Toronto Argonauts sign CFL Combine bench press champion Keegan O’Neil, seven others

Photo courtesy: CFL.ca

The Toronto Argonauts have signed five members of the 2026 CFL Draft class ahead of the start of training camp.

Running back Isaiah Smith, receiver Nolan Ulm, and offensive lineman Frank Vreugdenhil have all signed after they were selected by the team on Tuesday night, while offensive lineman Keegan O’Neil and long snapper Christopher Liberta also joined the roster.

Additionally, the Argonauts have signed a trio of Americans, including defensive back Keenan Isaac, defensive lineman Jason Compoh, and linebacker Jordan Pollard.

Smith was selected with the 11th overall pick in the second round out of the University of Guelph. The six-foot, 230-pound ball carrier played 25 games for the Gryphons, rushing for 1,091 yards and seven touchdowns on 178 carries. The Burlington, Ont., native also caught 41 passes for 469 yards and two majors.

Ulm was taken 30th overall in the fourth round after a five-year career at Eastern Washington University. In 57 games, the native of Kelowna, B.C., caught 117 passes for 1,330 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 19 special teams tackles. This past season, the six-foot-two, 197-pound target was named to the AFCA Good Works team for his charitable endeavours with single mothers.

Vreugdenhil came off the board with the 40th overall pick in the fifth round after spending two seasons at McMaster University, starting 17 games at tackle for the Marauders. The six-foot-three, 321-pounder from Belleville, Ont., was an OUA bronze medallist in the shotput at the University of Toronto and had never played football before walking on to the Varsity Blues team. He later left school and played for the Hamilton Hurricanes in the Canadian Junior Football League, before enrolling at McMaster.

O’Neil went unselected in the 2026 CFL Draft, despite winning the bench press at the CFL Combine with 30 reps of 225 pounds. The six-foot-four, 315-pound guard was a key cog in a dominant offensive line at Western University, earning first-team OUA all-star honours in 2025 and a second-team selection in 2023.

Liberta was the top available long snapper, but still went undrafted. The Laval, Que., native played 17 games for Concordia University in his career, making four tackles.

Isaac played seven games over two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He has since spent time with the  Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Roughnecks (UFL), and Cleveland Browns, and was last under contract with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers. The six-foot-two, 190-pound cornerback tallied 111 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, 24 pass deflections, and one forced fumble in 34 games collegiate games played at Alabama State.

Compoh played five seasons at Merrimack College, collecting 77 tackles, 16 for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles in 38 games. The six-foot-one, 240-pound pass rusher went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Pollard was a two-time first-team All-Mountain West selection at linebacker for San Jose State, but did not land an NFL contract. In 49 games, the six-foot-one, 210-pound defender tallied 353 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

The Toronto Argonauts added several key free agents this winter, including offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley, defensive lineman DeWayne Hendrix, strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett, and defensive back DaShaun Amos. The team’s key losses included receiver Dejon Brissett (Calgary Stampeders) and linebacker Wynton McManis (Hamilton Tiger-Cats).

In 2025, Toronto finished third in the East Division standings with a 5-13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Mike Miller was promoted to the role of head coach following the departure of Ryan Dinwiddie.

All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Toronto will play its first preseason game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, May 23, then its first regular-season game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, June 12.