From joining the sport late in the game to now, a linebacker for the BC Lions, Jacob Bond went from a Kamloops boy transferring schools to being the first CFL player from Kamloops since 2003.
Bond transferred schools in Grade 11 and, as a result, wasn’t allowed to play any of the sports he had previously played at his new school. This led him to start his football career in Grade 12 as a “last hurrah” to play with his friends. Many professional athletes start specializing in their sport at a young age, making Bond an impressive case.
Bond admitted it took him a while to figure out the game because there are so many moving pieces within it. It was about halfway through the season, in an impressive game against the Robert Bateman Timberwolves, a team that held University committed players, when it became clear to Bond that his talents were special and that he might be able to make something of them.
”We ended up playing Robert Bateman again in the playoffs. I had somewhere around five sacks and six tackles. That [game] solidified it for me that I wanted to keep playing ’cause that was unfortunately our last game,” Bond told the Omega, “That game really showed that I had potential, but I knew I had it the first time we played them.”
In 2021, Bond joined the Okanagan Sun, a Canadian Junior Football team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He played as a wide receiver for them in his first few seasons and helped them win the CFJL Championship in 2022.
After that season, Bond shifted to a defensive position as a linebacker, where he excelled and earned the BCFC defensive player of the year award in 2024.
“ When that happened, we had gotten a new defensive coach that year, Shane Beatty. He definitely helped me out, as well as Eli Haynes, who was our past defensive coach. They both helped me unlock another level to the position I was playing,” Bond said. “[They helped] me understand the game in a mental way instead of just being physical on the field.”
The BC Lions host prospect camps, inviting the top CJFL players to evaluate them. Bond was invited for two consecutive years.
“ The first year it was alright, but the second year, we prepared a lot better, I would say,” he said. “I thought I would have to play out my last year in junior and kind of develop a little bit more. But I went to the camp, and I put up some good numbers, what I thought was good, and I guess they did too, ’cause they called me back and said they wanted to bring me to [training] camp.”
Bond attended the Lions training camp in May, which is hosted in Kamloops at Hillside Stadium at the TCC.
“ It was kind of surreal. It definitely holds a special place ’cause that’s home for me, and it’s just being so close to home, it makes it a little more special,” Bond said while talking about how it felt to participate, since the Lions have such close ties to the city of Kamloops.
During the camp, the Lions shifted his position from linebacker to fullback. Bond was released from camp not too long after.
“ I thought for sure I was gonna be playing another year with the Sun. And then they had some injuries on the lines, and they called me back to the team,” told The Omega.
Bond went on to make his pre-season debut with the Lions in a game against the Calgary Stampeders on May 19 in Langford, B.C, where he suffered an ankle injury. He finally made his CFL debut on July 13 in Edmonton against the Elks.
With the debut, Bond officially became the first player from Kamloops to play in a regular-season CFL game since 2003, when Brad Yamaoka retired. “ [Hearing] how the city of Kamloops backs me. It’s a really special feeling,” he said.
Bond talked about his ‘welcome to the CFL’ moment during his second game, which was in Saskatchewan against the Roughriders, who went on to be the 2025 Grey Cup champions.
“ I was running down on a kickoff, and I got laid out by a guy. It wasn’t the craziest hit ever, but it felt so real at that moment,” Bond said, “It was like, Hey, these are like grown men that I’m playing with.”
In 2025, Bond recorded eight special-teams tackles in 13 regular-season games and played in both Grey Cup Playoff contests. “ I was super blessed to be able to get put into that position my first year, especially with such a great team,” he said.
Looking forward, Bond is about to head into his second training camp with the Lions.
“You go through a month-long camp, which was pretty draining for the first year. But now I kind of know how to handle it,” Bond said.