Enoch Penney-Laryea Is Ready For His Opportunity

When training camp opens May 12 national linebacker Enoch Penney-Laryea will enter his third CFL season and second with the black and gold. Cats fans didn’t really get to know him last season because the team signed him only in August after a number of Canadians were injured, so we’re taking this opportunity to familiarize Ticat Nation with a player who’s stock may be on the rise here

Penney-Laryea, who played for the McMaster Marauders before being drafted by the Argonauts in 2022, dropped around the Ticats Today virtual lounge for a discussion  earlier today and here’s the print version of that interview. We discussed his being born in Ghana, growing up in, essentially, New York City, his road to McMaster and his even more winding road to being confirmed as a “National” for CFL roster-ratio purposes.

As usual, the answers, and some of the questions, have been edited for clarity and length. But the whole interview, which includes answers not included here, is available on the Ticats Audio Network and you can catch the video version on the Ticats YouTube channel.

Just a little more than a year ago, on that agonizing —for almost everybody— final day of training camp, you were released by the Toronto Argonauts for whom you’d played in 15 regular season games in 2022. That must have been a psychologically damaging blow. How did you cope with it?

“Yeah, I mean, it was tough. It was really tough. I think I actually got the news about an hour before the team meeting. It’s an hour window between cuts and the team meeting. So part of me was like, ‘Oh man, maybe I did make it.’  But you find out you didn’t and honestly, that’s life. I took the lesson from that and I said, ‘OK, this off-season, what can I do to get better? What did I learn? How can I improve in those areas?’

“And you know what? Honestly, I feel like it was part of God’s plan.  I think I took it pretty well, but in the moment it was definitely devastating. Don’t get me wrong, you know, because we worked so hard for this, right? Day in and day out, this is what we think about, this is what we work towards. So it definitely hit me hard, especially it happening the week after I had just gotten engaged. I was like, “This is not ideal, just being engaged and then not making the team. But I kept my head up and just kept working. I really kept working.”

And that paid off. You were ready when just two months later,  the Ticats had lost a number of Canadians through injuries and signed you. The Cats already had you on their radar, but is it true that when they contacted you, they didn’t have to look far; you were working for the pharmacy the club uses for all their players’ prescriptions and treatment needs ?

“That is true, I was working at Marchese.  And  (laughs) no, I’m not a pharmacist. They had opened a new position called a Drug Strategy Coordinator. Harm reduction was a huge part of that position. Just like many cities, there’s a history of drug use here, right?  And people unfortunately fall into bad habits with drug use.

“Part of that position was making resources available through Marchese Pharmacy and through Marchese Healthcare for people who need those resources and helping them access those resources. A big part of that was naloxone kits, which Marchese produces on site as well. They also distribute them to also a lot of local organizations, like the YWCA, for example, Mission Services, a few others. That was a key part of that position. And helping out, too, with general everyday stuff around the pharmacy.”

You got into a couple of Ticats games last year, recording a couple of special teams tackles. This will be your third season in the CFL, often called the pivotal season in the career arc of a professional athlete. Do things change the more you suit up, even suiting up for practice?

“The big thing that I found transitioning into the league was the pace of the game; a little bit faster. So I think there was a bit of a learning curve. But now I really feel like I’m starting to get it and the game is starting to slow down for me each year. I’m going into my third year now  looking to make the best of it and go out there and do my job every day.”

That whole concept of the game slowing down, can you actually feel it when it happens?

“For sure, for sure. You can feel it. I mean, for me, I think I feel it more in my decision-making. It feels like you have more time to dissect as the play progresses. So it feels like you end up in a better spot. You feel like you can actually see things develop a little bit better, which I’ve been noticing every single year. I’m just looking to keep improving in that aspect.”

The prequel to your CFL story is winding and compelling. You were born in Ghana, but moved as a kid to Tuckahoe which is located on New York City’s Bronx River. You played college football and ran track upstate for Division III Union College in Schenectady. How did you ever wind up at McMaster?

“Yeah, that’s a funny story.  Growing up in New York, one of my closest buddies was actually Canadian. I did, like you said, two years in New York at Union College (2016-17). At the time, my friend  came up here to attend UBC. And my family was also relocating again. My father works for United Nations and they were relocating to Armenia. So, I had a little bit of a decision to make. ‘Do I want to stay here? Do I want to pursue an education somewhere else?’   I ended up speaking to my buddy and he said, ‘You should really consider some schools up in Canada.’  So I did. Mac really caught my eye. Excellent football history to pair with the academics. I spoke to some faculty, I spoke to the head coach, which at the time was Greg Knox. So I reached out to him; I think I sent out a highlight tape. I really just kept trying to find  out as much as I could. I ultimately committed to Mac and had an amazing experience there. Graduated three years ago.

“So that’s how I ended up here.”

You are a citizen of the U.S.,  When, and how, did you find out you were eligible for the 2022 CFL Canadian Draft?

“So that takes me once again back to Mac. A lot of things circle back to Mac. One of my coaches, (former Ticat receiver) Corey Grant, who is head coach at Carleton right now, had mentioned it to me: ‘Hey, E,  there’s a new rule.’ I think it was instated the year before my draft, and he thought I should really look into it.’ That there was a possibility of  becoming a National because I’d been at Mac for, I think it was four years at the time. That really caught my attention. I was, like, ‘That’s interesting. I hope it works out that way.’ And sure enough it did.”

The Tiger-Cats will start Jordan Williams—your teammate in Toronto—at one of the linebacker positions and he too qualifies for roster purposes as a Canadian. Starting Canadians usually requires having Canadians as some of the backups at that position. Additionally, Canadian linebacker depth is an integral part of special teams, and the Ticats have lost Fraser Sopik to Toronto, and Bailey Feltmate to retirement, and Nic Cross was hurt last year. So do you sense a real opportunity for you with the Cats this season?

“Definitely, I sense that. It’s kind of mixed feelings because you came in with those guys. You know, they’re great guys, too, great leaders in their own way. But it’s football, right? Every year, it’s not guaranteed. You’re going to come in with a whole new group of guys. But it did click with me that a spot or two might be open: ‘You know, this is it. This is it. I’ve got to make my impact go out there and do my job, understand what I’m doing and contribute.’

“You’ve gotta earn everything, right? So I’m going to put my best foot forward, do everything that I can to the best of my ability. If the coaching staff determines, ‘Hey you’re ready for that, you can take on the backup spot, or whatever,’ I’m going to  be elated.  I think I can do it.”

You had an interesting off-season job four or five years ago working for the UN in Armenia. Could you describe it, and how it came about?

“My parents, like I mentioned, relocated to Armenia. I wanted to go home to them but said, ‘What am I going to do besides train? I don’t want to just sit around all day.’ My father told me that the United Nations Industrial Development Organization was looking for some interns.

‘I’m sure I had a leg up because he’s in the organization or is part of the UN there. But either way, I applied. I got the internship position. I was there for two-and-a-half, three months. Yeah, it was an amazing experience, really getting to delve into what makes that organization special. One key project we looked at was the development of the automotive sector in Armenia. I gave a small presentation to some of the a few leaders in that sector at the end of the internship looking at how we can better streamline a few things when it comes to transportation within the inner city. It was great experience for sure and great to put that on a resume.”