Photo courtesy: Miami Athletics/Lara Silva.

The Senior Bowl college all-star game has unveiled its 2026 rosters, and a pair of Canadians will be in attendance.

Defensive end Akheem Mesidor and offensive lineman Logan Taylor have accepted invitations and will get a chance to perform at the first marquee event on the NFL scouting calendar.

Mesidor is in the midst of a historic College Football Playoff run with the University of Miami, and will face Indiana for the national championship on Monday, January 19. The Ottawa, Ont., native has been one of Miami’s top playmakers all season, amassing 60 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 14 games, while earning a first-team All-ACC selection.

The six-foot-three, 265-pound pass rusher began his collegiate career at West Virginia in 2020, before transferring to Miami in 2022. In 63 collegiate games between the two programs, Mesidor has collected 205 total tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss, 33.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four batted passes. He was named second-team All-Big 12 and a freshman All-American in 2020, before receiving All-ACC honourable mention recognition in 2022 and 2024.

The redshirt senior was the top-ranked player on the CFL’s September scouting bureau rankings, but is unlikely to play north of the border any time soon. He is expected to be selected highly in the 2026 NFL Draft and was ranked as the 17th overall prospect and fourth-best edge rusher on Mel Kiper’s latest big board for ESPN.

Taylor has spent the past three seasons at Boston College, where he has been a team captain and a versatile piece in the trenches. He has started 36 games for the Eagles — 17 at left tackle, 10 at left guard, eight at right guard, and one at right tackle — earning second-team All-ACC recognition in 2025, as well as honourable mentions in 2023 and 2024.

The six-foot-seven, 312-pound blocker began his collegiate career at the University of Virginia, where he appeared in 12 games over two seasons and made 10 starts at tackle. He finished secondary school at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., in order to attract NCAA offers.

The native of Lunenburg, N.S., was the second-rated prospect on the CFL’s fall Scouting Bureau rankings, but is expected to receive significant attention from NFL teams due to his size and pedigree. He originally committed to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, but now appears to have pivoted.

This marks the seventh consecutive year that a Canadian player has been invited to attend the Senior Bowl, which is regarded as the gold standard for college all-star games. In 2025, Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor attended before being selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Wilfrid Laurier quarterback Taylor Elgersma also became the first U Sports QB ever invited to the event, translating that into an undrafted free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers.

Other prominent Canadians to receive Senior Bowl invites in recent years include Cardinals’ offensive lineman Isaiah Adams, Giants’ tight end Theo Johnson, Bengals’ tight end Tanner McLachlan  Falcons’ offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron, Bengals’ running back Chase Brown, Eagles’ safety Sydney Brown, Ravens’ outside linebacker Tavius Robinson, free agent edge defender Jesse Luketa, Bills’ receiver Josh Palmer, Rams’ offensive lineman Alaric Jackson, Chargers’ cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, free agent receiver Chase Claypool, and Colts’ defensive tackle Neville Gallimore.

Invited players will report for practice on January 27 in Mobile, Alabama. The 2026 Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, January 31, at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NFL Network.