The Rams will enter the 2026 season with an experienced defence that returns 10 starters from last year's team, including all five starters in the backfield, three of four starting linebackers, and two of three starters on the defensive line.

The group is highlighted by three returning second-team All-Canadians in linebacker Brandon Wong, cornerback Max Polischuk, and safety Carson Sombach. Wong led the Rams in tackles last season, while Polischuk and Sombach headline a veteran secondary that returns intact for 2026.

All five of the team's Canada West defensive all-stars from last season are back, with Wong, Polischuk, and Sombach joined by halfback Jacob Tkachuk and nose tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes. That returning talent and experience gives the Rams significant continuity on a defence that gave up the fewest yards per game in Canada West and will look to again be among the best in the conference.

POSITION PREVIEW: LINEBACKERS
The Rams return three starting linebackers from last year's squad including  Colin McKellar, Brandon Wong, and Owen Zimmer. Wong earned second-team All-Canadian status for the Rams last year, leading the team with 34 tackles while also tying for the conference lead with three fumble recoveries. Zimmer was second on the team with 33.5 tackles in his first season as a starter, while McKellar was also in his first year as a starter at the will position.

While not technically a starter last year, Liam LaBelle earned a boatload of playing time in his second season. He led the team and tied for third in Canada West with 3.5 sacks, earning Canada West Defensive Player of the Week honours after recording a sack and an interception in Week 3 at UBC.

Chopper Hippe graduates from last year's squad, leaving the door open for some players to take on greater roles. Kaeden Brennan and Ryan Mills are the most experienced returners in that group, having combined to play a total of 47 Canada West and postseason games between them.

Kyler Banfield joins the Rams after a junior career which was highlighted by a Canadian Bowl national championship in 2022 with the Okanagan Sun and a first-team CJFL All-Canadian selection last year with the Winnipeg Rifles.

Rylar Sombach and Eric Wiebe, who both saw action in several Canada West games last season, are expected to be utilized mainly behind Wong at the sam linebacker position this season. Lachlan Bruce, Maddux Elson, and Ajay Ward all redshirted with the Rams last season and are strong candidates to break into the lineup this year. All three of those players still have all five seasons of U SPORTS eligibility remaining.

Besides Banfield, the Rams also welcomed a pair of high school recruits to the fold this season in Bryan Dieujuste from Edmonton's Jasper Place High School and Bennett Honoway from Winston Knoll Collegiate in Regina.

The linebackers are coached by Derek Lamer and Carter Stusek. Lamer has been a mainstay on the team's coaching staff since the 2016 campaign, while Stusek enters his fifth season as an assistant linebackers coach.

POSITION PREVIEW: DEFENSIVE LINE
As is the case at nearly every position on the field, the Rams return a significant veteran presence on the defensive line highlighted by conference all-star nose tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes and defensive end Anthony Montas Leipert. Montas Leipert enters his final season with the Rams, while Swystun-Bernes is in his fourth year of U SPORTS eligibility.

In addition to Montas Leipert and Swystun-Bernes, the Rams have a good amount of experience on the line as Brad Rodin, Apete Tuiloma, Maliq Washington, and Mike Zalaski all return. Rodin has the most experience of that group with a total of 29 conference and postseason games played over the past three seasons. Washington missed last season due to injury but is now back, while Tuiloma returns for his second season at the position after making the switch from tight end starting with last season. Zalaski was one of just three Rams to step directly into the lineup out of high school last season, a rare feat for a defensive lineman.

Added to the mix is a pair of recruits the coaching staff thinks could make an immediate impact as Judah Plett (College of the Canyons) and John Stevens (Saskatoon Hillips) both join the fold. Plett hails from California but has deep ties to the Rams as his father Tony Plett was an offensive lineman for the Rams in their junior days and for the U of R from 1999 to 2002, while Stevens was a two-time Canadian Bowl national champion and a two-time CJFL All-Canadian with the Hilltops while accumulating significant time on the Saskatchewan Roughriders' practice roster last season.

Bennett Andersen, Lucian Verity, and George Yobo all return after redshirting for the Rams last season while Adebo Falase, a newcomer from Regina's Michael A. Riffel High School, joins the group.

The defensive linemen are once again led by Kyle Stroeder, now in his eighth season as the team's defensive line coach. He's joined this year by assistant Jeff Zimmer, a former All-Canadian linebacker who last coached with the Rams in 2009.

POSITION PREVIEW: DEFENSIVE BACKS
The Rams manage to return all five starters to the defensive backfield including corners Chase Murray and Max Polischuk, halfbacks Liam Platt and Jacob Tkachuk, and safety Carson Sombach. Polischuk, Sombach, and Tkachuk were all named Canada West all-stars last season while both Polischuk and Sombach also earned second-team All-Canadian recognition.

And beyond the returners, the Rams also have premium talent waiting in the wings. Tyleon Ocaya dressed for every game as a first-year player last year, while former CJFL All-Canadian cornerback Cedric McCallum is expected to return to the lineup after missing last season. 

Holden Strinja leads the group of returning redshirts which also includes Ismael Mohamed, Connor Sombach, and Jonah Thomas. The position's talented group of newcomers includes Easton Fenske from the Okanagan Sun along with Noah Finkeldey from Regina's Miller Comprehensive High School and Carver MacLennan from Greenall High School in Balgonie.

The defensive backs operate under the tutelage of Ventson Donelson, the team's pass game specialist and defensive backs coach. Donelson, a Rose Bowl champion with Michigan State back in his playing days, is now in his 11th year with the Rams. Also helping lead the group is assistant defensive backs coach Robbie Avram, a former five-year player for the Rams now in his eighth year on the U of R staff.