Tyrrell Pigrome missed the birth of his first-born just to have a chance to make the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The rookie quarterback woke up at 5 a.m. on May 11, the second day of rookie camp, to missed calls and texts from his partner Nayda back home in Maryland. She was having intense lower back pain and needed to go to the hospital.

By the time Pigrome got to IG Field and sat down for breakfast, he was officially a dad. Nayda’s mother broke the news by texting him a picture of his baby girl, Lavani.

“I lost my appetite,” Pigrome, a 25-year-old who finished his college career at Towson, told the Free Press after Tuesday’s training camp session.

The Bombers gave Pigrome permission to miss a few days to fly home and be with his new family. He returned to Winnipeg midway through the following week.

“It’s tough, of course you want to be there when it’s your first. But at the same time, when you’re with somebody that understands what you want to accomplish and be in life, it makes things kinda easier,” said Pigrome.

“It’s still not easy, it’s still tough in the back of your head. You want to be there to help and support and be there for your partner and be there for your child and watch your child grow. It goes both ways, but when you got a good partner who is understanding, it motivates you to be the best you.”

No one can question Pigrome’s desire to make it in the CFL.

Pigrome, who had never left the United States before prior to camp, was signed on May 8 and needed to get himself a passport right away. He had to schedule an urgent travel appointment at a passport agency to make it happen, but there weren’t any openings in his area in the coming days. There were only three agencies with timeslots available for him to choose from, and the options were Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or drive eight hours to Detroit.

You can guess which one he chose.

“We had a little road trip. It was a nice time,” said Pigrome.

The 5-10, 200-pound Pigrome was discovered by assistant general manager Danny McManus. Originally from Birmingham, Ala., Pigrome took his talents to the University of Maryland for four seasons. He thought he’d spend his entire college career with the Terrapins, but he ended up transferring to Western Kentucky for a year, and then Ole Miss in 2021 as a backup. His seven-year collegiate career ended last year at Towson where the dual-threat QB completed 57 per cent of his passes and threw for 1,638 yards, 14 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 11 games. He also ran for 574 yards and two touchdowns.

Now with his documentation in order, Pigrome is in a battle with fellow first-year pro Josh Jones to land the third-string pivot position behind Zach Collaros and Dru Brown. Both newcomers are expected to play Saturday afternoon’s pre-season game in Edmonton against the Elks.

“I can’t overthink it, I just got to go in there with a clear mind, clear head, and be calm,” said Pigrome.

“Josh is a good dude and Zach and Dru have been helping us a lot with everything. It’s a fun QB competition, so at the end of the day, whoever wins will have deserved it.”

Jones, a 6-3, 220 pounder, played and started all five years at Division II program UNC-Pembrooke. In his senior year, Jones threw for 2,302 yards, 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions in 11 games with a 59 per cent completion percentage. Jones can also use his legs, as he rushed for 219 yards and 10 touchdowns.

With the Bombers losing last season’s short-yardage quarterback Dakota Prukop to the USFL, Pigrome or Jones could find themselves in that role.

“They’re different quarterbacks, obviously. Josh has the ability to get through the read quickly and get rid of the ball. And then Piggie, obviously, is super athletic and can use his feet and really extend plays. He’s got a really strong arm, too,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“They’re both different and they’re both still trying to have a better understanding of the CFL game and the extra defender, and the receivers with the waggle and all that stuff. But they seem to be picking it up fairly quickly.”

Jones, 22, was another find by McManus. The former CFL quarterback first reached out after seeing Jones at a college all-star game — the FCS Bowl X Trillion — in Florida in January. From there, Jones, who hails from Wilmington, N.C., made the trip to Atlanta at the end of April for a Bombers free agent camp.

“I’m here for a reason. I’ve been working all my life for this opportunity,” said Jones. “I feel confident in my abilities, so I’m gonna go out there and just do what the coaches have been teaching us to do and try to execute to the best of my ability. I’m excited to show everyone.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31