Nathan Jule’s long road back leads to Huskies football return

Faith.

It’s a word Nathan Jule has had to lean on over and over again throughout the past three years.

Faith that his body would heal. Faith that he’d be able to put in the work in the weight room. Faith that his football career was far from over.

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“I never really believed that I was never going to play football again,” Jule said.

For the first time since Nov. 4, 2023, the Saskatoon athlete will get the opportunity to strap the pads on in a Canada West football game for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

A moment which will complete a journey back to the field which has tested his physical and mental resolve in more ways than he could have imagined.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Jule said. “I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. That first snap is going to be a big milestone and I’m excited to get back after it.”

The defensive lineman has earned a clean bill of health after a nearly three-year process to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which he suffered in the Huskies’ 40-17 loss to the Alberta Golden Bears in the 2023 Hardy Cup semifinal.

Not only did that injury completely wipe out Jule’s 2024 football season, but a series of setbacks in his recovery meant he’d spent the entire 2025 season on the sidelines as well.

With years of rehab now behind him, the St. Joseph High School grad will get the chance to be in the lineup for the Huskies on Saturday afternoon as they open their 2026 Canada West season by visiting the Manitoba Bisons.

“It’s been tough, a lot of ups and downs,” Jule said. “A lot of hard work to get here, but I think I always had faith that I’d keep grinding and one day it would happen. I’m just beyond excited that it’s today.”

Injuries have been an unfortunate part of Jule’s university career over the past five years, as he suffered his first ACL tear just three games into his sophomore season in 2022.

While he was able to bounce back the following season to become a Canada West all-star with 16 tackles, four sacks and an interception, it was during the playoff game against Alberta when his world was upended again.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory said he’s been amazed at how Jule has approached his recovery from not one, but two devastating knee injuries.

“Talk about perseverance,” Flory said. “You talk about resiliency and you talk about all those things, it is just encapsulated in number 50. I’m so happy for Nathan that he’s going to get an opportunity for real again.”

Like quarterback Anton Amundrud and his road back to the field from his cancer diagnosis, Jule credited Huskies strength and conditioning coach Joel Lipinski for getting his body back to playing form.

All these months later, Jule praised the Huskies for still having belief in him and his ability to one day get back on the turf.

“It would have been easy for them to say, ‘He’s not going to come back, he’s not going to be come back as good,’” Jule said. “I never felt that at all. From Scott Flory down, I felt the faith that the program had in me that I could come back.”

According to fellow defensive lineman Riece Kack, the entire team has been anticipating Jule’s return to action with each passing practice session.

It will be the pair’s first regular-season game playing alongside each other, as Kack joined the Huskies from the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2024 after Jule’s injury.

“I hadn’t seen him take any reps for a long time,” Kack said.

“Just looking back at the film, man what a hell of a player. The mental resilience that man shows, I really envy that. I’m super excited to see him back out there wearing the green and white.”

A slew of setbacks, both medically and mentally, for Jule took their toll over the years, as his goal of digging in at the line of scrimmage drifted further and further away.

Jule missed both the 2024 and 2025 Canada West football seasons while he recovered from an ACL injury suffered in 2023 playoffs. (Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin)

However, he said the ability to find the silver linings in those trials and tribulations kept him at peace over his most challenging days.

“You have times where you think you’re going to come back or you think you’re going to make it, and you don’t,” Jule said.

“It’s heartbreaking, it’s sad, it’s everything in between. I think it’s going to pay dividends in my life that I went through this and that I can say I made it out.”

Flory called Jule one of the team’s ultimate leaders on defence, with his joyful attitude matched by his ability to upset opponents across the line of scrimmage.

“Everyday he’s a kid in a candy store out here, just running around and enjoying life,” Flory said. “That’s just who he is.”

One of Jule’s prime motivations to return to the lineup this summer was the chance to play with his younger brother and Huskies third-year receiver Thomas once again.

The duo spent time practising together at Griffiths Stadium during Thomas’ redshirt season with the team in 2023; however, since Nathan’s injury, the siblings haven’t been able to suit up in the same game.

That will change on Saturday, as Nathan said both of his parents will be flying out to Winnipeg to share in a special day for the Jule family.

“My parents are going to be busy,” Nathan said. “They got no time to talk now, they got to watch both sides of the ball. It’s going to be special and it was a big motivating factor that I wanted to play with him.”

Thomas had a front-row seat over the past three years, viewing each high and low that came his older brother’s way as Nathan worked to get his body right.

That persistence and determination has only strengthened their bond and given Thomas more of a role model to look up to in his own football career.

“There’s so many times where he could have been like, ‘This is it,’” Thomas said.

“He never wavered, he always had his head down through recovery. I knew as a brother, that he’s going to come back stronger and better than ever.”

Throughout all the struggles he’s faced since his 2023 surgery, Jule has gained a new appreciation for not only the game, but also how his brothers in green and white wrapped their arms around him.

“I think football is like life,” Jule said. “The community you build and the people around you, just taking that. The stronger that community is, the stronger you guys are on the field.”

Strength is something Jule said he has in spades ahead of what he hopes to be a dominant season, with his body working in tandem with a spirit still grateful for each second on the field.

“I feel better than ever,” Jule said. “I’m excited to get back after it. It’s cool to see it come full circle.”

Huskies kick off 2026 season

The Huskies will need to shake off the bus legs when they arrive in Winnipeg this weekend to get their 2026 Canada West season underway.

With more than eight hours on the road separating the Huskies from their first win of the year, Kack said they’re prepared to meet the moment on the road against the Bisons.

University of Saskatchewan Huskies players celebrating a first-half touchdown in a 35-1 drubbing of the Alberta Golden Bears in Canada West pre-season play on Aug. 27, 2026. (Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin)

“Anytime you’re going out to Winnipeg, it’s not a bus ride you’re looking forward to,” Kack said.

“Get it out of the way right away, kind of get thrown to the fire to get right in the trenches. I think it’s a great test for us and I think we’re ready.”

The Huskies are just over a week removed from a decisive 35-1 victory at Griffiths Stadium over the University of Alberta Golden Bears in pre-season action, led by clean performances in all three phases of the game, according to Flory.

With several key graduations in the off-season at the running back, receiver, linebacker and defensive line positions, Flory added it will be up to some new faces to step into those roles.

“I want to see those guys comprehend,” Flory said.

“I want to see them adapt, I want to see them be football players and that’s hard to put into words and context. We want to see them get better throughout the game.”

After missing the team’s exhibition game last week with minor injuries, running backs Kayden Miller and Javin Boynton will both be available against Manitoba to join Aulain Penner, who registered 134 all-purpose yards against Alberta.

Entering the Canada West season as reigning Hardy Cup champions, Kack said the target will be on their back every week.

However, he’s optimistic about how the Huskies can tackle the season with plenty of confidence gathered from the team’s pre-season win over the Golden Bears.

“Guys stepped up and that’s what it takes to be a great team,” Kack said. “Guys got to step up in every facet of the game and I’m looking forward to seeing just who keeps stepping up every week.”

The Huskies will begin their road to the Vanier Cup on Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Bisons at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.