A song of ice and fire: Willie Jefferson has fire in his heart, ice in his mouth

Willie Jefferson is only 26, but his football career has been a long and winding journey.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive end admits he's made some mistakes, but he's moved forward to become a leader of the green and white.

• LISTEN: The Morning Edition features Roughriders star Willie Jefferson, two unique fans

Jefferson talks a lot about his family and he's proud of his path that started in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas.

After bouncing back and forth between the NFL and CFL from 2013 to 2016, Jefferson signed with the Riders in September 2016 because he wanted to play for Chris Jones.

For a closer look, Jefferson talked to CBC Radio's The Morning Edition about his journey to Saskatchewan, trading numbers with Kevin Glenn and fun topics in between.

Tell me about your journey to get here...

Man, it's a blessing just to have an opportunity to play football and to just be able to take care of my family and my friends back at home. My journey isn't no different than other people's journey, just sticking to it and just staying humble, just staying focused.

Do you feel like you've found a home here now?

I feel like I've found a home just because I know certain players on the team and I know coach Jones and I know the coaching staff. It's not just about finding a home because you never want to get comfortable.

What does your family think of Rider Nation?

They love Rider Nation. My mom loves the way the fans interact with me and my girl on social media and stuff like that. She loves the way, like, the team and the organization portrays everybody in a good light and stuff like that. And she just loves me being out here in the community showing myself and showing that she raised a good, wholesome young man.

You went to Craven. What was that experience like?

It was fun. It wasn't too different from being home in Texas, like the country music and just people being outside and having a good time. I enjoyed it. It was like going back home.

Did you get a lot of fans coming up to you?

Yeah, a lot of fans out there. Fans coming up to me in public and talking to me while I'm out by myself just having fun on my leisure time, it doesn't really bother me. If you see me out ... you can always come up to me and speak [to me], I'll talk, sign autographs, take a picture and stuff like that. I'm never standoffish.

What's the most common things fans tell you when you meet them?

The most common thing is 'Oh, how tall are you?' Or 'How much do your teeth cost?' 

Like your grills?

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... it's always like little things. It's never like 'Oh, how you doing? They're just like 'Oh wow, are those gold teeth or like how tall are you? Do you play basketball or something?'

You were No. 5 last year and obviously Kevin Glenn has it now. Did you have to swing a deal with Kevin or did you just give it to him?

He's been here, he's wore the jersey. There's people in the stands with his name on a jersey ... at the end of the day, I just want him to be happy. I'm happy with the number I'm wearing. I did swing a deal with him. Like he has to pay for dinner on the away games and stuff like that, so it's cool, man.

Rapid-fire questions

Are you a Game of Thrones fan?

[Yes] Game of Thrones fan.

Who is your favourite character?

Jon Snow, King of the North.

How do you think it is going to end?

Jon Snow and his people of the North are going to kill the White Walkers and he's going to marry Khaleesi. It's going to happen. They're going to come together and they're going to run the Seven Kingdoms.

Tell me about that mask thing you wear. It looks like Bane.

It's just an elevation mask [for] trying to get my breathing right before the game.

Is everything bigger in Texas?

Everything.

Is there anything that is not bigger in Texas?

Probably the Fiats. That's about it.

Who is the best Rider on Twitter?

Either Rob [Bagg] or [Derek] Dennis.

Who is the toughest offensive lineman to go against on the Riders?

Top 3: Derek Dennis, Dan Clark, and [Brendon] LaBatte

Are Fabolous and Gucci Mane still your favourite rappers?

Gucci Mane is still one of my favourite rappers, but 2 Chainz has made his way up the list. Pimp C will forever be the greatest.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

The Roughriders (1-3) take on the Toronto Argonauts (3-2) at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. CST.