Photo courtesy: Calgary Dinos Athletics.
The Edmonton Elks have hired longtime CFL receiver Jabari Arthur as their running backs coach for the 2026 season, 3DownNation has confirmed. Moe Khan was the first to report.
Arthur was selected in the first round of the 2007 CFL Draft, sixth overall, by the Calgary Stampeders. After initially signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an NFL undrafted free agent, he joined the Stamps mid-way through his rookie year and went on to play eight seasons north of the border. He appeared in 76 career games, all with Calgary despite briefly being traded to Winnipeg in 2009, and made 97 career receptions for 1,162 yards and six touchdowns.
The native of Montreal, Que., played collegiately at the University of Akron, where he caught 184 passes for 2,653 yards and 17 touchdowns in 45 games. He remains the Zips’ all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, as well as holding the single-season program records in those categories.
Arthur entered the coaching ranks in 2017, one season removed from his CFL career, and joined the University of Calgary as receivers coach. He played a critical role in the development of future CFL stars Tyson and Jalen Philpot, and helped the program win a Vanier Cup in 2019.
The 43-year-old was promoted to the role of offensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season and has presided over a difficult rebuilding phase for the Dinos, as the team has gone 9-23 over the past four seasons. Calgary’s offence finished 21st in yards per game and 16th in points per game in U Sports in 2025.
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, the leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and the leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.