Tanner Doll has a job interview with the Ottawa RedBlacks.
The high school football product of the St. Albert High Skyhawks will apply for work with the CFL team when training camp kicks off in two weeks.
Doll, 22, was a training camp intern last year before rejoining the Calgary Dinos.
“At the end of the day you’re fighting for a paycheck. You’re fighting for your job. It’s your sole occupation at the time and that was evident going into training camp and being around guys that have been in the CFL for years. It’s your job and you have to prepare it that way, not just on game day but at practice and meetings. That's how you have to approach it,” said Doll.
The six-foot, 230-pound long snapper and linebacker was on the practice roster after training camp ended and was later released to complete his final season of Canadian Interuniversity Sport eligibility with the Dinos.
“Last year I went in and I knew what to expect because playing at the University of Calgary I played with tons of guys who have already made it into the CFL and my dad (Garrett Doll) also played in the CFL so you pick their brains but it’s a different monster when you go in and you experience it first hand,” Doll said. “After experiencing it last year going in and competing and getting offered my contract and now going in for the second round that experience has helped me grow a lot.”
Doll is anxious to make his mark in pro football.
“I get to pursue a childhood dream of mine playing in the CFL but at the same time you’ve just got to keep doing what you’ve been doing. You’ve got to learn to just keep developing. You can’t be stagnant,” said the 2015 Canada West all-star. “Last year I got drafted, that’s all good and dandy, but getting drafted and making the team isn’t the only thing I wanted to do. I want to be playing in games and making an impact for my organization so that’s where my head is at right now.”
Turning pro is the last step for Doll on the gridiron after graduating from the high school ranks and spending five years with the highly-touted Dinos.
“The game doesn’t change. No matter if you’re playing high school, college or pro you’re still playing football but the way in which you approach it changes. When you go from high school to university, physically you have to develop a lot because just mechanically you change a lot when you’re 18 years old coming out from high school until you leave and you’re playing against 22-year-olds in university. The way in which you prepare for games also increases a lot,” Doll said. “And then the step from university to pro physically it’s not as extreme as high school to college I feel but the mental aspect is heightened.”
A standout high school career with the Skyhawks set the stage for Doll to thrive with the Dinos.
“It started back at St. Albert High and being around a competitive environment with the coaching staff and the players and the players being all buddies and best friends,” said the Team Alberta player at the 2010 Football Canada Cup.
“When I was looking at universities, Calgary exemplified that and their hard work and the camaraderie between the guys, and not just the guys that are playing but also the alumni, so that was huge for me coming out of St. Albert High and finding an organization that would provide that social being and competitive nature within their program,” added the former World Team player at the International Federation of American Football U19 and U20 championships. “Calgary was the only school that told me that I would not start my first year. I would have to make my way onto the field on special teams, just because they had two seniors that were All-Canadians and CFL draft picks but also that’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to go into a situation where I would be handed a spot and I can just hit the ground running. I wanted to make my way up the roster and earn my spot.”
At the 2013 Vanier Cup, Doll rose to prominence by recording nine solo tackles, seven assists and broke up a pass play as the Dinos went down to defeat 25-14 to the Laval Rouge et Or at Laval Stadium. It was 14-12 Dinos after three quarters.
“That Vanier Cup, that whole run, was extremely special. That was my first year starting and that was one of the first undefeated (Canada West) seasons we did have and we just ended up falling short in the last quarter,” Doll said of the 11-1 Dinos.
Last year Doll celebrated a special moment when he was selected by Ottawa in the fourth round, 28th overall, in the CFL draft. His dad, Garrett, was taken in the second round, 11th overall, in 1985 by the Calgary Stampeders and the linebacker from the Alberta Golden Bears played three CFL seasons.
The last St. Albert football player to be drafted before Doll is believed to be offensive lineman Adam Cassidy in 1996 by the Montreal Alouettes in the third round, 27th overall, from the Golden Bears. The St. Albert High graduate played for the St. Albert Storm, the 1990 Carr champions in the metro Edmonton league and Tier I provincial finalists.
“It was a proud moment, just to be able to represent the City of St. Albert and St. Albert High as the first (Skyhawk) to come out of there,” Doll said. “I know Neil Ternovatsky was picked up (by the Edmonton Eskimos in 2006 as an undrafted free agent linebacker) and had the opportunity to win a Grey Cup (in 2008 with Calgary), which is awesome, and I hope to follow in those footsteps.”
