The Edmonton Elks signed four American players on Tuesday, including receiver Raphael Leonard, receiver Maurice Ffrench, offensive lineman Brodarious Hamm, and linebacker Vincent DiLeo.
Hamm dressed for 34 games over four seasons at Auburn University and started at offensive tackle as a junior in 2020 and senior in 2021. The six-foot-six, 334-pound native of Griffin, Ga. received the Ken Rice Award in his senior season as the Tigers’ most outstanding lineman and blocker. He also participated in rookie minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022.
Leonard played five games for the Elks this past season at receiver and defensive back, starting two games at field-side cornerback. He recorded one reception for five yards and six total tackles. He previously made 91 receptions for 1,377 yards and 12 touchdowns over 22 games at Southern Illinois during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
Ffrench made 96 receptions for 850 yards and four touchdowns during his senior season at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. He was named third-team All-ACC and was one of the recipients of the Panther Award, presented to the student-athletes who have best promoted Pittsburgh through their athletic achievements. He made 156 catches for 1,637 yards and 10 touchdowns over four seasons with the Panthers.
DiLeo made 86 solo tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks over 48 games at Delaware Valley University. The Philadelphia native was a three-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference selection, receiving first team honours as a senior in 2019 when he also served as a team captain.
