REGINA – University of Regina Rams head coach Mike Gibson announced Wednesday the first four members of his first recruiting class, including quarterback Ellis Richards, offensive lineman Liam Jensen, and defensive linemen Ajai Washington and Matthew Moore.
“This is the first group we’ve announced, and I’m extremely excited about all four of them,” Gibson said. “They’re all athletic, they all bring something to the football field, and more importantly they’re going to be good fits in this program. As a group, they’re a great starting point and I’m glad they’re going to be Rams.”
Richards and Moore both hail from Regina, while Jensen’s hometown is Watrous – about 175 kilometres north of the city. Washington, who calls Dallas, Texas home, is the lone out-of-province recruit in the first batch of recruits.
Ellis Richards took over as the starting quarterback for Sheldon-Williams Collegiate in Regina when he was still in Grade 9, and ended up as a three-year starter under centre for the Spartans as he missed the 2013 season due to injury. He returned to full strength last fall in his Grade 12 year, and finished his Sheldon-Williams career with 1857 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, and three rushing touchdowns. He’s no stranger to the University of Regina, as his older brother Addison Richards has been a receiver with the Rams since the 2011 campaign.
“Ellis is a fine young quarterback and I like a lot of things about him,” Gibson said. “He carries himself like a quarterback should. I like his leadership, I like his ability to throw the football, and I like his resilience. He had a major injury a couple years ago and worked extremely hard to get back onto the field. I think he’s going to have a bright future here with us.”
Liam Jensen comes to the Rams as a three-time provincial champion, winning 2A six-man titles with the Winston HS Wildcats in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He’s also got high-level experience in 12-man football, as Jensen was named to the Team Saskatchewan Green team that won a silver medal at the 2014 Football Canada Cup in Saskatoon.
“You really shouldn’t have favourites, but I’ll be honest with you – Liam’s one of my favourites,” Gibson said. “My first week here, I had a chance to meet him and he’s a football player. He’s a tough-looking guy and he’s got some nastiness to him. He’s played six-man football up to this point, but I think he’s going to adapt quickly and bring a ton of physicality to our offensive line.”
Ajai Washington will graduate from Woodrow Wilson HS in Dallas this spring. He’s been a huge part of Wilson’s defensive line the past few seasons, earning first-team all-district honours last fall as a senior. Washington was part of the 2013 Wilson team that went 10-2 overall, a perfect 7-0 in district, and advanced to the area finals of the Texas 4A state tournament.
“Ajai will play weak-side defensive end for us, and he’s a CFL player if I’ve ever seen one with his ability to run sideline to sideline,” Gibson said. “He might be a bit undersized, but he more than makes up for that with his tenacity and he’s got a great future ahead of him in the CIS. I think Ajai will have a great chance to play professionally when he finishes his Rams career.”
Like Jensen, Matthew Moore finished his high school career as a three-time provincial champion with 4A titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014 with Dr. Martin LeBoldus HS. He earned a total of three Schwann Conference all-star selections during his time with the Golden Suns, including at offensive line in both 2012 and 2014 and at defensive line in 2014.
“Matt might be a little undersized like Ajai, but he plays the game at about 100 miles per hour,” Gibson said. “He uses his leverage very well and gets underneath people, and I think he’s one of the best – if not the best – linemen coming out of high school in this province this year. He’s at a position where we need some help because we don’t have a lot of numbers there, and I think Matt will follow along in the footsteps of a few of the other fine linemen we’ve had from LeBoldus.”
The Rams are expected to announce an additional group of recruits next week.
2015 University of Regina Rams Recruiting Class
OL Liam Jensen • 6-2 / 300 • Watrous, Sask. (Winston HS)
DL Matthew Moore • 6-1 / 260 • Regina, Sask. (Dr. Martin LeBoldus HS)
QB Ellis Richards • 6-0 / 205 • Regina, Sask. (Sheldon-Williams Collegiate)
DL Ajai Washington • 6-3 / 230 • Dallas, Texas (Woodrow Wilson HS)
OL Liam Jensen • 6-2 / 300 • Watrous, Sask. (Winston HS)
DL Matthew Moore • 6-1 / 260 • Regina, Sask. (Dr. Martin LeBoldus HS)
QB Ellis Richards • 6-0 / 205 • Regina, Sask. (Sheldon-Williams Collegiate)
DL Ajai Washington • 6-3 / 230 • Dallas, Texas (Woodrow Wilson HS)
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