Homegrown CFL Talent Get to know Canadians in the Grey Cup: Tiger Shanks, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Nelson Lokombo By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 6:07 PM CST Friday, Nov. 14, 2025

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This article was published 14/11/2025 (299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are among the brightest homegrown talents playing in the 112th Grey Cup on Sunday. Get a peek behind the curtains with Canadians Tiger Shanks, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Nelson Lokombo.

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Tiger Shanks, Montreal Alouettes

Hometown: Vancouver

Age: 23

Position: Offensive lineman

Height: 6-5

Weight: 325 pounds

Notable: A 2025 first-round (fifth-overall) draft pick of the Alouettes, Shanks filled in for an injured Jamar McGloster at right tackle in Week 14 and did not relinquish the job.

Do you have a pregame ritual or superstition?

Getting out (on the field) a little bit early. I wouldn’t say it’s something that I do every single time the same way, but it’s something that I have to get done before I feel comfortable (playing). Just get a feeling of the turf, get a feeling for what I’m about to be playing on, get my mind right before all the fans get here.

If you could invite three celebrities (alive or dead) to your Grey Cup party, who’s on the guest list?

Damian Lillard because I’m from Portland; Michael Jordan because he’s the GOAT; and then Kobe (Bryant).

If you weren’t playing football, which sport would you want to go pro in?

Definitely basketball. I think you can tell from my last answer, I love playing basketball. Played it since I was young.

What’s your most impressive physical ability (can be strength or athleticism)?

I just take really good angles. I feel very comfortable playing the edge, keeping my guy in relation to the quarterback away from the quarterback.

Do you have a hidden talent?

Not really. Just a football guy.

If you could pick your own touchdown celebration song, what would it be?

I’m drawing blanks on songs right now. The Canadian national anthem.

Do you have a nickname — and what’s the story behind it?

Here, it’s El Tigré. I think it started with our special teams coach, coach Byron Archambault. He started calling me that, and then everybody started calling me that.

Cats or dogs?

That’s tough because I did have a cat when I was younger, and I also had a lot of dogs when I was younger. I got to go with dogs.

Favourite moment of your career?

Definitely getting that first start of my career — first real start where I got to play the whole game (Week 14). Going back to college (at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas), we won our first bowl game last year for the first time in like 20 years. In our program’s history, we haven’t had that many bowl game appearances and haven’t had that many wins, so that was pretty big for us.

What’s your first Grey Cup memory — as a fan or a player?

This is my first experience. So, I mean, I’m just trying to take this in as much as I can, and maybe next year I’ll have a better answer for you.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself at the beginning of the season?

Patience. Patience is key, and just being able to stay consistent through that process that you kind of go through. It’s something that I really haven’t gone through in my career. I’ve always played really early, even as a freshman in college… so sitting through pretty much a whole season… was a really different experience. I feel like you have to find motivation through yourself.

 

Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Montreal Alouettes

Hometown: Dartmouth, N.S.

Age: 29

Position: Defensive lineman

Height: 6-1

Weight: 250 pounds

Notable: Adeyemi-Berglund registered a career high in sacks (11) and was a finalist for the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award.

Do you have a pregame ritual or superstition?

I don’t know if my face paint would fall under that. For food, I eat sweet potatoes the whole week before. Before the game, I listen to Viking music.

If you could invite three celebrities (alive or dead) to your Grey Cup party, who’s on the guest list?

I gotta put Drake in there. I’m a Drake fan. Let’s go Steph Curry. And then I want to put a public figure — I’m gonna put Denzel Washington.

If you weren’t playing football, which sport would you want to go pro in?

NBA. I used to play basketball, but I think it’s such a fun game, man. You can get better by yourself, you can just shoot in the gym and get better.

What’s your most impressive physical ability (can be strength or athleticism)?

I’ll go with endurance. I feel like I have great endurance.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I’ll go Rubik’s Cube. I know a lot of people can do that… but I used to be able to do it really fast. I think I used to be able to do it in under 40 seconds in college, but I stopped. It’s all the same, but you just have to have your hands ready, so it’s been a while.

If you could pick your own touchdown celebration song, what would it be?

I’d want something pretty gritty, pretty nasty, if I could, and it takes a while to build up. I would say Zach Hemsey, Vengeance. But it would have to be kind of in the middle of that song.

Do you have a nickname — and what’s the story behind it?

My nickname is Bergs, and it’s just because my last name is so long that we just go with Bergs.

Cats or dogs?

Dogs. I have a dog. I’ve had multiple dogs. I’m a dog guy.

Favourite moment of your career?

My game (against Louisiana State University, while playing for Southeastern Louisiana University in 2018) — I know it’s a game that a lot of people talk about — where I get to play against (Cincinnati Bengals quarterback) Joe Burrow and a lot of those other superstar talents. For me, it was like a coming-out game. It was my first game, starting as a junior, and to go out and have great statistics and family in the crowd for the first time in Louisiana, everything culminated into one.

What’s your first Grey Cup memory — as a fan or a player?

