The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed a pair of Canadians, including linebacker Brian Harelimana and defensive back Kosi Onyeka.
Harelimana was recently released by the Montreal Alouettes after playing in the club’s season-opening win over Ottawa. The 27-year-old dressed for all 18 regular season games for Montreal in 2022 and made three starts at weak-side linebacker. He recorded 12 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
The six-foot-two, 228-pound defender was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 CFL Draft out of the Université de Montréal. He played a total of 27 games for the Als, recording 14 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
The native of Laval, Que. was a three-time RSEQ first-team all-star as a member of the Carabins. He was also a first-team U Sports All-Canadian in 2018 and a second-team U Sports All-Canadian in 2019.
Onyeka returns to the Riders after being released following training camp earlier this month. The 23-year-old saw action in eight games with the team last season, recording one defensive tackle and one special teams tackle.
The six-foot, 193-pound defender played three collegiate seasons at the University of Guelph and recorded 64 defensive tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception, and three pass breakups.
The Riders (1-1) are scheduled to visit the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) on Saturday, June 24 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
