B.C. Lions undecided about Micah Awe’s future with team after Darnell Sankey acquisition

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The Lions have a new general at the heart of their defence, but it remains unclear what that means for the CFL’s reigning leader in tackles.

B.C. signed veteran linebacker Darnell Sankey on December 19, scooping up the three-time all-star after he was released by the Montreal Alouettes amidst a ratio change. The club has made clear that he will be their starter at middle linebacker, but incumbent Micah Awe remains on the roster as the team weighs their options.

“Micah is under contract, and so we haven’t made any decisions. We will be doing that across the board; Buck (Pierce) and I and Neil (McEvoy) are meeting. Of course, as things get closer to the CFL Draft and everything, we tend to have more of these meetings,” general manager Ryan Rigmaiden told 3DownNation from the CFL winter meetings in Calgary.

“Micah played hard for us last year. He did well, very happy with a lot of the things he did. We haven’t made any decisions. Micah has played Will before. We’ve got some young guys we’re very, very excited about. We just felt like adding Sankey was the best thing for our defence in terms of bringing in a proven product at that Mike spot.”

The 32-year-old Awe has had a nomadic CFL career, spending time with six different franchises. However, he is most associated with the Lions, with whom he has spent four separate stints. The latest was in 2025, when he led the CFL with 114 defensive tackles, while adding three special teams tackles, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.

Still, B.C. felt the need to upgrade at the position and pounced once Sankey became available. The 31-year-old was a key piece of Montreal’s Grey Cup victory in 2023 and commanded the defence on another run to the championship game in 2025, collecting 101 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, and two sacks. As impressive as his time as an Alouette was, the Lions’ interest in him pre-dated that.

“Darnell’s somebody that I think has the league’s respect. He’s that true alpha Mike linebacker, a true thumper. We felt like that’s been something that we’ve been lacking a little bit. We tried to get him a couple of years ago when he was coming back from the UFL, and ultimately, I think he went to Montreal,” Rigmaiden recalled.

“He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous leader. We felt like we had to upgrade the front seven in terms of that kind of toughness and mentality for leadership there. It was an easy decision for us. He’s a West Coast guy, so the moment he was released, we’d reached out to him and his camp and got it done fairly quickly. We expect him to come in and be the same guy that he’s been for the last several years in the league and help us improve on defence.”

The trickle-down effect from Sankey’s signing has already been felt in B.C., as the team granted pending free agent linebacker Josh Woods an early release after he was acquired. That leaves the team’s starting Will spot vacant, though Canadian Ben Hladik, who has often filled that role, was re-signed last week.

While Awe’s relatively modest contract doesn’t preclude him from co-existing with Sankey, and he has played on the weakside in the past, both players are viewed as true middle backers by most in the league. That raises questions about the incumbent’s future, though the Lions don’t appear to be in a rush to answer them.

Instead, the team is focused on what Sankey will bring to the table next season as they look to upgrade their defence.

“When you watch him play at such a high level for the years that he’s done it, you watch how his defence and his teammates respond to him, that’s the kind of guy that we want in our building,” head coach Buck Pierce said. “He’s done it at a high level for many years. As the conversations went on, a lot of good conversations and getting to know him a little bit more as a person, it was going to be a great fit for us.”