From a young age, Qwan’tez Stiggers couldn’t imagine doing anything with his life other than playing football.
The now-22-year-old knew it was not going to be an easy path for him to realize his dream of playing in the NFL, but he certainly did not envision what ultimately transpired these past three years — an unprecedented journey through two unfamiliar leagues and two countries that now has him as a buzzy candidate for this week’s NFL Draft, getting the attention of top insiders like Adam Schefter.
“It’s almost surreal for me. To get the opportunity to help support my family, I have to give a big shout-out to my agent Fred Lyles and a special thanks to the Toronto Argonauts for allowing me to go through this process,” said Stiggers on the phone from his home in Atlanta. “I wouldn’t have believed anyone who would have told me that I would be in this position. This has always been a dream for me, and my dream is finally going to come true. So, I just give all thanks to God and my family for supporting me through this journey.”
Growing up in Atlanta in a family of 13 kids, Stiggers went to a small high school where he played multiple positions before settling on cornerback. He eventually received a scholarship offer from Lane College, a Division II HBCU in Jackson, Tenn.
But, unfortunately for Stiggers, after losing his freshman season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his life was turned upside down by a family tragedy.
In February 2020, Stiggers’ father, Rayves Harrison, was in a car accident that left him in a coma. He died that September and the unexpected loss devastated Stiggers.
The last thing the Atlanta native could think about was playing football. For him, playing the game with his biggest fan gone and his family in need during a tough time in their lives was too much to overcome.
Stiggers dropped out of school, and set about looking for whatever work he could find to help support his family, including stints with DoorDash and InstaCart, and at a truck wash at the airport near home. He also struggled with depression.
Stiggers’ mother, Kwanna, saw the pain her son was going through and didn’t want him to give up on his dream. After seeing a sign-up link on Facebook, she urged him to play in the Fan Controlled League, a seven-man indoor football league that featured no kicking or special teams and let fans call plays.
“I was done with football after my dad died,” Stiggers says. “I was done because it didn’t feel the same. And then, I guess, the ad showed up on my mom’s Facebook page. I don’t know how my mom got Facebook, but she signed me up and it sent a link to my email. I asked, ‘Mom, what is this?’ She responded, ‘I signed you up. Go out and have a blast.’ So, I went out there and I did just that.”
That decision would change everything for Stiggers.
His play in the FCL got him on the Toronto Argonauts’ radar after John Jenkins, a former assistant coach with the team, sent a message to the front office urging staff to take a look at some of his game footage. Assistant general manager Vince Magri reached out to Stiggers on Instagram to see if he was interested in the CFL.
After talking with the team, Stiggers was offered a rookie contract and after taking some time to decide, Stiggers was off to Toronto.
“The first thing that went through my mind was we got to get a passport. So I was reaching out to my family members to help me get a passport,” Stiggers said. “I ended up getting enough money to get my passport, and went up to Canada.”
The transition was tough. Unlike college players, who have everything laid out for them, Stiggers had to figure out a lot on his own at 21 years old, while also worrying about leaving his fiancée, Cheyenne, and one-year-old son back home.
“I had to move to another country not knowing what to expect living on my own — because when I moved out [of the family home], my fiancée moved with me everywhere I went,” Stiggers explains. “I had to figure out how to do these things on my own while also missing my fiancée and my son in the process, because I’m used to seeing my son every day. I was dealing with anxiety but it got better because, you know, I made time to talk to him.
“Then with five weeks left in the season, that’s when she and my son drove 16 hours to come to live with me, and the Argos played a big part in helping me move into an apartment with my son and fiancée.”
The decision to play in the CFL was a big gamble for Stiggers because there were no guarantees for him to make the team. He also wasn’t going to be paid for attending training camp and still had to find a way to support his family.
He was also attempting to crack an Argonauts roster that had just won a Grey Cup title and featured players with experience playing different levels of NCAA football and in some cases, in the NFL.
Even the Argonauts had their doubts knowing Stiggers was going to try to make the team with no college experience. Fortunately for him, he had met secondary coach Will Fields when he was trying to recruit him to play high school football in Nebraska.
Any doubts the team had about Stiggers were forgotten the moment he stepped onto the field for practice.
“There were some little things in terms of body composition, and you could tell he was a rookie,” said Magri on a phone call with Sportsnet.ca “But once the football drills started, [it was clear] the athletic ability we saw on tape definitely translated onto the field. He was out there playing the ball, putting his foot in the ground, reacting and getting on receivers. He showed that he belonged fairly quickly.”
To his surprise, Stiggers made the team out of camp, becoming one of the youngest players in the league. Soon after, he was forced into a starting role because of injuries. It’s not a situation many CFL rookies find themselves in, but he didn’t shy away from the challenge, recording an interception in his first start on a pass by former CFL Most Outstanding Player Bo Levi Mitchell in the endzone.
After the game, Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie made a point of commending Stiggers for his ability to handle all that had been thrown at him, and said he saw a bright future ahead for the young DB. It turned out that Dinwiddie’s assertion would turn out to be true, just sooner sooner than he probably expected.
Months later, Stiggers was on a stage accepting the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award.
When asked what was going through his head as he heard his name called, Stiggers says his mind immediately went to his biggest fan.
“Dad, I did it,” he says. “I know he is looking down from heaven saying, ‘I’m proud of you.’”
It was clear that his time in the CFL was going to be short given his emergence as a top young player in the league and NFL teams already expressing interest during the season. But the next step for him was going to be different than other players looking to land an NFL opportunity.
It’s not uncommon for CFL players to get contract offers from NFL teams ahead of an upcoming season. Stiggers’ path, though, would have to be different. Since he didn’t attend college and his graduating class is up, he will have to go through the draft. If he hears his name called, he’ll be the first CFL player to get drafted into the NFL without attending college.
Since his CFL season ended, Stiggers has been full-steam ahead. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, getting a chance to showcase himself in front of NFL scouts and talent evaluators, then had 29 teams attend his personal pro day in Atlanta.
Magri believes the hurdles Stiggers has had to overcome have put him in a position to handle whatever comes his way.
“Obviously, he’s been through a lot in his life, but the way he carried himself day-to-day, being a young kid having to move away from home and go live in a brand-new country without having that college experience before to do what he did, and just to be a pro, taking care of all his work, his rehab, latching on to the right people in the locker room, taking coaching not just from the coaches, but from the veteran guys. He did everything he needed to the right way,” Magri says.
Stiggers’ story has attracted attention, with several teams inviting the defensive back to visit their facilities. Magri says the Argonauts have received calls from almost every team in the NFL looking to get information from the coaching staff, trainers and front office staff.
For Stiggers, hearing his name called has always been the goal, but he is hoping to be more than just a feel-good Draft Day story.
“I already know that once I get drafted or signed the story doesn’t matter anymore,” said Stiggers. It matters how long you stay. People might look at it as a fairytale but I see it as a long journey and once I get into the NFL door. It doesn’t matter. And all I can say is thanks to those who got me including my coaches in Toronto. Go Argos!”