The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed Canadian defensive back Jacob Janke and American defensive back Deuce Wallace, the club announced on Wednesday.
Janke was a fourth-round pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2019 CFL Draft out of York University. He participated in training camp with the Riders before returning to York where he completed his final season of U Sports eligibility. He signed back with Saskatchewan in November 2019 but was released at the end of training camp in 2021.
The six-foot, 200-pound cover man was named a second-team All-Canadian in his final U Sports season in 2019 as well as a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star. He also won the Russ Jackson Award, given annually to the U Sports player “who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship.”
Janke’s older brother, Dexter, was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 CFL Draft out of the University of Saskatchewan. He played three seasons with the Calgary Stampeders from 2015 to 2017 before joining the Blue Bombers in 2019 and helping them win the 107th Grey Cup over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Wallace, 26, was originally a walk-on at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette but worked his way up the depth chart to become a starter. He made 62 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, and one forced fumble over his final two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns and was named a team captain as a senior in 2019.
The five-foot-ten, 200-pound defender with the New Orleans Saints after going unselected in the 2021 NFL Draft but was released at the conclusion of training camp.
