Alouettes re-sign Canadian receiver Hergy Mayala, add three others

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The Montreal Alouettes have brought back Canadian receiver Hergy Mayala after an unsuccessful foray into the USFL.

The six-foot-one, 208-pound target played 18 games for the Montreal Alouettes this past season, making 33 catches for 409 yards and two touchdowns. He became a free agent in February 2023 and elected to sign south of the border with the New Orleans Breakers, but was released prior to the start of the USFL season.

The Montreal native was originally selected in the first round of the 2019 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders out of the University of Connecticut. He made 38 receptions for 562 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie before adding 26 catches for 255 yards and one touchdown in 2021.

The Alouettes also added a trio of American players to their roster, including receiver Austin Mack, defensive lineman Michael Kennedy and defensive back Jalen Embry.

Mack played 32 games over four seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, catching 79 passes for 1,050 yards and six touchdowns while amassing nine special teams tackles. The 25-year-old went unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent, recording seven receptions for 91 yards in 11 games as a rookie. He later spent time on the practice roster of the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.

Kennedy played five seasons at Northern Illinois University before going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft. In 52 games, the six-foot-one, 225-pound edge rusher amassed 47 solo tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, earning third-team All-MidAmerican Conference honours in 2022.

Embry last played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the European League of Football, collecting 44 tackles and four interceptions in 11 games in 2022. He played two seasons at Northern Illinois, recording 88 tackles and 11 pass breakups in 24 games, before attending rookie mini-camp with the Houston Texans in 2019.

The Alouettes also announced that Canadian defensive back Treshaun Abrahams has retired.