Blue Bombers announce coaching changes

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.bluebombers.com/2025/12/22/blue-bombers-announce-coaching-changes/

Tommy Condell - OC
Jason Hogan - RB coach
Jake Thomas - DL coach

[VictorRomano]

I'm OK with Thomas and Condell.

Hogan?  Not so much.

[blue_gold_84]

Hogan?  Not so much.

Bit of a strange move, and kinda comes across as a pity demotion, IMO.

[Jesse]

Amazing news all around.

Experienced OC with a successful history with Zach? Check.

Retiring Jake and finally starting Lawson? Check.

Anybody is fine as the RB coach. If he's cool with the demotion, doesn't bother me. 

[ModAdmin]

Blue Bombers announce coaching changes

WINNIPEG, MB., Dec 22, 2025 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce changes to the coaching staff for the 2026 Canadian Football League season. Tommy Condell has been named the Club's new offensive coordinator, and Jake Thomas will be transitioning from his playing career to become the team's defensive line coach, replacing retiring coach Darrell Patterson. Jason Hogan will return in 2026 as the Club's running backs coach, a role he previously held from 2022-2024.

Condell joins the Blue Bombers after spending the last two years as the offensive coordinator with the Ottawa Redblacks and brings 15 years of Canadian Football League coaching experience with five different teams.

Condell began his CFL career with the Blue Bombers in 1997 as the special teams coordinator on Jeff Reinebold's staff and has experience in the league with the Ottawa Renegades (2004-05), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2006), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2014-15; 2020-23), Toronto Argonauts (2017-18) and Redblacks (2024-25).

He was part of the coaching staff that helped lead the Argos to the 2017 Grey Cup championship and served as the offensive coordinator with the Roughriders in '06, with the Ticats from '13-15 and again in '21-23 and the Argos in '18 before joining the Redblacks in the same capacity in '24.

His coaching resumé also includes stints with Illinois Wesleyan (1995), Albany Firebirds (1996), Hamilton Continentals (1996), McNeese State (1998-99), Stephen F. Austin (2000), Louisiana-Monroe (2001-03), Southeastern Louisiana (2007-09) and Cornell (2010-12).

The Redblacks ranked eighth in offensive points in 2025 as starting quarterback Dru Brown missed nine games and Ottawa started four different quarterbacks. Ottawa finished the year ranked fifth in passing yards per game (269.3) and sixth in rushing (93.6). In 2024, the Redblacks finished second in passing yards per game (303.1) and ninth in rushing (83.7) as Brown threw for a career-best 3,959 yards in his first year as their starter.

During his days in Hamilton, the Tiger-Cats finished first in scoring and second in passing in 2019 and fourth in scoring and passing in 2019. He also worked with Zach Collaros in Hamilton in 2014-15, when he first emerged as a CFL star quarterback.

Thomas steps into a new role as the defensive line coach after a superb 13-year career with the club that saw him play in 223 regular season games and five Grey Cups, serving as a key member of the championship teams in 2019 and 2021.

His 223 career games rank fourth highest in Blue Bombers history after only Bob Cameron (394), Troy Westwood (293) and Chris Walby (249).

Selected by the Blue Bombers in the fourth round, 29th overall, of the 2012 CFL Draft, the Acadia University product transformed into a reliable starter and respected leader who spent hours in the film room and now transitions to coaching after a career in which he posted 33 sacks, 196 tackles, five forced fumbles and one interception.

[Waffler]

They say incumbent defensive line coach Darrell Patterson is retiring. Ok. one for one. But what is happening to Andre Bolduc the current RB coach?

[Blue In BC]

Ok. Patterson out as DL coach after retiring. Thomas takes over. Hogan as RB coach, does that mean Bolduc is no longer with the team?

Thomas might make a good coach since his work ethic is very good and I think he's respected by team mates.  He understands the strategies used by the team.

I hope he does well in his new role.

[BBRT]

https://www.bluebombers.com/2025/12/22/blue-bombers-announce-coaching-changes/

Tommy Condell - OC
Jason Hogan - RB coach
Jake Thomas - DL coach

I am good with the OC and DL coaching changes - not sure Jason Hogan needs to stick around though.

[GOLDMEMBER]

All seems passable for me at this point.

[Blue In BC]

This opens up a spot for Schmekel if he's healthy. He seemed to be improving before injury. Anyone know anything about Tre Laing drafted in 2025 and how he looked in his last year of university? In theory, he might be the Canadian that sits on the PR for a year or when an injury occurs?

Obviously we may draft a new DL higher than last year that isn't going back to university.

[peg_city]

Random trivia fact. Jake Thomas was the last active Blue Bomber to have played at Canadinns.

[Blueforlife]

All good news and congrats to Jake and his fantastic longevity he showed in his career, he was nothing but steady for us for a long time.  His legacy will continue and I believe some have understated his contributions to this club.
Jackson gone?

[The Zipp]

says a lot about the organization that a guy takes a demotion and stays with the team. 

[LXTSN]

Love these 3 moves!
I guess Condell is a bit of a question mark. Hasn't exactly been the most successful OC, but he will for sure be an upgrade.
Jake Thomas as our DL coach is great too! We all love Fatboi but on the field he's struggled this last season. Just hasn't had his best season.
With Hogan on the coaching staff, Brady hasn't had a season under 1000 yards! I do think he's an important piece to our offence, but not great as a playcaller and offense installer. If he was cool with taking the demotion, he is very self aware in realizing that OC is not for him, or at least he isn't ready for it. He would for sure be hired somewhere as a RB coach, so I'm glad we have him still.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

They say incumbent defensive line coach Darrell Patterson is retiring. Ok. one for one. But what is happening to Andre Bolduc the current RB coach?

Most position coaches are on one year contracts so no surprise, no word whether Jackson has been renewed yet either. Zach probably got Hogan fired and Brady probably stepped in to help provide him a safe landing. MOS again demonstrates he has a hard time making tough personnel decisions, probably disqualifies him from ever seeking a job as a GM.