Most of the country's top draft-eligible football players will be in Regina from March 21 to 23 for the annual Canadian Football League Combine.
For Saskatchewan Huskies' linebacker Lane Novak, the weekend will be a homecoming for the Balgonie native.
“Growing up in Saskatchewan, being a Rider fan, being around Riderville -- the CFL was the pinnacle.”
The six-foot-one, 225-pound linebacker has spent the last four seasons in Saskatoon with the Huskies, building a resume to earn an invite to the combine, which he knows is a job interview.
“It's nine of them in the same weekend. There are other components to it, of course, but that's what it is. The CFL is a job. It's a business.”
Novak will compete in the individual skills and interview with various CFL teams in attendance, then wrap up his weekend with four practices in two days. He is confident in his training leading up to the combine.
“ As a linebacker, you have to be able to do them all and be able to do them all well," Novak said about the athletic testing drills. "Definitely being able to practice and train those gets you feeling good and a little more confident going into that.”
Novak, though, hasn’t set targets for testing.
“There are definitely goals that I have in mind. Less about a certain number but more a certain range. I might be shooting for the top of the pack and others I want to be in the middle of the pack. Ultimately, I'm trying to get myself as prepared and get the numbers as best as possible.”
In 2024 with the Huskies, Novak recorded 25 solo tackles, including two tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, and one interception. At the combine, he admits his biggest opponent will be himself.
“I guess it would have to be. I’m not letting myself get in the way of succeeding there. It's a competition against the other 90 guys that will be there trying to show your best.”
In addition to the workouts on the field, the combine also includes an interview component that Novak is preparing for.
“There are a few questions that you expect them to ask, but you can't know exactly what they're going to ask or how they will approach it. I've prepped a bit, trying to figure out how some people will interview me. Go in there with a positive attitude, a smile and give the best answers I can truthfully.”
Novak will have that smile on his face Friday when the CFL Combine begins beside Mosaic Stadium, 29 kilometres from his hometown of Balgonie.
