“One door closed, but another opportunity opened for me.” Katley Joseph commits to University of Saskatchewan

On Saturday June 25th 2022 Ottawa’s Katley Joseph made a life changing decision. One that will be recognized nationwide. One that sends him across the country, and most importantly, one that will benefit him for years to come.

Joseph’s big decision was to commit to the University of Saskatchewan. Now, as a football player that has had success on many levels, from NCAFA youth football in Ottawa all the way through the NCAA division one stage, the move to Saskatchewan for many is looked at to be a big win for coach Scott Flory and the Saskatchewan Huskies but as big of a win it is for the team, it is a much bigger win for Katley Joseph.

In 2018 and 2019 Katley Joseph was a star defensive back for the University of Maine. Every time he stepped foot on the field he was looked at to be one of the best on the field. He made play after play after play and took on a role as a leader in the secondary and in the locker room as a perfect teammate. After his sophomore campaign in 2019 it even looked as if the NFL would be in the picture for the Ottawa native. In just two seasons with the Black Bears he added a total 69 tackles, 19 pass deflections, 3 tackles for loss and one interception to his name, but that idea of going to the NFL would very quickly erase over the next two years.

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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CAA, the conference which the University of Maine plays in had cancelled their fall 2020 football season. They eventually had a shortened season the following spring, however Joseph among many others opted out of the season. After going well over a full year without playing football, in the summer of 2021 it was time for Katley Joseph to return to Maine and get back to work, to finish what he had started in 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, during Maine’s training camp leading into the 2021 fall season Joseph suffered a torn meniscus which sidelined him for the next 6 to 7 months.

He was back training in February, and entered his name into the CFL and NFL Draft with hopes to continue his football career to the professional stage.

Despite gaining interest from each of the 9 CFL teams and getting the opportunity to speak with a scout from the New England Patriots at his pro day, Joseph went through the draft process with no official contract offers from any team. For many, this could be considered as a reasonable outcome because of the two years away from the game of football and the recent injury, however being at 100% now, and with not only game film to back up his abilities but recent workout footage as well it is surprising that there wasn’t any opportunities for Joseph.

There may not have been professional opportunities right out of the gate for Katley Joseph, but at 23 years old he was given some interest from Canadian Universities to prove himself on the football field once again for the 2022 U-Sports season. Of course he has since made his commitment to the University of Saskatchewan, and with that decision he intends on playing the 2022 U-Sports season and furthering his education, getting his masters in education, with plans to be a teacher following his football career.

This decision and opportunity to not only play football and show his worth to professional scouts one last time but to further his education is so big for Katley Joseph and he is beyond excited to continue what he believes is the best story in Ottawa.