Ottawa Redblacks sign QB Zach Calzada, five more

Photo: Incarnate Word/Ashley Monjaras

The Ottawa Redblacks have signed American quarterback Zach Calzada, the team announced on Tuesday.

The six-foot-four, 230-pound passer spent this past season at the University of Kentucky, where he went 1-1 as a starter. He completed 48.3 percent of his passes for 238 yards and two interceptions, and rushed 14 times for 23 yards and one touchdown.

The 25-year-old rose to stardom at the University of the Incarnate Word, where he earned back-to-back first-team All-Southland Conference selections. Over two seasons, he went 17-5 as a starter and completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 6,342 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions, and rushed for a career-high 332 yards and five scores in 2024. He was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and the Southland Player of the Year in 2024.

The native of Buford, Ga. started his collegiate career at Texas A&M, where he went 6-4 as a starter and completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 2,318 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He transferred to Auburn University in 2022, though he did not play after reportedly undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Redblacks have signed five other American players, including offensive linemen Marcus ‘Tank’ Jenkins and Jamal Mull, linebacker KK Reno, defensive back Roterius Torrence, and kicker Jayden Fielding.

Jenkins spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Houston, where he was a three-year starter at guard. The six-foot-two, 320-pound native of Montgomery, Ala. started his collegiate career at Texas A&M but didn’t see any game action.

Mull played collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas, where he dressed for 47 games over six seasons. The six-foot-four, 337-pound native of Clarksville, Tenn. recently went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Reno recorded 270 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass knockdowns, four forced fumbles, one interception, and one fumble recovery over 46 collegiate games at Southeastern Louisiana University. The six-foot, 220-pound defender was named second-team All-Southland Conference.

Torrence played two seasons at Arizona State where he made 73 total tackles, two sacks, 13 passes breakups, and two interceptions over 21 games. The six-foot-three, 200-pound defender began his collegiate career at Auburn University before spending time at Hutchinson Community College. He later had stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Edmonton Elks.

Fielding played four collegiate seasons at Ohio State University, where he was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2023 and won a National Championship in 2024. The 22-year-old native of League City, Texas made 79.0 percent of his field goal attempts with the Buckeyes and averaged 63.0 yards on 370 kickoffs.

The Ottawa Redblacks recently selected Purdue offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft and it appears he could be a day-one starter. The team’s other major offseason additions include quarterback Jake Maier, running back Greg Bell, linebacker A.J. Allen, and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis.

All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22 and its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.

In 2025, Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.