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On the opening morning of rookie camp and in advance of the veterans’ arrival on Sunday, 60 football players took to the new turf to get their first taste of Stampeders practice.
One of the first things you’ll notice as you scan the field is the abundance of big players at each position.
And that’s not a coincidence.
“I think as a whole we decided we wanted to get bigger,” said Cole Hufnagel, who enters his 10th season as the Stampeders director of U.S scouting. “I think we did that not only with the rookie class this year, but with the draft and the free agents we signed.
“Let’s get bigger, taller, longer and I think we accomplished that for sure. I’m excited to see all of them come on out and compete for jobs.”
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From the receivers to the defensive backs, this iteration of the Stampeders is looking bigger heading into the club’s 80th season.
As Hufnagel mentioned, the Red and White found size during free agency with the signings of Dominique Rhymes (6-foot-4) and Tevin Jones (6-foot-3). Then the club drafted 6-foot-6 receiver Damien Alford with the first overall pick, as well as 6-foot-4 quarterback-turned-tight end Quincy Vaugn at 17th overall.
Some Americans hitting the field at rookie camp include 6-foot-3 defensive back Sam Mathews from Texas A&M, 6-foot-3 Wake Forest linebacker Marquel Lee – who had a brief stint with the Stamps at the end of the 2024 season – and 6-foot-5 receiver Tykee Ogle-Kellogg out of Texas at San Antonio.
But when and where do the scouts start when looking for these towering talents?
“The scouting world really is every day of the year,” said Hufnagel who first became a pro scout in 2011 for the New York Jets.
“You’re looking at players, agents are calling you, coaches are letting you know about guys, even current players on the team are always talking about players they know who are looking for job opportunities.
“There’s really no downtime in scouting. Obviously, leading up to training camp is when you’re really grinding and trying to fill the roster out and make sure you have the best players coming into camp to compete for jobs.
“But then training camp happens and injuries happen during the season, so you’re always making sure you got your ‘short list’ or ‘hot list’ of players that are available, that they have passports, they’re healthy and they want to come up (to Canada).
“That’s kind of how it goes once training camp is over and you get into the season.”
Hufnagel provides insight on how the scouting process works when getting ready for the following season:
“Preparing for 2025, the end of the season we have this expansion (practice) roster for about a month and that’s really the first step towards the next year. Honestly, you start signing future players in late September or early October for the following year to get the baseline of guys who are looking for jobs but don’t have the opportunity at that time of the year slash playoffs.
“Once the season is over, you’re gearing up for all-star games, heading down to Texas and Florida and other places in the south. That’s when you get your first glance at NCAA guys who will be eligible for the next draft.”