Large and in charge: What it takes to eat like the Riders’ O-line

There’s big, there’s football player big, and then there’s Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive line big.

These are the men Corey Mace, head coach of the Green and White, affectionately refers to as “hogs” — and they don’t earn that title by skipping meals.

Head coach Corey Mace affectionately calls his offensive linemen ‘hogs’ — and with good reason. If you want a spot on the Roughriders’ O-line, you’d better be built for it. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

“You want those hogs up front to move the bodies,” Mace said. “If we can make it easier for those backs in the run game — to create space for them without contact — that’s the goal. You need a bigger body to do that.”

Translation: size matters. And to stay large and in charge, the Roughriders’ O-line spends as much time strategizing their meals as they do blocking blitzes.

Listen to Brittany Caffet talk to Corey Mace about the O-line:

Rise and grind

By the time most people are rolling out of bed and firing up the coffee maker, the Roughriders’ offensive linemen are already deep into meal number one — and we’re not talking about a banana and a granola bar.

“Mornings I like having a big, big breakfast bowl,” said Daniel Johnson, listing off his lineup: “Potatoes, eggs, sausages. Just mix that all up and then have some yogurt, dates and nuts.”

Daniel Johnson wakes up and downs a massive breakfast bowl — eggs, sausage, potatoes, the whole nine yards. By the time you’re sipping coffee, he’s halfway through his first thousand calories. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

When it comes to the most important meal of the day, Logan Ferland doesn’t mess around. “Nice, big breakfast, lots of eggs — whether it’s raw eggs in a smoothie or cooking a bunch of eggs,” he said.

Sometimes, it’s six raw eggs blended into a shake. Yes, raw.

And then there’s Jacob Brammer, who keeps it simple, but not small.

“I go through 30 a week,” he said, casually describing an egg haul that could feed an entire family for seven days.

It’s a breakfast that would hold many of us over until dinner. But for the Riders’ linemen, they’re just getting started.

Fueling the fire

The eating never really stops. It just shifts gears.

Around 10 a.m., Ferland is already reaching for snack number one — a couple of protein bars, maybe a shake.

“That’ll be like a 1,000-calorie shake,” he said matter-of-factly, as if knocking back what amounts to a full day’s calories for an average male before lunch is just standard operating procedure. For him, it is.

Logan Ferland runs his diet like a playbook — every calorie counted, every meal a tactical move. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Johnson tries to count calories, using MyFitnessPal to keep track of his intake. But reality doesn’t always co-operate.

“I try to count calories, but, you know, it’s a week or two and then the whole calorie count goes out the way,” he said.

When you’re busy constantly eating, it can be a struggle to find time to input that data into an app.

It’s not just about packing in calories — it’s about making those calories count. The linemen are constantly chasing balance: protein, carbs, healthy fats, recovery fuel. They try to eat clean, whole foods as much as they can, but even the most disciplined players have their weak spots.

“I try not to get packaged stuff. I try not to, but you know… I like the snacks. I love Fruit Sensations. That’s my go-to,” Johnson said with a grin.

The offensive line measures success by pounds lifted and plates cleared — and they don’t settle for less in either department. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Lunch: No time to let up

Midday is just another checkpoint in a marathon of eating for these athletes.

Ferland, ever the planner, tries to keep things consistent and calculated.

“Big lunch, trying to aim for at least 1,000 calories, depending on your macronutrient ratio,” he said.

Logan Ferland will do whatever it takes to get the calories in — including blending raw eggs into a smoothie without blinking. He tracks his macros, counts every calorie, and fuels like every meal is part of the game plan. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

And while meals are spread out across the day, that doesn’t mean they’re always convenient. Schedules shift, workouts run long, meetings stack up — so sometimes lunch comes late, or not at all. That’s when the pressure kicks in.

“You skip meals, and then you have to make up for it later in the day,” Johnson said. “I’m just trying to get calories in.”

Leaving nothing on the table

For Ferland, supper mirrors lunch — another carefully composed 1,000+ calories to round out a daily caloric intake goal that often hits 6,000.

All of that eating comes at a price.

“Not including supplements, I’m at least $1,000 a month,” Ferland said. “I spend more on groceries than rent.”

At family gatherings, even the anchor of the line knows when to hang back.

“I’ll usually wait until the back of the line so there’s some left,” he noted with a laugh. “Otherwise, they get a little mad.”

Brammer is also familiar with that feeling.

“They’re like, ‘OK, now we got to make more — Jacob’s coming!’” he joked.

Jacob Brammer crushes 30 eggs a week and still shows up hungry. At family dinners, the rule is simple: serve him last or risk running out. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

While his teammates are busy emptying plates, Johnson is helping fill them.

“I started baking this offseason with my cousins,” he said. “I’ve been trying loaf cakes this whole offseason. Chocolate chip, chocolate swirl, cinnamon… blueberry lemon loaf cake. My brother loved that one.”

But it’s not just about satisfying a sweet tooth. For Johnson, baking is part therapy, part training — a way to practice the same focus he brings to the field.

“With baking, it’s more perfection,” he said. “You have one thing wrong, and the whole thing goes wrong. That’s why I like it. You’ve really got to lock in.”

Just like on the football field, there’s no room for mistakes in the kitchen. No blown blocks. No sunken cakes. You follow the plan. You execute. You feed the machine.

Towering over defenders by day, Daniel Johnson turns into a baker by night, proving that even tough guys can have a sweet side. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

When eating becomes a job

Eating thousands of calories a day might sound like a dream, but getting to this level isn’t easy. Just ask Johnson.

“Coming to college, I was a tight end. I was 250 and I had to get to 300 pounds very quickly,” he said. “I learned how to turn off my brain to eat. I had to keep on eating, keep on eating, keep on eating.”

That pressure to always be fueling — even when they’re not hungry — is something the whole unit understands.

“Throughout the season, it’s like, ‘Ugh.’ Every time you sit down you’re like, ‘Alright, I should probably have something in my hand,’” Brammer lamented.

The only thing Jacob Brammer devours faster than opposing defenders? Breakfast. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)

Ferland admitted the daily grind of eating can wear on him.

“It does become a chore, for sure,” he said. “But at the same time, when I’m ready to be done and retired and hang up the cleats, it’s going to suck to stop eating because I love my food.”

The Roughriders’ offensive line isn’t just fueling up with food — they’re powering a team.

And as Corey Mace will tell you, their size isn’t just for show. It’s essential.

“Having their own gravitational pull in the pass protection makes it a little bit easier for the quarterback to sit back there and see what he needs to see,” Mace explained.

These Riders have big bodies, bigger appetites and even bigger hearts.

Just don’t stand between them and the buffet line.

When it comes to fueling up, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive line treats every meal like a full-contact drill — no seconds skipped, no calories spared. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)