Teams and media members to vote for Most Outstanding Rookie
TORONTO (October 8, 2026) – The Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Most Outstanding Rookie award will come down to a class of 139 first-year players. The recipient is voted on by the nine teams, and the local and national voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC).
In lieu of a traditional awards ceremony, the CFL will introduce a fresh new approach to recognizing award winners. Recipients will be honoured through special surprise presentations as the season draws to a close and during the postseason, creating more personal and intimate moments to celebrate players’ outstanding seasons. The moments will be shared online, offering fans a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the people and stories behind the statistics and accomplishments.
Players must satisfy all the following criteria to be eligible for Most Outstanding Rookie:
Named to the active 45-man roster of a CFL member club for a regular season game during the 2026 season
Never dressed for a CFL member club in the regular season, postseason or championship game in any prior season
Never dressed for a National Football League member club in the regular season, postseason or championship game in any prior season
PREVIOUS FIVE MOST OUTSTANDING ROOKIES
2025 | Trey Vaval (WPG)
2024 | Nick Anderson (EDM)
2023 | Qwan’tez Stiggers (TOR)
2022 | Dalton Schoen (WPG)
2021 | Jordan Williams (BC)
2026 ROOKIE CLASS
(Name | POS | School/Team)
Note: Rookies that have been released are not included.
BC LIONS
Bailey, Emani | RB | Texas Christian
Bolden, Silas | WR | Texas
Cenacle, Nick | WR | Hawaii
DeMontagnac, Nate | WR | North Dakota
Goforth, Ralen | LB | Washington
Gusta, David | DL | Kentucky
Henning, Chase | LB | UBC
Kemeni, Pierre Jr. | DB | Ohio
McKenna, Parker | LB | Washington State
Russell, Tyson | DB | Vanderbilt
Salter, Kaidon | QB | Liberty
Spatny, Matt | DL | Lehigh
Taylor, Colby | DL | West Florida
Walker-Hunt, Tyran | OL | Old Dominion
Williams, Jaden | WR | Texas State
EDMONTON ELKS
Bastone, Carmine | DL | Northwestern
Carter, Cameron | OL | Murray State
Cooper, Joe | OL | Slippery Rock
Djabome, Dariel | LB | Rutgers
Kettyle, Carter | WR | Alberta
Luther, T.J. | WR | Gardner-Webb
Meyer, Gavin | DL | Southern California
Pace, Justin | LB | Queen's
Pashula, Chris | OL | Calgary
Powell, ShunDerrick | RB | Central Arkansas
Reid, Terez | DB | Florida Atlantic
Sangmuah, Benjamin | DB | University of British Columbia
Tennison, Ladarius | DB | Central Florida
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Alexander, Zy | DB | Louisiana State
Ashmore, Bradley | OL | Vanderbilt
Coly, Bakyne | OL | Purdue
Frazier, Savio | DL | Miami (Ohio)
Grzesiak, Daniel | DL | Cincinnati
Haie, Anton | DB | Laval
Hills, Elijah | DL | Wisconsin
Hunter, Jeremiah | WR | Washington
Manns, Khairi | DL | James Madison
Marois, Tristan | DL | Colorado
Miller-Melancon, Ashton | DB | Queen's
Moten, R.J. | LB | Florida
Ojutalayo, Jesulayomi | WR | Wilfrid Laurier
Rascoe, Eric | LB | Angelo State
Stokman, Matthew | OL | Manitoba
Wooldridge, Ben | QB | Louisiana
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Andersen, Erik | OL | Western
Bell, Darius | OL | East Carolina
Bell, Malcolm | DB | Michigan State
Burgess, James Jr. | DB | Alabama State
Chapman, Oscar | P | Auburn
