KAMLOOPS — Throughout his eventful career in football, Bo Lokombo has been described in a number of ways.

When he was putting up Madden numbers at W.J. Mouat in Abbotsford — who, pray tell, averages 14.54 yards per rush? — he was called a freak. When he landed at Oregon as a starting linebacker for a U.S. power, he was called a phenom. And when he signed with the B.C. Lions in 2014, he was called a star in the making.

Now, four years later, they’re using a new word around Lokombo; one that isn’t as sexy or provocative as those other terms but, in the long run, is more meaningful. Ask coaches Wally Buono and Mark Washington to describe the difference between the 23-year-old Lokombo and his 27-year-old self and the word they use is, matured.

“I think what we see is maturity,” said Washington, the Lions’ defensive co-ordinator. “Now that’s a big word and it spans a lot of areas in his life, but I think he’s maturing as a player, physically and mentally. He’s at that age now. He’s a man.”

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Which is why they’re hoping they can resurrect those other terms to describe the Lions’ linebacker.

“He’s better,” says Buono. “He’s more definitive. There’s a point in time where you have to mature and grasp the opportunity.”

And Lokombo believes he’s arrived at that point in time.

“The one thing I’ve learned in football is it’s not always going to go your way,” he says. “You may plan a certain route, but that plan can change and it can change quickly. You’re going to go through adversity. You might go through things you weren’t expecting. I’ve learned that over the years, and that’s part of growing and maturing.”

Which sounds like the voice of, well, maturity.

Lokombo, the former freak/phenom/star-in-the-making, has emerged as one of the stories of this Lions’ training camp after the latest in a series of humbling experiences that helped create a fresh perspective on the game.

Two months ago, he was released by the San Francisco 49ers, his third NFL team in less than a year. HIs NFL stint, such as it was, was highlighted by a month-long stay on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice roster, two weeks with the Oakland Raiders — “That was kind of weird,” allows Lokombo — and workouts with, among others, the Patriots and the Jets.

Lokombo, it seems, couldn’t crack the Lions’ starting lineup as a linebacker after he left in 2016, but his skill-set earned him a look in the NFL as a special-team’s player. The problem there is special-team hopefuls are lined up from here to Tacoma for a shot at The Show and Lokombo quickly learned that his talents weren’t as unique as he’d been told all his life.

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Still, there were other areas in which he could improve and, since signing with the Lions a week after his release by the Niners, a more committed, more focused player has emerged than the one who left B.C. in 2016. Throughout this camp, Lokombo and Dyshawn Davis have been engaged in an intense battle for the starting-linebacker spot alongside Solomon Elimimian. Both players will make the team. Both figure to see significant playing time on defence and special teams.

The difference is Lokombo, as a Canadian, has the potential to change the ratio, which makes him more valuable than plutonium.

“That’s fair to say,” Lokombo answered when asked if he’s better equipped for his current opportunity. “I feel like my first three seasons here, it was different. We had a guy like Adam Bighill who was an all-star. He and Solomon were already established.

“This time around there’s a job and I have a better feeling for it. I’m more focused and ready to play.”

That was supposed to be the case when he signed with the Lions out of Oregon but, like so many who’d gone before, Lokombo learned the pro game is a different animal than college. His first season was spent largely on special teams. In Years 2 and 3 he was put into some packages, but his larger contribution was again on special teams. The problem wasn’t his physical skills. The problem was playing in a system and Lokombo never established his place in the Lions’ defence.

“A guy comes from a program like (Oregon) and you expect certain things,” said Washington, the co-ordinator for Lokombo’s first three seasons with the Lions. “Hopefully, he can sustain a bigger role here.”

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So maybe it should have happened faster for Lokombo. And maybe the journey should have been easier. But, in the spring of 2018, he can look back over the uneven terrain of his career and say it all happened for a reason. He still has that off-the-charts athleticism and all the tools to play on the larger Canadian field.

Now he has the experience, the knowledge, the … what’s that other word again?

Ah yes. Maturity.

“I would have liked it to turn out differently, but that’s the nature of the business,” he says of his time in the NFL. “I’m glad I took the opportunity. No regrets there.

“It’s funny how things work out, how the timing goes. If I would have waited a bit longer (for another NFL call), who knows what would have happened? But me coming home is a blessing. I’m very thankful. I’m happy. I’m back and I want to win.”

Older and wiser for the experience.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com .

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