Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
After being named a CFL all-star for the first time in his career last year, Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker C.J. Reavis is hoping for an encore performance.
The 29-year-old, who also dabbles as a musician, is in his fourth season with the Riders after signing with the club in 2022.
But there were some stops along the way before ending up in Saskatchewan.
After playing college football at Virginia Tech in 2014, Reavis attended East Mississippi Community College (2015) before finishing his collegiate career at Marshall (2016-17). In 2018, he signed with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, playing four games over two seasons, before joining the Atlanta Falcons from 2019 until his release in 2020.
After a breakout season in 2023 with the Riders, Reavis cemented himself as the team’s starting strong-side linebacker and has been a key component of the defence ever since.
This week, we sat down with No. 1 to learn more about his journey:
Name: C.J. Reavis (Cary Sidney Reavis Jr.)
Position: Strong-side linebacker
Number: 1
Age: 29
Height and weight: 6-foot-0, 198 pounds
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Do you ever get called your real name?
“If my mom gets mad at me, or my grandma, I do get called Cary.
“I’m a junior so I’m a second — that’s why C.J.”
How did you get into football?
“My dad was my coach in little league. I played flag (football at age 5). I was actually playing tackle and flag. I didn’t play flag for long.
“I just loved being out there, just running around, playing football. My first Christmas gift was actually a football uniform. It was the Washington Redskins or Commanders uniform when I was like one year old.
“My first ever gift was a football uniform, so I think I’ve been born to do that.”
What led you to signing in Saskatchewan?
“When I first got cut from Atlanta in 2020 during the COVID year, I heard about the CFL. My agent was talking about a little bit … But I didn’t know anything about the CFL at all, to be honest.
“I didn’t want to go for a while. And then finally I was just like, ‘No, let me drop my ego.’
“I came up here and loved it ever since. I think I found a home. I found family over here. I’ve grown as a man, as a person. So, I feel like the best thing I ever did was come to CFL.”
Favourite football memory?
“My family coming to see me play out here in Canada … the first time them see me play pro.
“In the (NFL), I played special teams a little bit, but I didn’t get to play defense at all. So, them coming to see me play and show them that my hard work all these years has paid off, and it wasn’t for nothing.”
Who would you call if a major milestone happened in your life?
“My mom, for sure”
Any gameday superstitions?
“Not really. I’m pretty chill on game day.
“Nothing besides stretch and drink lots of water.”
What would you be doing if you weren’t playing football?
“I think I might be a musician. I mean, I’m musician now, but I feel like I would dive into it way more if I wasn’t playing football and didn’t have any obligations to do.
“I would definitely take my music more seriously.”
Hidden talent?
“I make music. I write composed music. I make beats sometimes too.
“I’m definitely a creative for sure. I feel like it helps me a lot on the field as well.
“I played percussion in middle school; I played the drums, the snare. I played the xylophone, stuff like that too, but mostly just making music, singing and rapping.”
Other than music, hobbies outside of football?
“I like reading for sure. I like reading self-help books. I’m really into that. I’m really into the mind and how the mind works. I feel like for so long, I wasn’t subconscious. Now I’m very subconscious of what I do, people around me, how I portray myself, how I am being perceived. So, I feel like as of as late, as I get older, I think I’ve been reading a lot more.”
Any other jobs you’ve had?
“When I was younger, I worked at Food Lion, which is like a mom-and-pop grocery store pretty much. But since then, no not really.
“I was a cashier … My senior year of high school, I actually got fired because I went to an official (college) visit at Virginia Tech, which I ended up playing at, but they fired me for that.
“But it worked out perfectly.”
tshire@postmedia.com
