The Ottawa Redblacks have signed seven American players, including defensive linemen Ronheen Bingham, Darius Hodges, Jake Heimlicher, and Chase McGowan, and defensive backs Tobias Harris, Clay Fields III, and Gavin Heslop.
Bingham spent a portion of the 2024 season on Ottawa’s practice roster. The 29-year-old was previously in Houston with the UFL’s Roughnecks (2024) and USFL’s Gamblers (2023), respectively. The six-foot-two, 242-pound defender has played north of the border before, making his CFL debut with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2022. Bingham appeared in two games that season after spending time on the practice squad since 2021.
The native of Bennettsville, SC. closed out his collegiate career at Arkansas State, suiting up in 25 games over two seasons, recording 87 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Before his time with the Red Wolves, Bingham played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, where he registered 110 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
Hodges returns to the nation’s capital after being added to the Redblacks’ practice roster in September. Before joining Ottawa, the 23-year-old earned a tryout with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year, following a productive collegiate career at Tulane. The six-foot-two, 280-pound lineman spent four seasons with the Green Wave (2020-23), recording 114 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery across 46 games. The Montgomery, Ala. native was a second-team All-ACC selection after his big year in 2022.
Heimlicher also spent time on Ottawa’s practice roster last season. The 25-year-old earned an invite to New York Giants’ minicamp earlier this year after finishing his collegiate career at UCLA, recording seven total tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup over 12 games. Before his lone season in California, the Aurora, Co. native spent four seasons at Penn University, suiting up for 31 games and starting in 20.
The six-foot-four, 255-pound defender racked up 112 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, one interception, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. After a career year in his final season in 2022, Heimlicher took home a first-team All-Ivy selection and finished as a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the most outstanding defensive player in all of FCS football.
McGowan comes north of the border after spending five seasons at the University of Delaware. The Stafford, Va. native finished his collegiate career with 110 tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, four pass deflections, and four forced fumbles. The six-foot-one, 255-pound defensive lineman ended college playing days in the Fightin’ Blue Hens record books, finishing fourth in program history in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss while earning second-team All-CAA honours in 2023 and third-team All-CAA honours in 2022 and 2021.
Harris returns for a third season north of the border and a third in the nation’s capital. The 24-year-old started six games while appearing in eight total last season, recording a career-high 22 total tackles and a forced fumble. The five-foot-nine, 187-pound cover man also contributed on special teams, returning 16 punts for 191 yards and nine kickoffs for 175 yards. The Old Dominion product broke into the league as a kick returner in 2023, scoring his first career kickoff return touchdown on a 93-yard score at Toronto on October 14 of that year.
Fields returns to Ottawa after spending time on the team’s practice roster during the 2024 season following a preseason stint with the Indianapolis Colts. The 24-year-old played his final season of collegiate football at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in his only season with the team in 2023.
The native of Franklin, N.J. registered 36 solo tackles, 13 assisted tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, and nine pass breakups across 12 games. Before transferring to Tennessee-Chattanooga, Fields play four seasons at Marist, racking up 75 solo tackles, 94 assisted tackles, five tackles for loss, half a sack, seven interceptions, 20 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery across 32 games. The five-foot-ten, 211-pound defensive back also earned third-team FCS All-American honours in 2021.
Heslop makes his way to the nation’s capital after most recently suiting up for the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL. The Yonkers, N.Y. native also spent time with the Cleveland Browns in 2023, New York Giants in 2022, and Seattle Seahawks in 2021, suiting up for three games and posting a tackle. Before turning pro, the 27-year-old played four years at Stony Brook University (2016-2019).
The six-foot, 195-pound cover man registered 196 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 30 pass knockdowns, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries across 45 games. Heslop also earned third-team All-CAA honours in 2019 and received a second-team All-CAA nod in 2018.
