REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Tuesday they have signed 10 players, including American defensive lineman Eric Black.
Black (six-foot-four, 247 pounds) returns to the Roughriders after playing two games with the Green and White in 2024. Black started the 2024 season with the Edmonton Elks where he suited up for two games. He made four defensive tackles and two special teams tackles over the course of the year.
A strong senior season at Stony Brook University led Black to an invite to New York Giants minicamp in 2023. He led the Seawolves’ defense with five sacks and ranked second on the team with seven tackles for loss while also earning 19 total tackles, four pass deflections and one forced fumble over ten games played. He was named to the prestigious National Football Foundation and to the College Hall of Fame New Hampshire Honor Society for his success both on the field and in the classroom.
Black’s collegiate career began as a walk-on at the University of Buffalo (2018-21) where he quickly earned a scholarship and secured a starting job on the Bulls defensive line. He played 29 games tallying 36 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In the 2020 Camellia Bowl, Black registered two sacks, which helped his team secure the win over Marshall.
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The other nine players include American defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr., Global punter Joe Couch, American quarterback Michael Hiers, American linebacker Braxton Hill, American defensive back Robert Javier, National offensive lineman Daniel Johnson, National offensive lineman Braydon Noll, National linebacker Zach Philion and American defensive back Alfahiym Walcott
Brooks Jr. (five-foot-11, 220 pounds) will return to the Roughriders for 2025 after spending the 2024 season on the Club’s practice roster.
He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round, 198th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft. He went on to play four regular season games for the Steelers that season, before signing with the Los Angeles Rams in September 2021. He suited up for eight games as a Ram, becoming a Super Bowl Champion when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. He played one season with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, tallying 28 tackles and two sacks in 2023.
Collegiately, Brooks Jr. played four seasons (2016-2019) at the University of Maryland. He started 35 of his 40 games played as a Terrapin, earning 237 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions, nine pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was a three-time All-Big 10 selection including an honourable mention in 2017, as well as two second team selections in 2018 and 2019. As a senior, he was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the NCAA and was the Terrapin’s MVP. The Maryland native also led Big Ten and was ninth in country, after averaging 5.8 solo tackles per game.
Couch (five-foot-11, 210 pounds) spent three collegiate seasons (2021-23) at Ouachita Baptist University, playing in 29 games as a Tiger. Over that time, he punted 76 times, earning 3,397 yards and a 44.7-yard average. The Australian landed 30 punts inside the 20-yard line and sent 26 punts 50+ yards including a career long 63 yards. Couch also kicked off 13 times for 751 yards and 57.8-yard average.
After a strong second season in 2022, he was named a D2CCA Second Team All-American, D2CCA First Team All-Region and First Team All-Great American Conference. He also led Ouachita to a No. 1 national ranking in net punting as a team. He followed it up with Second Team All-Great American Conference honours in 2023 and invite to the College Gridiron Showcase.
Couch spent the 2024 season on the Roughriders practice roster.
Javier (six-foot-one, 195 pounds) was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent training camp with the team.
The New York native played five seasons (2018-23) at Towson, suiting up for 36 games as a Tiger. He earned back-to-back All-Conference accolades in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first Towson cornerback to be All-CAA since 2014. Javier had an especially strong final two seasons at Towson, defending 26 passes over his final 21 games and ranked seventh in FCS in passes defended per game in 2022. As a senior, he ranked second in the conference in interceptions (four) and pass breakups (eight). All told, the 24-year-old registered 77 career collegiate tackles, one tackle for loss and six interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.
Javier spent four weeks with the Riders this fall as a member of the Club’s expanded practice roster.
Hiers (six-foot-one, 215 pounds) spent two collegiate seasons (2022-23) at Samford University where he played 24 games as a Bulldog making an immediate impact on the program during the 2022 season. He was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American after he led the Bulldogs to the program’s first SoCon title and reached the playoffs of the NCAA Division I-FCS for the first time since 1991. Hiers passed for a conference leading 3,544 yards and 36 touchdowns that season and ranked in the top 3 nationally in completion percentage (76.6 per cent/first) and completions per game (27.15/3rd). In 2023, the Alabama native followed that up by throwing for 3,056 yards on 315 passes and 18 touchdowns earning back-to-back 3,000+ seasons. His strong performance at Samford earned him and invite to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp.
