Hogan promotion ‘right on time’

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This article was published 05/02/2025 (415 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jason Hogan’s promotion may have come as a surprise to some fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

As if his elevation from running backs coach to offensive co-ordinator was a move that came a couple of years too soon, or there were more-qualified options to fill a crucial role on the coaching staff of a franchise with Grey Cup aspirations.

While that could still be true, listen to what those who have worked closely with Hogan have to say about him, and it becomes clear why head coach Mike O’Shea tabbed him as the next man to lead the club’s offence.

Perhaps no one is a bigger fan than star running back Brady Oliveira, who has played under Hogan’s guidance for the last three years. Oliveira has been vocal about his relationship with his now-former position coach and gave him a special shoutout while accepting the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award in November.

“My dog, man. I love you so much,” said Oliveira, who rumbled to a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaign and stamped his place atop the league’s hierarchy of rushers under Hogan’s tutelage.

“The way my career has evolved as a runner, of continuing to work on all the traits, you’ve honestly made me into a better running back and I thank you. What I’m most proud of about you is you’ve made me into a better person off the field, and that’s what I truly appreciate about you.”

Hogan arrived in Winnipeg in 2022 after serving as the offensive co-ordinator for the Université de Montréal Carabins. Prior to that, he spent two years with the Montreal Alouettes as an offensive quality-control coach, defensive assistant and receivers coach.

The product of Rosemere, Que. is the third offensive co-ordinator hired in the O’Shea era (Paul LaPolice and Buck Pierce), and it’s the second time the eternally loyal head coach has looked within the organization to fill the position. Meanwhile, the rest of the club’s assistant coaches are also internal hires, as defensive co-ordinator Jordan Younger and special teams co-ordinator Mike Miller took over their respective units last season.

Pierce, who accepted the B.C. Lions’ head-coaching gig earlier this off-season, was also internally promoted to offensive co-ordinator.

“I think it’s right on time,” O’Shea said of Hogan’s promotion Wednesday. “The ability to promote from within is a sign of how hard he works but also, I just think it’s pretty cool. Pretty quickly with Jason you recognize his energy; you see that he’s got a tireless work ethic, he’s got a thirst for knowledge. He’s going to be a lifelong learner who is always going to be trying to take in more information. Then over the course of time you watch him take more of a role and have command and presence in a meeting room.

“I don’t think there’s a time frame to put on a guy… All the attributes he has are easily recognizable.”

O’Shea, who called his hiring process “a little more deliberate than other people would want,” said he began speaking to Hogan about the co-ordinator job right after last season ended. While he vetted other candidates, offensive line coach Marty Costello and quarterback Zach Collaros were also asked to provide their two cents on who should be the next man for the job.

Thought to be in the running was former Edmonton Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson, who was announced as the Bombers’ new quarterbacks coach on Tuesday, but O’Shea preferred someone with a deep understanding of the roster and playbook lead the offence.

“(Hogan) knows our personnel,” said O’Shea. “He has a great belief in how we do things. In terms of the playbook, he’s going to put his own mark on it, but I don’t think it’s going to be a whole new language that the offence has to learn, which is probably beneficial.”

O’Shea confirmed he isn’t done adding to his staff. Former receivers coach Kevin Bourgoin, who followed Pierce to the Lions, must be replaced, and a decision will be made on whether Hogan will continue to work with running backs.

Hogan’s hiring spells the end to a long process that dragged into the nitty gritty of the free-agency period. The Bombers, like every team in the three-down loop, have been busy since clubs could legally begin negotiating contracts with the rest of the league’s pending free agents on Feb. 2.

The club has acquired linebacker Jonathan Jones, receiver Dillon Mitchell and defensive lineman James Vaughters, and has agreed to terms with receiver Gavin Cobb, defensive back Josh Hagerty and receiver Reggie White Jr., who will officially sign once free agency formally opens on Feb. 11.

While those players will fight for a starting role or be an important piece of depth as injuries pop up throughout the season, they have been overshadowed by who the Bombers have lost thus far.

Receivers Drew Wolitarsky and Ontaria Wilson were released, while offensive lineman Liam Dobson, defensive back Tyrell Ford, defensive linemen TyJuan Garbutt and Celestin Haba, and star receiver Kenny Lawler have all agreed to terms with other teams.

While the players who have already agreed in principle with other teams are unlikely to change their decision, the league presented a timely wrinkle in the negotiation process on Wednesday when it announced its salary cap for the 2025 season would jump over $400,000 due to increased league revenues.

The new cap is $6,062,365 million, a 7.3 per cent increase from the number that teams were previously working under and a 9.7 per cent increase from the 2024 cap. It’s the second-largest salary cap lift in modern CFL history, trailing the $600,000 jump in 2014 after the league signed a new television deal with TSN.

“Depending on where you’re standing, the timing is good or bad,” said O’Shea. “From the players association standpoint, it’s probably good timing. From general managers’ standpoints, it might be challenging. But we don’t know that, yet.”

“I’m not sure how this is all going to play out,” O’Shea said about holding out hope that the Bombers could sway one of their pending free agents.

“In terms of a coach having hope, I’m always filled with hope with every guy that we have on our team. I always have a lot of care and good memories of guys that have been with us and have made different decisions, for whatever reasons they make those decisions. But hope, I’m never short of that. Part of my job is to go by hope, too, right?”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam