The Saskatchewan Roughriders have finalized their coaching staff for the 2024 season under head coach Corey Mace, bringing sweeping change to Riderville.
New to the team are receivers coach Marquay McDaniel, offensive line coach Edwin Harrison, pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Josh Bell, defensive line coach Phillip Daniels, linebackers coach and run game coordinator J.C. Sherritt, defensive assistant Jordan Linnen, and assistant special teams coach Jeff Higgins.
Anthony Vitale, who was Saskatchewan’s offensive line coach a year ago, will now serve as the running backs coach.
“I am elated to have our 2024 coaching staff in place — a group that brings hands-on experience as players and coaches alongside championship pedigrees,” head coach Corey Mace said in a statement. “This staff is filled not only with excellent teachers, communicators and leaders, but also with exceptional people. I am looking forward to seeing them implement their knowledge and influence the men who will take the field for the Green and White.”
The group joins Mace, who will also serve as the team’s defensive coordinator, as well as offensive coordinator Marc Mueller and special teams coordinator Kent Maugeri.
McDaniel spent the past two seasons as the receivers coach with the Calgary Stampeders following one-year coaching stints with the McMaster Marauders and Montreal Alouettes. The 39-year-old played 133 career CFL games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Stampeders, recording 7,366 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns.
Harrison spent the last two seasons in Toronto as the club’s running backs coach and run game coordinator, coaching A.J. Ouellette to his first 1,000-yard season in the CFL. The 39-year-old played six seasons along the offensive line with the Calgary Stampeders following a two-year stint in the NFL, helping the team win the Grey Cup in 2014.
Bell spent the past two seasons as the defensive backs coach with the Argonauts after a three-year stint with Calgary in the same capacity. The 38-year-old played three seasons in the NFL before a six-year CFL career with the B.C. Lions and Stampeders. He won a Grey Cup with Calgary in 2014 and was named a West Division all-star in 2015.
Daniels most recently served as the defensive line coach for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL in 2023, though he previously served in the same role with the Philadelphia Eagles when he helped the team win Super Bowl LII. The 50-year-old native of Donalsonville, Ga. played in the NFL for 15 seasons as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Washington Football Team. His son, DaVaris Daniels, plays receiver for the Toronto Argonauts.
Sherritt spent the past four years working in the NCAA at Washington State, Auburn, and Cal Poly, serving in a variety of roles that included defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, and defensive analyst. The 35-year-old native of Truckee, Calif. played eight seasons in the CFL as a member of the Edmonton Football Team during which he recorded 528 tackles, 15 sacks, 14 interceptions, and seven fumble recoveries. He was named the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2012 and won the Grey Cup in 2015.
Linnen spent the past two seasons as the running backs coach with the Edmonton Elks, helping Kevin Brown reach his first 1,000-yard season in 2023. The native of Surrey, B.C. coached at Simon Fraser University for four years prior to his first job in the CFL, which followed a playing career with the B.C. Lions, Montreal Alouettes, Manitoba Bisons, Acadia Axemen, and Langley Rams.
Higgins most recently served as the head coach of the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League but has previously served as a guest coach at CFL training camp on four different occasions. He spent 17 years as a head coach at the high school level in Florida and New York, including 10 years with Corinth Central School.
