Dating bonus for Bombers' Xaba, Gassama

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Celestin Xaba doesn't see the vacancy at the defensive end position as a job to lose.

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“I look at it as an opening,” the second-year CFLer said Saturday. “Nothing is safe. I can't say it's my job. I will compete every day until training camp is over and we move into the season. I never let my foot off the gas.”

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The 24-year-old Columbia native has the opportunity to fill the void left by Jackson Jeffcoat's retirement in the offseason.

“Some big, big shoes to fill,” said Haba, who now lives in Plano, Tex., where Jeffcote lives.

Given that he played in eight games last season, recording 12 tackles, including four sacks and a forced fumble, it's safe to say that Xaba is in contention.

But nothing is guaranteed in football.

“He did a lot of good things last year and his personality fits the group really well,” head coach Mike O'Shea said. “He's basically a very happy, positive guy, loves to be here, guys love to be around him. He was very productive very early (last season) and then the roster changes, he just couldn't finish it.

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“But I wouldn't go that far, it's his (job) loss. We have a vacancy and a lot of guys are vying for it. Xaba is one of the guys we know a lot about and we really like what we know.”

Khaba learned from two of the game's best players in Jeffcoat and Willie Jefferson, another Texan he hopes will line up against him on Winnipeg's defensive line.

Haba, a Texas A&M University-Commerce product, was a late addition to camp in 2023, but three days after his arrival he quickly absorbed the material and dressed for a preseason game.

He was thrown to the Wolves in Week 1, but that didn't faze him. He had four tackles in that game and his first CFL sack.

“I've learned a lot from those guys, and it's taken my game to a whole different level compared to last year,” Xaba said.

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There are no late arrivals this season, and Xaba will take advantage of both the familiarity around him and the next level he has achieved.

“I've had a year, so I know the game of Canadian football well,” he said. “I understand more about what's going on around me, the schemes, the systems. It's just the same mindset as comfort.”

That understanding carries over to the level of intensity demanded and established by guys like Jefferson and longtime Bomber Jake Thomas.

“These are winners, these are champions,” Xaba said. “You can't think otherwise. I feel like I'm bringing my own strength as well because there's no comparison to these guys. So I bring myself to a place that matches what's going on around me. I'm happy because I want to be.”

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On offense, Winnipegger and 2024 Bombers sixth-round pick AK Gassama also relies on something familiar.

The Vincent Massey College graduate and University of Manitoba Bisons star spent a lot of time at Princess Auto Stadium.

Now he is back to student life again.

“Taking my time, I check my pace, I'm running my marathon and I'm not trying to skip steps,” Gassama said.

Spend any time talking to Gassama about football and you'll walk away knowing the guy is a bomber.

It helps that even going back to his college days, his teammates Nick Demski and Kenny Lawler picked up the brains of guys around him, including Jefferson and former Bombers point guard Winston Rose.

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“We share the same stadium, so you see these guys every day, they come out and watch the games when they have time, and we're at their games,” Gassama said.

“These guys showed me a lot of love throughout my college career. Coach O'Shea sees him around and I'm good friends with his son (Mike Jr.).

It's certainly an advantage, Gassama said, but like Xaba and many others who have passed through Winnipeg, the buck stops on the field.

“I want to take the right steps forward,” Gassama said. “I don't skip steps. Right now I have to play my turn. I have to be there and watch and listen and when my name is called, I have to be ready.”

As O'Shea says, Gassama never let consolation distract him from the work he had to do.

“He's a very impressive person,” O'Shea said. “The things he does, the things that come out of him in a day.”

There is room for Gassama to play a role.

“We've been following him for a long time … we have a lot of information on him,” O'Shea said. “He's working hard to compete for a spot.”

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