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Features July 24, 2024

‘He’s His Own Player’

Making an impression.

Twenty-five-year-old defensive end Clarence Hicks sure is making his presence felt so far in his rookie campaign with the Red and White.

In just his first three outings, he racked up a sack and an interception. And although he’s yet to add another big play to his stat sheet since then, he’s still making big contributions to the defence.

From disrupting the pocket and applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks, to watching film and putting in the extra work at practice, the Florida native is making the most of his opportunities in his first CFL season.

And defensive coordinator Brent Monson is satisfied with his young DE’s production.

“I think he’s been getting better every day, he’s putting the work in,” said Monson. “There’s a lot of new things we throw at him, and he’s been doing a good job at getting the ball when it’s been thrown to him, has an interception, and he’s doing good on his one-on-one pass rush reps. His quickness and abilities, doing all the right things, and he’s just been finishing.”

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Hughes. Mace. Law. Beltre. Turner.

Calgary faithful have seen plenty of dominant d-linemen in the past decade, all with their own traits and tricks. The same rings true for Hicks, who Monson says has his own identity as a Red and White edge rusher.

“He’s got some tools that all of them have, some similar stuff to Flo (Folarin Orimolade),” he said. “But he’s his own player. He’s got his own assets, his own tools and he’s using them so it’s good.”

With the likes of Mike Rose, Julian Howsare and James Vaughters to lean on, Calgary feels like the right fit for the rookie.

“It’s going really good, I’m liking my role here,” said Hicks. “I’m just trying to help the defence be the best we can be.”

With the absence of Julian Howsare in Week 7’s contest against the Lions, Hicks made his first start for the Stamps. He made the elusive Vernon Adams Jr. uncomfortable in the pocket from start to finish, and who could forget the pivotal tackle for loss on CFL all-star William Stanback.

But for Hicks, there’s always room for improvement.

“I’m always really hard on myself, so I feel like I could have done a lot better,” he said. “But we got the win so I’ll take it.”