The Ottawa Redblacks have signed Canadian offensive lineman Cooper Hamilton, who went unselected in the 2024 CFL Draft.
The six-foot-six, 301-pound native of Innisfil, Ont. was a two-time second-team OUA all-star while playing left tackle at Wilfrid Laurier University. He played a total of 24 games with the Golden Hawks, making 22 starts.
The 24-year-old also attended the U Sports East-West Bowl in 2023 and the CFL Combine in 2024. He ran a 5.47-second forty-yard dash, leaped 28.5 inches in the vertical jump, and did 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
The Redblacks have also released Canadian running back Jared Chisari, who joined the team shortly after going unselected in the 2024 CFL Draft.
The Queen’s University product was raised in Naples, Maine but was entitled to National status in the CFL as his mother was born in Sussex, N.B.
Chisari has played 18 games for the Golden Gaels since transferring to the program in 2022, carrying the ball 260 times for 2,023 yards and 12 touchdowns. He set a new single-season rushing record for the 141-year-old program in 2023 with 1,178 yards through eight games and was named a first-team U Sports All-Canadian.
Prior to arriving in Canada, Chisari spent two seasons at the University of Massachusetts, where he rushed 19 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. He began his collegiate career at Division III Bowdoin College in 2018 but did not record a touch in two years at the school.
