Training Camp Notebook: Scott III, Veasy looking to crack Alouettes roster
The Alouettes made a few signings during the free-agent period this winter, but the strength of this team is continuity. Even though not everyone is back from 2024, the nucleus of this group is intact which means that making this football team as a newcomer will be extremely difficult – but not impossible.
Two players that are making a push to make the roster on offence are second-year running back Stevie Scott III and “rookie” receiver Jordan Veasy.
Scott III is back with the Alouettes after spending most of last season on the practice roster. The former Indiana Hoosier patiently waited for his opportunity in 2024, and it came in Vancouver last October. Despite not playing all season, he performed well at B.C. Place where he rushed for 33 yards on seven carries while adding 20 yards on three receptions.
Stevie Scott III
“It goes back to your mindset at the end of the day,” Scott III said of having to sit on the practice roster for most of the year. “Football comes with a lot of adversity and it’s all about how you face that adversity. I love football, coming out here to have fun and being a kid again. I’m that same little kid that dreamed of playing professional football. I look at it as having fun and just waiting for my turn and my time. I want to be humble and a good teammate.”
Scott III, who changed his jersey number from 35 to 8 this season, is in competition with returning starter Walter Fletcher, who had a productive campaign of his own last year.
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Veasy is technically a CFL rookie, but he comes into training camp with loads of experience. The 29-year-old spent parts of five seasons on NFL practice rosters with Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Washington Football Team, Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound receiver has had a terrific camp thus far. He’s shown an ability to catch passes and good chemistry with all the quarterbacks. His catch radius is also impressive.
“It’s been fun,” Vesey said of his first CFL training camp. “It was kind of abrupt coming up here, but it’s been for the best. It’s been great. I told coach (Jason) Maas and Danny (Maciocia) that I was going to come up here focused. If I’m going to commit to it, I’m going to do it.”
Vesey is somewhat of a late bloomer. He didn’t start playing football until his senior year of high school when he hit a major growth spurt.
Jordan Veasy
“I was a smaller kid,” the Alouettes’ number 18 said. “In my freshman year of high school, I was about 5-foot-8. I was mainly focused on baseball – I played shortstop and second base. Going into my senior summer, I hit a growth spurt.
“My dad is 6-foot-4, and my mom isn’t the smallest lady, but my (growth spurt was late). I woke up one morning and I was 6-foot-2 (laughs) and then I filled out to 6-foot-3. That’s kind of how it happened. That’s when I decided to play other sports.”
Although cracking the starting five receivers won’t be easy, Charleston Rambo showed that a good camp could go a long way in securing a spot on the roster. The two upcoming preseason games are going to be huge for Vesey. If he’s productive in both, he could force management’s hand.
