Photo courtesy: Tim Cowie/GWUPhotos.com
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American defensive lineman Ty French.
The six-foot-one, 235-pound edge rusher starred for four seasons at Gardner-Webb University, amassing 239 total tackles along with a school record 4.5 career sacks and 61 tackles for a loss. A four-time first-team All-Big South selection and a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the FCS, French set a conference record with 12.5 sacks in 2022 and was named Big South Defensive Player of the Year.
French transferred to West Virginia University for his final collegiate season in 2024, moving to off-ball linebacker. In 13 games for the Mountaineers, he made 22 tackles, three tackles for loss, and broke up a pass.
The native of Moultrie, Ga., went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. He attended rookie mini-camp with the San Francisco 49ers but did not sign a contract.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders kept most of their big names in free agency but still suffered some key losses, including quarterback Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks), receiver Tommy Nield (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), defensive lineman Malik Carney (Edmonton Elks), linebacker A.J. Allen (Ottawa Redblacks), and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis (Ottawa Redblacks). Micah Johnson retired to become the team’s defensive line coach, while receiver Dohnte Meyers departed for an NFL shot with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Roughriders hold the ninth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Saskatchewan will play its first preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13.
In 2025, Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the club’s first championship in 12 years.