TORONTO — There are 112 first-year players eligible for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie award.
That means it’s not easy to select only one player from each team that deserves to be in the conversation for top rookie on his own team, but CFL.ca is willing to take on the challenge.
Here’s a look at nine first-year standouts who’ve earned their way into the conversation for Most Outstanding Rookie in 2025.
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TRAVIS THEIS | RUNNING BACK | MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Montreal’s run game has lived on committee work this year, but Travis Theis has been a positive contributor.
He’s piled up 365 rushing yards on 70 carries (a strong 5.2 yards per carry) and chipped in as a receiver and returner. He even housed an 80-yard punt return touchdown, showing the kind of versatility that keeps coaches smiling.
When the Als needed a steady hand through injuries, Theis delivered tough yards, smart reads, and no panic. For a first-year back, that’s as impressive as it gets.
DEREK SLYWKA | DEFENSIVE BACK | TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Few rookies have announced themselves louder than Derek Slywka. In the span of one wild afternoon, he scored two return touchdowns, one off a fumble, another off a missed field goal, and hasn’t looked out of place since.
Add in 19 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a pick, and Slywka’s fingerprints are everywhere on Toronto’s defence and special teams.
KEELAN WHITE | WIDE RECEIVER | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Receiver Keelan White was selected by the REDBLACKS with the third overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft (Chris Tanouye/CFL.ca)
Ottawa’s offence is loaded with receiver talent, but Keelan White has found a way to contribute nonetheless.
The rookie wideout has 38 catches for 421 yards and a touchdown, giving the REDBLACKS a reliable intermediate threat and a smooth route-runner who already plays like a veteran.
He’s made clutch grabs in traffic, moved the chains when drives sputtered, and looks like the kind of receiver you can build with.
DEVIN VERESUK | LINEBACKER | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
If effort and efficiency were the measuring sticks, Devin Veresuk would already have the trophy.
The Ticats rookie has racked up 58 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble, thriving as a sideline-to-sideline defender who rarely takes a false step.
It is rare enough for a first-year linebacker to command that kind of trust, let alone deliver on a play-to-play basis.
TREY VAVAL | RETURNER | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Electric. That’s the only word for Trey Vaval’s debut season.
The rookie returner has already scored in multiple phases, including a 128-yard missed-field-goal touchdown, while piling up 1,636 combined return yards.
Every touch feels like it might go the distance, and his poise under pressure has given the Bombers a legitimate weapon in field position battles. Winnipeg’s long track record of special teams success looks to be in good hands with Vaval.
MARIO ANDERSON JR. | RUNNING BACK | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
When AJ Ouellette went down, Mario Anderson Jr. stepped in and didn’t blink.
The rookie has 17 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns in 2025, giving Saskatchewan some production when the offence needed a boost.
Anderson Jr. runs with edge and purpose, the kind of runner who looks like he belongs in Green and White for a while.
CHRISTOPHER FORTIN | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN | CALGARY STAMPEDERS
OL Christopher Fortin has appeared in 15 games for the Stampeders in 2025 (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
Rookie offensive linemen aren’t supposed to look this composed, but Christopher Fortin has fit seamlessly into Calgary’s front five after an injury to first-string centre Bryce Bell.
His footwork, leverage, and calm against pressure suggest a player who’s going to anchor that line for years. Quiet excellence counts too.
BROCK MOGENSEN | LINEBACKER | EDMONTON ELKS
LB Brock Mogensen has 20 tackles in his last four games for the Elks (GoElks.com)
Brock Mogensen has posted 22 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble, doing a little bit of everything such as defence and special teams.
Like mentioned above with Veresuk, rookie linebackers usually don’t get to make much of an impact if any at all, but Mogensen has already started to show his playmaking ability for the Double E, spelling optimism for his future with the team.
JACKSON FINDLAY | DEFENSIVE BACK | BC LIONS
DB Jackson Findlay has two interceptions in the last two games for the Lions (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
BC’s secondary is loaded, yet Jackson Findlay has carved out his own spotlight.
The rookie has 15 tackles and two interceptions, both coming in back-to-back weeks, proof his confidence is catching up to his athleticism.
He reads routes well, tackles with authority, and plays with the poise of a veteran safety. On a veteran-heavy roster, Findlay hasn’t just held his own, he’s made plays that swing games.