Where I come from, there wasn’t any CFL team, so it’s hard to really hone in. My first Grey Cup moment, honestly, would be last year when I was at these (CFL) awards and I realized that we should have won it last year. That was my first moment of like, ‘Man, should be us.’ Honestly, it really propelled me throughout the year to give you that fuel.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give your rookie self?

Keep running the hill. If you talk to Mike Rose on Saskatchewan, he knows about the hill. I did (hill sprints). He told me not to, but rookie me, that’s all I did was run hill sprints every single day.

Kian Schaffer-Baker, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.

Age: 27

Position: Receiver

Height: 6-4

Weight: 195 pounds

Notable: A 2020 fourth-round draft pick of the Roughriders, Schaffer-Baker missed most of the 2025 regular season due to injury, but logged 15 receptions for 177 yards in five contests.

Do you have a pregame ritual or superstition?

Not too much of a superstitious guy — I leave all that to God. Pregame ritual, though, I just got to put on some worship music, maybe even some reggae music, just music that’s gonna keep my vibe just nice and cool — weather the storm.

Not a rap guy?

Not until 30 minutes before, then I know it’s time to flip the switch.

If you could invite three celebrities (alive or dead) to your Grey Cup party, who’s on the guest list?

Gotta bring Kobe Bryant. Next person, I feel like Martin Luther King Jr. would love to watch a CFL game out in Winnipeg. Last one, I would bring Denzel Washington out here. People would love to see Denzel; he would make it a great time out here. Denzel, if you’re (reading), come out here.

If you weren’t playing football, which sport would you want to go pro in?

I mean, football is my one and only love, but if I could go pro in another sport, I gotta say baseball. I didn’t play, but that money just looks real nice — a little too nice.

What’s your most impressive physical ability (can be strength or athleticism)?

Endurance. I feel like I just got that stamina to keep going. No matter what happens, I ain’t gonna get tired.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I’m a little funny. I can crack some jokes… potentially. They still need some work; it doesn’t just happen overnight.

If you could pick your own touchdown celebration song, what would it be?

The song that I’ve been listening to right now is called Omemma (by Maverick City Music) — it means God is great. That’d be the perfect song.

Do you have a nickname — and what’s the story behind it?

I’ve got a couple of nicknames, but I think the one that stands out the most is Shake and Bake. It’s funny because everyone in Saskatchewan calls me it, but my very first football coach — he gave me that football name. We did a little football draft, I got drafted, and he called me Shake and Bake, and it stuck ever since. And then when I got out here, people are calling me Shake and Bake, so I was like, ‘Damn, it’s meant to be.’

Cats or dogs?

Cats. I don’t think I’m going to go with pets because that vet bill is a little bit too much money, but I like some cats.

Favourite moment of your career?

Still chasing it.

What’s your first Grey Cup memory — as a fan or a player?

The first one that comes to mind is 2012, watching the Grey Cup as a little kid and seeing Chad Owens win that Grey Cup. And ever since then, I’ve always wanted to just hoist that trophy over my head.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give your rookie self?

Don’t quit. Keep the faith. That’s really it. Just keep working and believe in God. You might not understand what’s going on right now, but later it will all make sense.

Nelson Lokombo, Saskatchewan Roughriders

Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.

Age: 26

Position: Defensive back

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190 pounds

Notable: A 2021 first-round (second-overall) draft pick of the Roughriders, Lokombo recorded his first interception as a pro this season.

Do you have a pregame ritual or superstition?

I always take an Epsom salt bath the day before the game. I also get some beef ribs from Montana’s. The same thing on game day, I usually take a bath and get my body right.

If you could invite three celebrities (alive or dead) to your Grey Cup party, who’s on the guest list?

I’m not a big celebrity guy, so I’ll do three people. I would just do my family: my mom, my brother and my fiancée.

If you weren’t playing football, which sport would you want to go pro in?

Probably track and field. I did do track back in the day. Track would be cool, you just train for nine seconds. It’s the same as football — football, you get out here and you got nine second intervals.

What’s your most impressive physical ability (can be strength or athleticism)?

I’ve deadlifted 700 pounds. I’m not a huge player, but I have some strength.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I got a couple. I can juggle, I can play the piano by ear, not hidden, but I speak French, and I can do a backflip.

If you could pick your own touchdown celebration song, what would it be?

Probably something African… but nobody would know that. Probably All I Do Is Win (by DJ Khaled).

Do you have a nickname — and what’s the story behind it?

I have so many nicknames. Nelly. Everybody calls me Nelly, and that’s kind of grown on me since I was a kid. My sisters call me that, my brothers call me that, and then in the locker room, too, everybody calls me Nelly.

Cats or dogs?

I’m a dog person. I have a cat back home, but I’m a dog person.

Favourite moment of your career?

As of right now, winning the West final. Hopefully, by the weekend, it’s the Grey Cup.

What’s your first Grey Cup memory — as a fan or a player?

I’d say 2011, watching the Lions win at home. I wasn’t at the game, but it was cool. I grew up in B.C., so I was a B.C. fan.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give your rookie self?

Just keep working hard, man. Stay focused. There’s a lot of things that won’t go your way, so you just have to stay grounded and remember your foundation and how you got there. Keep that going.

 

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca