Last weekend, the Bisons football team took to Princess Auto Stadium for their first conference home game since the heartbreak of 2024. A 7-1 regular season record, first place in Canada West for the first time in 17 years, home field advantage in the playoffs, all erased by an underdog 3-5 Regina Rams team that stole the game on the final possession, 28-25. 
 
In that contest, Bisons receiver Nathan Udoh had what was then a career game, with 57 yards receiving. He was playing for something bigger than himself. He was playing for the leaders in the program, for those that helped set the standard of what Bisons football is. 
 
One of those players was AK Gassama, a CFL Draft pick and the only player in school history to earn Canada West All-Star status in three straight years. 
 
When the clock hit zero, it marked the end of the career of Gassama, who will go down as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the program. His legacy is felt not just on the field, but off it as well. 
 
When Udoh locked eyes with his mentor, tears were shed. It was a moment in time that neither man will ever forget. 
 
"Just losing that game and seeing AK, at first I saw a bunch of other guys, and obviously I was emotional, but when I saw him, the tears really started coming. That was the team's leader. And not just the team's leader, but the leader for all the receivers," noted Udoh of Manitoba's longest-serving player on offence. 
 
"He had been a part of the program for so long here. I got to see him climb the ranks, and I just wanted to follow suit. Losing that game, and seeing him crying, it made me super, super emotional. When we embraced, I just told him I'm so sorry. He was telling me it's okay. He was crying too. I was crying. There was a whole bunch of crying. And then he looked me in the eye and said 'this is yours now. Go take it over.' I'll never forget that moment. I felt it."
 

In storybook fashion, last Saturday in Manitoba's home opener against the No. 5 nationally ranked, undefeated Saskatchewan Huskies, Udoh did take over. 
 
Trailing 17-0 at the half, and needing a spark, it was Udoh that helped light a fire for Manitoba. 
 
He hauled in a career-high 12 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown, 99 of which came in the second half. Udoh's 12 grabs in a game tied a 27-year school record, while his 158 yards shattered his previous personal best from the year before, and his 31-yard major in the third quarter was the second of three passing touchdowns thrown by Jackson Tachinski. 
 
"We were trying to go after that back side," said Tachinski, who threw for 258 yards overall. 
 
"Nathan, he's a great receiver a big body, a great route runner. He was just putting in work. We stuck with him. He got us through a lot."




The only way out, is through
For years, Udoh has been grinding and persevering, putting in the work behind the scenes to be ready for when his number was called. 
 
A raw talent coming out of Miles Mac, he didn't start playing football until grade 11, upon the encouragement of his brother. He was a sensational soccer player, and had an offer from Alberta for the sport that he almost took, but life had other plans. 
 
It wasn't an easy transition of Udoh, who started his career on defence, before moulding into a talented pass catcher. 
 
"Grade 11 came around and my brother just said let's play. It was my brother's grade 12 year, and he wanted me to play. I originally started off as strong half. I got moved to free safety. I found out pretty quickly that defence wasn't my thing. But I knew I was an athlete and I knew I was good with my hands," he said. 
 
"My first ever time playing receiver was during the U18 tryouts for the Canada Cup."
 
It was at Team Manitoba tryouts ahead of his senior year that Udoh met another key mentor, the late Scott Naujoks, who was coaching on the Bisons at the time of his passing in 2021. Udoh's addition to the Herd's roster in 2020 was due in part to Naujoks advocating for him.
 
Back in 2019, Naujoks was the receivers coach for the U18 squad, and the lessons he taught Udoh continue to impact him today. He took a chance on the promising athlete, and the decision had lasting effects. 
 
"I went there. I was very nervous, that's where I met Scott. The first thing he said, was I don't care how fast you are, I don't care how high you can jump, if you can't run routes, you're not going to make it," reflected Udoh.
 
"I thought aw man, that's all I can do. I didn't know what a stem move was, I didn't know crisp route running, anything like that. I went through phase one, made the cut, went through phase two, made the cut. And I made the final roster. Through the summer I was repping with the first team. I got my opportunity to start against Quebec in game one."
 
Naujoks inspired Udoh to always "finish the play." His mantra, of "the only way out, is through," spoke volumes, resonating with Udoh in not just his play on the field, but the way he worked off of it, and how he responded to adversity. 

When you enter the Bisons football coaches room, you are greeted by a photo of Naujoks. His memory lives on in the way that Bisons receivers (and all players) past and present, play the game, treat others and live life to its fullest. 
 
It didn't take long for Naujoks' words to be put into practice. In game one against Quebec, Udoh broke his collarbone, and faced a long rehab journey but instead of getting down, he went to work rehabbing, surging forward in the face of adversity, instead of drawing back.

By the time his senior year came around, Udoh was ready to play. 
 
"That was my first major injury in football. But I've just always been such a competitive person. Football has allowed me to express that competitiveness to its full, fiery emotion," he said. 
 
"I knew I was going to bounce back. I got surgery on my collar bone and I was back for our high school football season in my grade 12 year in two months."
 
Udoh took the Winnipeg High School Football League (WHSFL) by storm in 2019. He caught passes, played on defence, kicked and punted and was a returner. Miles Mac won the Division 2 championship in his senior year, thanks in part to his team-leading 336 yards, along with 238 punt return yards.


'He's an effort guy'
Udoh's work ethic hasn't ceased since he joined the Herd in 2020. Despite the season being postponed due to COVID, he continued to grind.

Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach Cole Scheller noted that "he's done a good job since he got here."
 
"He was one of the few 2020 rookies across all programs who used the COVID sign in sheet to train," he added. "He probably got more lifts in that year than anyone else. He's an effort guy."
 
That effort and persistence also resonated with the veteran play maker Gassama. 
 
"What I really noticed about Nate, was he had this curiosity," reflected the Bisons legend. 
 
"You could tell that in everything that he does. It reminded me of myself. I really respected it. He was always constantly asking questions, asking for advice. When somebody goes out of their way to come see you and ask you something, it goes to show how much trust they have in you, how much belief."
 
Udoh's talent and potential has been evident from the jump. It's never been for a lack of skill that he went under the radar in his early years. Instead, injuries held him back. 
 
In 2022, he could've found a rotational spot, but a hamstring injury took away the chance to play. Last year, another lower body issue forced him to miss all of training camp. 
 
Instead of complaining, Udoh took his rehab seriously. By the playoffs last year he was back as a starter, contributing in a meaningful way. 


 
"Everybody sees the product but they don't know the work that goes on behind the scenes for that," added Gassama. 
 
"Nate came in last year and was in a position where he was going to start right off the bat, but he got injured. That put him back. When all that happened and he was dealt an obstacle, he dealt with it in such a beautiful way. He still showed up every day."
 

Weapon X
During his time at Manitoba, Udoh has earned the nickname Weapon X. For those unfamiliar, Weapon X is synonymous with the Marvel Comics character Wolverine, beginning in 1974. In football, Weapon X was the nickname given to NFL Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins. 
 
"Weapon X' was Wolverine before he became Wolverine," Dawkins said in an interview for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. "He could do everything you needed him to do. That fit; it really did."
 
To be compared to Dawkins is high praise, but it makes sense for a player like Udoh, who also does a little bit of everything, while repping the number ten, which is the roman numeral X. 
 
In 2023 when Manitoba needed a punter mid-season, Udoh stepped up. His longest kick went for 47 yards against Calgary, and he handled the duties for five games, including the playoffs against UBC. 
 
And as he showed against Saskatchewan, Udoh truly is a weapon with the ball in his hands. He took a screen pass for 30 yards, has an enormous catch radius and is extremely strong. 
 
"It's really cool. I didn't even really think about the weapon part. But that's how I want to play my brand of football," said Udoh. 
 
"People look at me and see a big body receiver that goes up and jumps for the ball and can make the contested catch. As I showed with that screen pass, I can be dynamic with the ball. Yes I'm big, but I'm also elusive. I can break a tackle, I can run through a tackle. I can punt the ball. That's what I want my game to be, someone who's dynamic, someone who's a weapon. Having that name and people recognizing me by it, it's a pretty cool feeling."
 
Udoh's record-setting day has him in third in Canada West in receptions (20) and fourth in yards (267). With the motivation of Gassama and others with him, and the spirit of what it means to be a Bison worn proudly on his chest, there's no telling what his limits are. 
 
"When I told him 'it's yours, take it over,' it was more so to continue what we've built here and this culture. We have a very high standard in our receiving corps. We've had a run of talented dudes come out of this group. That started when I was a rookie with guys like Shai [Ross], Macho [Bockru]. That tradition continued with the young guys looking up to the older veterans and carrying that legacy on. He really epitomized that. For me, he's my little brother and I had to pass that on," said Gassama.
 
"Being a Bison, there's a certain resilience. You run head on into the storm. That's everything that it is. Manitoba, historically has been known as a tough-nosed, blue collar province. You come in to work. That translates to the players and to the coaches, like Udoh."