Photo: New York Giants. Photo edit: 3DownNation.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed American defensive back Kaleb Hayes and American defensive lineman Brian Ugwu.

Hayes finished his collegiate career at Brigham Young University where he made 67 total tackles and 19 pass knockdowns, earning a first-team Phil Steele All-Independent selection in 2021. The six-foot, 194-pound defender started his collegiate career at Oregon State, where he made 46 total tackles and eight pass knockdowns over 17 games.

The 26-year-old native of Pasadena, Calif. signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, and subsequently spent time with the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears, though he never saw any regular-season NFL action.

Hayes posted extraordinary testing numbers at his pro day, reportedly running a 4.33-second forty-yard dash, a 6.88-second three-cone drill, leaping 40 inches in the vertical jump, and recording 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.

Ugwu finished his collegiate career at Miami University in Ohio, where he made 164 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, three pass knockdowns, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and one interception over 41 games. He was named first-team All-MAC and the team’s Defensive MVP in 2024.

The 25-year-old native of Hillside, N.J. started his collegiate career at Rutgers University, where he played three games over three seasons.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished first in the East Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record, though the team lost the East Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Bo Levi Mitchell led the CFL with 5,296 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions after starting all 18 regular-season games, earning the East Division’s nomination for Most Outstanding Player.

The Tiger-Cats ranked third in net offence, eighth in net defence, and first with a turnover differential of plus-ten. The club’s leading rusher was Greg Bell with 1,038 yards, leading receiver was Kenny Lawler with 1,443 yards, and leading tackler was Stavros Katsantonis with 69 tackles. Hamilton ranked fourth in attendance with average crowds of 22,858, which was a 3.9 percent increase from the previous year.