HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced on Tuesday that the football club has signed five American receivers, including Brevin Easton, Griffin Hebert, OJ Hiliare, Cephus Johnson III, and Trea Shropshire.
Easton, 24, attended training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024 after signing with the club as an undrafted free agent. The Severn, Maryland native played 24 games over two seasons at the University of Albany (2022-23), registering 78 receptions for 1,332 yards and 14 touchdowns and earned All-CAA honours in 2023. Easton began his collegiate career at Assumption University, where he suited up in 20 games, registering 55 receptions for 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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Hebert, 25, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2023-24) after originally signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The six-foot-one, 240-pound native of Lafayette, Louisiana played 56 games over his four seasons at Louisiana Tech, registering 99 receptions for 1,532 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Hiliare, 23, spent time last season on the Tiger-Cats practice squad after signing with the club in September. The six-foot, 185-pound native of Belle Glade, Florida attended training camp with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after joining the club as an undrafted free agent. Hiliare played 26 games over two seasons at Bowling Green State University (2022-23), totalling 103 receptions for 1,279 yards and touchdowns and earned All-MAC honours in both seasons. He started his collegiate career at Alabama A&M, where he played 14 games over two seasons (2020-21), posting 88 receptions for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Johnson III, 25, spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2023-24) on its practice squad after originally signing with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The six-foot-five, 220-pound Mobile, Alabama native played 25 games as a quarterback over three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana University (2020-22), completing 124 of 195 pass attempts for 1,449 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, adding 138 carries for 797 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnson began his collegiate career at the University of South Alabama, where he suited up in 16 games.
Shropshire, 24, most recently spent training camp with the Toronto Argonauts (2024) after suiting up with the UFL’s DC Defenders in 2023 and attending mini-camps with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings that same season. The six-foot-three, 190-pound native of Zachary, Louisiana suited up in 31 games over three seasons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (2020-22), posting 72 receptions for 1,548 yards and 11 touchdowns. Shropshire began his collegiate career at Blinn College before transferring to UAB.