Randy Colling might have been born in Buffalo but he knows his Oskee Wee Wee. And now, courtesy of a rule change and an Arena League coach with keen eye, he's set to play in the CFL as a Canadian.

Five years after graduating from Gannon University and following a stint in the NFL with Buffalo Bills, the 26-year-old defensive lineman has obtained Canadian citizenship and been added to the 2017 CFL draft class.

Colling is latest beneficiary of a 2014 CFL rule change that allows players with Canadian citizenship to qualify for national status, regardless of where they were born. With a Canadian-born father, Colling has applied for and been granted dual-citizenship.

It was Ron Selesky, Colling's coach with Cleveland in the Arena League and a former U.S. scout with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who realized the big defender should be looking north of the border.

"I remembered seeing the article about how (Garrett) Waggoner got his Canadian citizenship and they had contacted the Minister of Sport up there and got their process expedited," Selesky says. "If I would've known earlier that his dad had been born in Canada we could've jumped on it a lot earlier."

Colling's father and grandfather were born in Hamilton and grew up Ticats fans. Kirby Colling taught his son the "Oskee Wee Wee" chant, still wears a Ticats winter coat and owns a Darren Flutie jersey, even though he moved to Buffalo as a teenager.

"I remember visiting Hamilton when I was 12 years old because my dad wanted to show me where he grew up. He told me about the Tiger-Cats and we went to the team shop where I got some gear," Colling recalls.

That Ticat connection didn't help Colling's citizenship process: it still took over a year for the final paperwork to be completed, which came three days after the deadline to qualify for the 2016 CFL supplemental draft.

"My Cleveland teammate Brian Brikowski, who played for the Montreal Alouettes, he was telling me how much of a difference it would make in me getting my Canadian citizenship," Colling says. "You can make more money and have a lot longer career."

Back in 2011, the defensive lineman finished his senior season at Gannon University with 88 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 11 games. He was a Gene Upshaw NCAA Division II Lineman of the Year award finalist.