Charles, Kendy | DL | Duke
Conley, Quali | RB | Arizona
Djete, Dylan | WR | Alabama State
Evans, Desmond | DL | North Carolina
Gbenda, David | LB | Texas
Hale, Alex | K | Oklahoma State
Hoskins, Liam | DL | Windsor
Hughes, Juwuane | DB | Fresno State
Johnson, Johnny III | WR | Oregon
Oladipo, Seyi Jr. | DB | Boise State
Pate, Jaylen | DL | Northwestern
Sexton, Mathew | WR | Eastern Michigan
Wiebe, Daniel | WR | Saskatchewan
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Bouliane, Charles-Elliot | LB | Montreal
Clark, Brody | LB | York
Daniels, Dante | TE | North Carolina State
Elgersma, Taylor | QB | Wilfrid Laurier
Elsbury, Tyler | OL | Iowa
Fletcher, Michael | DT | Appalachian State
Gatkuoth, Nuer | DE | Wake Forest
Hazen, Dylan | LB | Wake Forest
Reese, David | DE | Syracuse
Singer, Dorian | WR | Utah
Stuart, Ethan | DB | McMaster
Texada, Ridge | DB | North Texas
Williams, Major | DB | Carson-Newman
Womack, Kenneth | WR | Western Michigan
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Benton, De’Jon | DL | Hawaii
Biggins, Nahree | RB | Central Michigan
Cromwell, Devynn | DB | Michigan State
Crook, Jordan | LB | Arizona State
Denis, Jonathan | OL | Louisiana Tech
Gagné, Loïk | LB | Concordia
Hayes, Kaleb | DB | Brigham Young
Mang, Maximilian | TE | Syracuse
McCarthy, Mitch | P | Indiana
Nitychoruk, Jake | DB | Manitoba
Notice, Aamarii | DL | Coastal Carolina
Swartout, Brayden | OL | Central Michigan
Szeman, Brayden | OL | Calgary
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Arnold, Akili | DB | Southern California
Bell, Jalen | DL | Memphis
Bland, Desmond | OL | West Florida
Burnip, James | P | Alabama
Ceasar, James | DB | Southern Illinois
Davis, Solomon | WR | Central Michigan
Gauthier, Louis-Philippe | DB | Montreal
Goss, Owen | LB | Arizona
Hickey, Dathan | DB | Youngstown State
Hicks, Sam | RB | Abilene Christian
John, Ethan | DB | Windsor
Jones, Qualan | RB | Stephen F. Austin
Kahmann, Tyler | WR | Emporia State
Maisonneuve, Gabriel | DL | Montreal
McKenzie, Darius | LB | South Alabama
Miller, Dymere | WR | Rutgers
Neal, James | LB | Texas State
Parsalidis, Sebastian | FB | Wilfrid Laurier
Piazza, Domenico | OL | McGill
Rayam, Jalen | LB | UTEP
Ready, Tristan | WR | Carleton
Reimer, Rush | OL | California
Shand, Paris | DL | Louisiana State
Smith, Isaiah | RB | Guelph
Teubner, Alexander | LB | Boise State
Toia, Soane | DL | San Jose State
Ulm, Nolan | WR | Eastern Washington
Vreugdenhil, Frank | OL | McMaster
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Barlev, Zachary | OT | Old Dominion
Barnes, Marcus | DB | William & Mary
Briggs, Dennis Jr. | DT | Illinois
Connors, Josh | LB | Wilfrid Laurier
Diouf, Alassane | OG | Montreal
Dobson, Benjamin | LB | Calgary
Jordan, Ethan | WR | Wilfrid Laurier
Lucien, Jeremy | DB | Vanderbilt
McDonald, Cade | WR | Miami (Ohio)
Parks, Charlie | DE | Saskatchewan
Pearl, Julian | OT | Illinois
Spencer, Lucus | LS | Bishop's
Stafford, Jelani | DT | Connecticut
Tezino, Kyahva | LB | San Diego State
Vaccaro, Giordano | OG | Purdue
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Guy, TJ | DL | Michigan
Jones, Rohan | TE | Arkansas
Louis, Shakespeare | DB | Southeastern Louisiana
Manuel, Donovan | LB | Florida International
Mews, Mekhi | WR | Houston
Sutherland, Jonathan | DB | Penn State
Talbot, Liam | RB | Windsor