Garth Brooks and football: That's all Roughriders QB Brett Smith needs

Two of Brett Smith's greatest passions are about to converge in Saskatoon and it's causing him a bit of stress.

Football and Garth Brooks.

I almost cried. I was like, 'Sir, you're one of my heroes. You have no idea.'- Brett Smith, on meeting Garth Brooks in Regina. 

The 23-year-old backup quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who is in Saskatoon for training camp, would love to see his country music hero live next weekend.

"Yeah, I'm a big Garth fan," Smith explained after a busy morning of camp. 

"Because we have camp, I don't think we're going to go. But obviously, the thought has crossed my mind."

Smith actually saw Garth Brooks twice during the offseason in his home state of Oregon, as well as a Vince Gill concert.

Smith also had the chance to meet Brooks in person before a show in Regina.

"I almost cried. I was like 'Sir, you're one of my heroes. You have one idea.' It was pretty incredible meeting Garth and it was one of the coolest moments of my life."

Preparing for 2016

Smith is managing to stay focused during training camp despite the Garth Brooks distraction. With a new offence to learn and coaching staff to impress, it has been a busy camp so far.

"It's been really fast, and I think Coach Jones is trying to stress the fact that we're going to be high tempo really consistently. That's something that I think a lot of the receivers and lineman are finding out quickly because they're on the move all the time."

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The native of Salem, Oregon is coming off a dramatic rookie season. He was pressed into the starting role last season after Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn went down with injuries. 

He threw for 15 touchdowns and won over fans with his brash running style. But the Riders finished with only three wins. He said the experience served as motivation during the offseason.

"It's really just more incentive to not feel that feeling again and come back and win."

Learning from Garcia

Smith prepared for the 2016 season by training with former CFL and NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia. Smith was able to learn a great deal from the former Grey Cup champion, who took part in all of the workouts.

"A lot of the stuff he says is just to trust your abilities. You've gotten yourself to this point, so just continue to believe in yourself and just work hard like you are the guy, even though I am in a backup role."