Saskatchewan Roughriders sign RSEQ award-winner, three others

Photo: Laval. Photo edit: 3DownNation.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed National defensive back Billy Jonas Pernier.

The five-foot-eleven, 203-pound defender was named the RSEQ Special Teams Player of the Year in 2025. He returned eight kickoffs for 152 yards, 14 punts for 135 yards, and four missed field goals for 102 yards over eight games. Pernier also made 24 defensive tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass deflections on defence.

The 25-year-old native of Ombessa, Cameroon went unselected in the recent 2026 CFL Draft. He ran a 4.58-second forty-yard dash at the 2026 CFL Invitational Combine.

The Roughriders have also signed American defensive lineman Nathan Pickering, Canadian defensive back Carson Sombach, and American long snapper Reed Hughes.

Pickering spent five collegiate seasons at Mississippi State, where he started 30 of 51 games. He made 124 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and one pass breakup, earning an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. The six-foot-four, 305-pound defender signed with the Seattle Seahawks after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft but didn’t make the team’s final roster.

Sombach went unselected in the 2026 CFL Draft out of the University of Regina, where he was named a second-team U Sports All-Canadian and Canada West all-star in 2025. The five-foot-ten, 195-pound defender made 152 total tackles, two tackles for loss, four interceptions, 11 pass knockdowns, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick with the Rams. Sombach’s brother, Jackson, plays for the Calgary Stampeders.

Hughes played collegiately at Auburn University. He finished his career with five special teams tackles and helped Alex McPherson go 20-for-23 on his field goal attempts in 2025.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders recently selected Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, adding a key piece to pair with Tevaughn Campbell. The team’s other major offseason additions include defensive lineman James Vaughters and returner James Letcher Jr.

All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Saskatchewan will play its first preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13.

In 2025, Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the club’s first championship in 12 years.