‘It was awesome’: Ajou Ajou looks back on CFL Draft

Ajou Ajou knows the kind of opportunity that will present itself to CFL Draft hopefuls this week.

Ajou was a seventh-round selection by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2024 draft.

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“It was awesome. I will never forget that day,” Ajou told The Green Zone on Friday.

“Coach (Corey) Mace and (general manager Jeremy) O’Day, they took that chance and I didn’t let them down. It was an amazing day. My whole family was there – my mom, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins. It was a great day.”

The Brooks, Alta., product was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school in Alberta. He was recruited to the Clemson Tigers, one of the top NCAA football programs in the U.S. But it appeared issues plagued the wide receiver, as he transferred to South Florida in 2022 and then to Garden City in 2023.

He said he learned that you need to work hard to achieve your goals.

“That the grass will get greener wherever you water it. Just stay true to yourself and live by your principles and morals and values. Whatever it is you want, will come to fruition,” Ajou said.

After a lacklustre performance at the CFL combine, Ajou fell to the seventh round where the Riders eventually picked him.

“Coach Mace drafted me, and he was like, ‘OK kid, how do you feel like being a Roughrider?’ and then I was like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s do it.’ And then he said, ‘You’re not even supposed to be up here, so go ahead and do what you have to do and get back down there,’” Ajou said.

When given the opportunity in the 2024 draft season, Ajou took full advantage of it. In 12 games, he recorded 20 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns.

“Just stay true to myself and keep working and take it day by day,” he said. “Don’t get to anxious about the future. Leave the past in the past, and focus on what is going on right now.”

He also got a chance to feel what it was like to play in front of Rider Nation.

“It was awesome,” Ajou said.

“I was born in Calgary so I’m a (Calgary Stampeders) fan by default – but there’s no fans in the league like the Rider fans. Rider Nation brought it every game – everywhere I went, honestly.”

He turned that opportunity into a chance with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, and signed a futures contract with them.

This year’s draft takes place on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

So what advice does Ajou have for prospects about the opportunity the CFL can present?

“Just go in and prove yourself every day. Just keep betting on yourself. Stay true to yourself, stay true to your values, and work. Just keep working and keep working and keep working and it will come,” Ajou said.