Prior to attending Samford, Hiers spent two seasons (2020-21) at Northwest Mississippi Community College and upon transferring to Samford left the Rangers as one of the most decorated players in its history. He was named the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) Most Valuable Player as well as a first-team All-American, he also earned an All-Mississippi Gridiron MVP selection and an All-MACCC selection in 2020. He followed that up in 2021 earning co-MACCC Offensive Player of the Year accolades, as well as All-MACCC and All-State selections.
In 18 total games with the Rangers, Hiers threw for 4,519 yards and 34 and helped Northwest win the 2020 MACCC (Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference) and National Community College Football championships and the 2021 MACCC Championship. With Hiers behind centre the team also earned an appearance in the NJCAA Division I Football Playoffs.
Hiers spent four weeks with the Riders this fall as a member of the Club’s expanded practice roster.
Hill (six-foot-two, 225 pounds) spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Montana (2019-2023), joining the team as a walk-on and going on to become team captain. He played in 51 games as a Grizzly and registered 231 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions, including one he returned 34 yards for a touchdown.
In his senior season, Hill led the Big Sky and was fifth in the FCS in total tackles (128). He helped lead a defence that allowed just 108.5 yards rushing per game, the lowest in the Big Sky Conference and the third lowest in the FCS. Montana also had the FCS’s third best third down defense in 2023, allowing teams to convert only 29 percent of the time.
For his efforts, Hill was named an All-American and a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist that season as well earning an All Big-Sky Conference selection. He also received several team accolades including the defensive MVP and the Tony Barbour Award which is given to the player that best exemplifies outstanding practice habits and makes an unselfish contribution to the betterment of the football team.
Hill spent four weeks with the Riders this fall as a member of the Club’s expanded practice roster.
Johnson (six-foot-five, 307 pounds) rejoins the Roughriders after spending the 2024 season on the practice roster.
Johnson was selected by the Club in the fifth round, 41st overall, of the 2024 CFL Draft. He spent the past two seasons (2022-23) at Purdue University where he played 10 games for the Boilermakers and made four starts. Johnson had a solid senior season allowing just eight quarterback hurries, one hit and one sack. The London, Ontario native proved his versatility having lined up as an offensive tackle on both the right and left side of the line. He also attended the 2024 Gridiron Showcase All-Star Game. Prior to attending Purdue he spent four seasons at Kent State University where he played 13 games and made six starts.
Before signing with the Roughriders, Johnson attended rookie minicamp with the Indianapolis Colts.
Noll (six-foot-five, 297 pounds) played four games with Roughriders in 2024, finishing the season on the practice roster.
He was selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the fourth round, 35th overall, of the 2022 CFL Draft. He suited up for four games in the Double Blue, making his CFL debut August 6, 2022 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is a 2022 Grey Cup Champion.
The 27-year-old from Orangeville, Ontario attended Wilfrid Laurier University from 2016-21. He played 23 collegiate games, including making 15 consecutive starts, and spent time at all five offensive line positions during his career as a Golden Hawk. Noll was initially recruited as a defensive lineman but was switched to offensive line in his sophomore season.
Philion (six-foot-one, 225 pounds) played three games and registered one special teams tackle with the Green and White last season. He was selected in the seventh round, 58th overall, of CFL draft by the Ottawa REDBLACKS and spent training camp with the Club.
The 25-year-old was a three-year starter at Concordia (2021-23) where he registered 98 career tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble over 27 games. Prior to Concordia, he played one season at New Mexico Military Institute tallying nine tackles, one interception and two pass breakups.
Walcott (six-foot-two, 210 pounds) comes to the Roughriders after attending Buffalo Bills rookie minicamp. He spent the 2023 collegiate season with the Arkansas Razorbacks where he recorded 56 total tackles, five pass deflections, three interceptions and one touchdown over twelve games.
Before joining the Razorbacks, the Wilmington, North Carolina native played three seasons at Baylor. He suited up for 33 games, starting in 25, and registered 115 total tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, 13 pass deflections, four interceptions and one touchdown. As a junior, Walcott scored his first career-touchdown on the second-longest interception return in Baylor History (96 yards) against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
In his redshirt senior season with the Bears, Walcott played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them, and recorded a career-high 82 total tackles, while also earning two sacks, three forced fumbles, five pass deflections and one interception. For his exceptional on-field performance, Walcott earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honours from the Associated Press and Pro Football Network, Fourth-Team All-Big 12 by Phil Steele and an All-League Honourable Mention.