Mark Kilam has had a very interesting offseason. After the Calgary Stampeders made the decision to move away from several members of their coaching staff he was informed he would not be retained for the 2025 season. Also let go were Defensive Coordinator Brent Monson, and Defensive Line Coach Juwan Simpson following a 5-12-1 season. With changes needed in Calgary it was not entirely a surprise to see coaching changes as the primary moves made to improve the team. What was surprising, was the news just over a month later that Kilam emerged as a top candidate for the Head Coaching job with the Edmonton Elks, while also being pursued by the BC Lions for their vacancy.
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Mark Kilam, Head Coach 25 in 2025 for Edmonton
It was reported by Farhan Lalji on November 30th, 2024 that Mark Kilam was hired as the 25th different Head Coach (Chris Jones held the position for two stints) in the history for Edmonton since their inception in 1949. This comes on the heels of hiring Ed Hervey for his second stint as General Manager. Kilam who spent his entire CFL career spanning two decades will now get his first opportunity as a Head Coach, doing so in his first stint outside of Calgary since 2005.
Kilam has served many roles in his 20 seasons with Calgary including serving as Strength and Conditioning Coach, Defensive Assistant, Linebackers Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, and Assistant Head Coach. To say he has a unique grasp on the duties he will take over in 2024 is putting it lightly as he has seen first hand what it takes to serve as head coach working closely with Dave Dickenson for over a decade before Dickenson took over as the Head Coaching role for Calgary.
Winning Ways Follow Mark Kilam to Edmonton
Kilam takes over as head coach for Edmonton after winning three Grey Cups with Calgary in 2008, 2014, and 2018, and another three High School Championships in four seasons with Cochrane High School. Winning is nothing new to Kilam, but will this experience and his newfound partnership with Ed Hervey translate to wins in Edmonton?
It will be interesting to see how Kilam looks to build his staff for 2025. Does he lean heavily on his experience in Calgary, and that of Hervey with Hamilton, and BC? Could we see some surprise names on the staff?
With their new General Manager, and Head Coach in tow, all eyes turn to the quarterback position where veterans McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Dakota Prukop and former first overall pick Tre Ford are all impending free agents for the Elks. Does the new power couple for Edmonton prioritize retaining either of these players, or do they look to the open market which will feature a bevy of quarterbacks with starting experience including; Logan Bonner, Jake Maier, Shea Patterson, Trevor Harris, Chris Streveler, Cameron Dukes, Nick Arbuckle, Jeremiah Masoli, or Dominique Davis?
Quarterback is just the tip of the iceberg for Edmonton as crucial offensive playmakers like Javon Leake, Eugene Lewis, Tevin Jones, Hergy Mayala, and six linemen are all set to test the market. With the defense also looking at players like Derrick Moncrief, Loucheiz Purifoy, Shawn Oakman, and Nyles Morgan all impending free agents as well. Edmonton has a lot of questions to answer as they gear up for training camp in 2025 and it is sure to be one of the more polarizing teams this offseason.
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