The Ottawa Redblacks have signed Canadian offensive lineman Jacob Ruby and American receiver Jaelon Acklin to contract extensions that will run through the 2024 season.
The 30-year-old Ruby is entering his eighth CFL season and second with the Redblacks. The London, Ontario native appeared in all 18 games during the 2022 campaign and was named a CFL all-star for the first time in his career.
The six-foot-seven, 325-pounder has played in 81 games for three different teams since he was drafted eighth overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2015 CFL Draft.
“I’m extremely excited to be staying in Ottawa. We have unfinished business here and I wanted to be a part of bringing a lot of success back to this franchise,” said Ruby. “The people we have in this organization made this decision extremely easy and I am fired up about continuing to work with them. There’s nowhere else my family and I wanted to be. We love wearing red and black.”
Acklin will suit up for his second season in Ottawa after playing the first two seasons of his career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The six-foot-two, 190-pound pass catcher played in 15 games and caught 75 passes for 1,169 yards and two touchdowns in his first season in the nation’s capital.
The Mountain View, Missouri native has made 183 receptions for 2,555 yards and nine touchdowns in his three-year CFL career. He has also played in two Grey Cups as a member of the Ticats and is a two-time East Division all-star, in 2021 with Hamilton and last season with Ottawa.
“I love the city, the people, the environment,” said Acklin. “Nothing brings me more joy than running into a Redblacks fan and just talking to them or taking pictures. I want to win for the city of Ottawa because they deserve it. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
