The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed 10 players, most of whom finished the season on their practice roster.
The players include American quarterback Michael Hiers, Canadian offensive linemen Daniel Johnson and Braydon Noll, American defensive lineman Eric Black, American linebacker Braxton Hill, Canadian linebacker Zach Philion, American defensive backs Antoine Brooks Jr., Robert Javier, and Alfahiym Walcott, and Global punter Joe Couch.
Hiers spent four weeks with the Roughriders during their expanded practice roster. The six-foot-one, 215-pound passer spent his final two collegiate seasons at Samford University, an FCS program located in Homewood, Ala., where he completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 6,600 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 97 yards and six major scores.
Johnson was on Saskatchewan’s practice roster all season after being selected in the fifth round of the 2024 CFL Draft out of Purdue University. The native of London, Ont. played 10 games and made four starts for the Boilermakers amid an injury-plagued collegiate career. He previously spent four seasons at Kent State University where he played 13 games and made six starts.
Noll was a fourth-round pick of the Toronto Argonauts in the 2022 CFL Draft out of Wilfrid Laurier University. He spent most of his tenure with the team in a depth role, playing one game as a rookie in 2022 and three in 2023. The six-foot-five, 297-pound native of Orangeville, Ont. spent most of the 2024 season on Saskatchewan’s practice roster but dressed for four games in a depth role.
Black played two games as a member of the Edmonton Elks this past year, recording four defensive tackles and two special teams tackles. The six-foot-four, 247-pound native of Rochester, N.Y. finished his collegiate career at Stony Brook University where he made 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, four pass knockdowns, and one forced fumble.
Hill played four collegiate seasons at the University of Montana where he made 231 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions over 51 career games. He was named an All-American in 2023.
Philion played three games with the Roughriders this past season, recording one special teams tackle. The son of longtime CFL defensive lineman Ed Philion was a seventh-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft out of Concordia University by the Ottawa Redblacks.
Brooks spent almost the entire 2024 season on Saskatchewan’s practice roster. The five-foot-eleven, 220-pounder was a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft and played four regular season games with the team as a rookie before joining the Los Angeles Rams. He dressed in eight games with the team, helping them win Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Javier had a previous stint with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. The six-foot-one, 195-pound native of Bronx, N.Y. played five collegiate seasons at Towson, an FCS program in Maryland. He recorded 77 total tackles, one tackle for loss, 26 pass breakups, and six interceptions over 36 games for the Tigers and was named second-team All-Conference in his junior and senior seasons.
Walcott played collegiately at the University of Arkansas in 2023 where he recorded 56 total tackles, five pass deflections, three interceptions, and one touchdown. The native of Wilmington, N.C. previously played three seasons at Baylor University where he suited up for 33 games with 25 starts and made 115 total tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, 13 pass deflections, four interceptions, and one touchdown.
Couch played three collegiate seasons at Ouachita Baptist University, an NCAA Division II program located in Arkadelphia, Ark. He punted 76 times with the Tigers for a gross average of 44.7 yards and kicked off 13 times for an average of 57.8 yards. He was named a D2CCA second-team All-American in 2022.
