After months of recruiting, untold hours of preparation and three weeks of training camp, the UBC Thunderbirds Football team is ready to officially kickstart the 2025 Canada West campaign this Thursday, August 28 when the Manitoba Bisons visit Vancouver for only time this regular season.
Both programs have undergone substantial changes since they last met in the final week of 2024. Most notably, T-Birds fans will get their first look at a revamped offence which will feature new starters at both quarterback and running back following the graduation of All-Stars
Garrett Rooker and
Isaiah Knight. Training camp featured stiff competition at both positions, as well as at receiver, with last week's pre-season contest at Saskatchewan helping UBC's coaching staff solidify their final decisions.
"We met as a staff the next day and finalized our first week depth chart. Decisions were made, some were difficult and some were easier," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill who remains one win away from moving into sole possession of second all time in T-Birds history. "We're moving forward now and the thing to always remember with a football program is that decisions aren't final, they can change. Sometimes it's because of you, as a coach, sometimes it's circumstances that you don't have control of, like an injury. Football moves, so don't expect these decisions to remain constant."
Thursday evening will also mark the regular season debut for new T-Birds' defensive coordinator, Noah Cantor. The former long-time CFLer is no stranger to UBC having served on Nill's coaching staff since the 2022 season but now takes on a much more prominent role with former DC
Pat Tracey moving into the special teams coordinator's office.
"Noah Cantor's going to be an extraordinary, successful coordinator," said Nill. "He has a great football mind and is a strong mentor to his athletes. He's a former all-Canadian himself, a Grey Cup champion, and successful businessman – he's the kind of leader these young men are attracted to and he's surrounded by a great group of assistant coaches including Domanique Termansen who we're very fortunate to have back again. Coach
Shomari Williams is just invaluable to the program and we're even able to bring Wayne Harris back for another season, so I'm very happy and eager to watch this defence under coach Cantor's leadership."
Manitoba's coaching staff changes are even more significant heading into 2025 as for the first time in 30 years, Brian Dobie is no longer at the helm of the Bisons, retiring last fall while former defensive coordinator, Stan Pierre, has been promoted to the head coaching role. Regardless though, many pieces from last year's 7-1 Bisons squad return, including quarterback Jackson Tachinski, while the program's identity remains the same.
"Manitoba over the last five years has become more and more consistent, not only in retaining their athletes, but in their play. They're starting to develop a culture that points them in the direction of success and we've had our hands full for the last half decade. They are extremely talented, coached very well and I'm expecting them to come in and give us everything we can manage."
Like the Thunderbirds, who finished the 2024 campaign 5-3 and in second place, the Bisons had their season ended prematurely with an upset Hardy Cup semifinal loss. Ranked eighth in the inaugural U SPORTS Top 10 of 2025, Manitoba will undoubtedly enter week one feeling like they have something to prove, just as the T-Birds do.
The Bisons swept last year's season series over UBC, including a 33-10 week two result at Thunderbird Stadium which put pushed the 'Birds to an 0-2 start to the season. It's a scenario the blue and gold are desperate to avoid repeating.
"Every team in Canada West has the ability to go 1-0 or 0-1 after the first week, that's how close it is. For us, we're at home, we have to make the most of that and that's what we're focussed on doing."
The 'Birds and Bisons kickoff the new season 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Thunderbird Stadium.
Tickets are available online and the game will also be streamed live on
Canada West TV.
