Former Griz LB Braxton Hill Signs With CFL's Saskatchewan

From Anaconda to Missoula to Saskatchewan, football is bringing former Montana Grizzly linebacker Braxton Hill places. Last week, Griz Football announced Hill's signing with the Roughriders.

"After the National Championship in Texas, I went down to California and that's where I did my Pro Day training," said Hill. "After the [NFL] Draft, I didn't get the opportunity I was hoping for, so my agent started looking at potential Canadian opportunities. I just wanted to play football. That's all it is."

He worked out with the Roughriders last Spring but couldn't secure a roster spot due to limited roster size. The Roughriders GM told Hill that rosters to expand in September. So keep your phone on, Braxton.

"That's tough just because I have the whole month of July, I got the whole month of August and part of September. It's a lot to put your life on hold for that," explained Hill. "I was just super confident in how my workout went up here."

The confidence paid off as the Roughriders signed him last week after a summer of training on his own. It's not an easy summer. No teammates or coaches are telling you when and where to practice. It's all on you.

"You gotta be mentally tough, man. It's a whole different ball game than college... You gotta go work out by yourself. No one's making you get up at 6 in the morning to hop in the ice bath."

Before Hill moved up to Saskatchewan, he took in a Griz Football game as a fan. Earlier this year, I asked his former teammate Levi Janacaro if it is more stressful to be a fan or a player. Janacaro said he's a nervous wreck watching the games, but Hill had a different response.

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"I was next to Levi when he was yelling... made me think back," said Hill. "I would say I'm a little bit different in that sense. I was pretty calm. I was just taking it all in. To be honest man, I was looking at trying to see what the coverage was, what the front was, what the stunt. I was really trying to see what they were doing."

That sounds like a true football mind. To listen back to Hill's full conversation and how he's had to adapt to the CFL's rules, listen to The Daily Drive below.