wall and everybody telling me that they believe in me and that gave me confidence,” Levels said. “Going out there, they can’t just throw at me because I’m a rookie. I’m still going to compete because this is what I do. Having those guys behind me and then going out there and putting my best foot forward, that was a confidence boost for me.”

With his confidence high and an offseason to work hard on his craft, Levels is ready to take his game to the next level.

“I plan to come in and play my role, but dominate my role at the same time,” said Levels. “Not to do anything outside of what I’m supposed to be doing within the plays, but going out there and letting people know that I’m here to dominate every play and I’m going to compete.”