I thought it was a great opportunity to further my football career and I wanted to play some CIS football and the Rams, they’re giving me that opportunity...
— Layne Hull
Former YRHS Raider player
Yet another former YRHS Raider football player has reached the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) ranks, as 21-year-old linebacker Layne Hull recently accepted a full scholarship to play football for the University of Regina Rams starting in the 2016 CIS season.
However the Rams weren’t the only team interested in Hull’s services. After a breakout season that saw the linebacker amass 14 solo tackles, seven assisted tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble through 10 regular season games, and then adding 14 more tackles, a blocked punt for a touchdown and two interceptions over three playoff games that included winning the Larry Wruck Defensive Player of the Game in the CJFL National Championship game, Hull said that several other schools showed interest; but for him the decision to join the Rams was very easy. “It was actually a really easy decision for me,” said the newest signee of the Rams. “Regina is nice and close to home, close enough so that my family and friends can come watch me and I can be home every weekend so it’s nice that way when compared to 15 hours from Kelowna to Yorkton.”
Hull also said that he chose Regina over some other options due to their consistent attempts to recruit him. “Coach Gibson (U of R head coach Mike Gibson) came down in the middle of last season and he talked to a couple of us to see if we were interested in playing football at the U of R,” mentioned Hull, adding that Okanagan Sun coach and former Saskatchewan Roughrider Jamie Boreham helped set up communications between Hull and Gibson. “He (coach Boreham) knew Gibson really well and he talked to Gibson for me and then Gibson called me and we got on from there and he offered me a full-ride scholarship.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to further my football career and I wanted to play some CIS football and the Rams, they’re giving me that opportunity so I made my decision and I’m going there next year for football.”
Hull said he expects to make an immediate impact on the Rams, who had the fourth worst defence in the CIS last year. “Coach Gibson told me that if I come to Regina he’ll throw me in as a starting halfback, so that’s great because I told him at the beginning that if I’m coming then I’m coming to play; I’m not coming to sit on the bench,” said Hull. “He went along with it and he said ‘for sure, as long as you compete we’ll have no problems’, so I think a starting role will be perfect for me there.”
As for the education side of it, Hull says that as of yet, he’s not quite sure what he’ll major in, although he is leaning towards a few options. “Honestly I’m not even too sure. I’m going to figure that out in January when I go for a tour of the university,” suggested the Willowbrook-raised football player. “I’ll figure it out then, but I’m kind of looking at more construction stuff like architecture or even business; something along those lines.”
