Former Ravens star Behar likes new perch

Maybe it was the fact he was returning to his home away from home. Maybe it was the opportunity to tap into the potential that so many saw when he was a star receiver with the Carleton Ravens.

Or maybe it was the recruiting phone call he got from Ottawa Redblacks coach Rick Campbell.

Whatever the case, receiver Nate Behar made it pretty clear in a phone conversation Friday that he’s excited to be a Redblack, signing a one-year deal.

“It doesn’t really seem real yet. But it’s a thing and here we are,” said Behar, drafted fifth overall by the Edmonton Eskimos in 2017. “I knew Ottawa was a place I wanted to be, but I didn’t want to get too fixated or focused on it — the last thing you want to do is get caught up in one thing and have it not work out and be disappointed about it.”

Behar started seven games and had 27 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown last year as an Eskimo. The 24-year-old returns to Ottawa after a university career that saw him catch passes for 2,577 yards and 21 touchdowns in 30 games for the Ravens, twice earning All-Canadian honours. He caught a 55-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the 2014 Panda Game as the Ravens stunned the Ottawa Gee-Gees at TD Place.

“We have a lot of high hopes about how he will be able to come in and impact our roster," said Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins. “He’s athletic, he’s physical, he plays with a motor, he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder and he’s got a great personality — all of those things."

“Edmonton was definitely in the mix,” said Behar. “We discussed an extension offer before free agency. I had a feeling that free agency was the way I wanted to go, but it didn’t mean I necessarily was done with Edmonton. I wanted the chance to hear a couple of teams out. I’m thankful for Edmonton. Not everything started the way we wanted it to (there was a contract dispute and holdout in 2017), but I learned an incredible amount.

“It came down to the opportunity (in Ottawa). I hope to compete to get on the field more often and play in that explosive offence. A lot of it is in my hands.

“That’s what training camp is for. I’m absolutely confident; hopefully this year I’m ready to crack out of my shell.”

Of a conversation with Campbell earlier this week, Behar said: “He told me I’d really fit into the team. It was a nice, short conversation, but it was really nice.”

Behar, who’s from London, has spent this off-season in Ottawa.

“I figured I might as well be around the Carleton guys and be surrounded by football,” he said.