From the 2024 season to the 2025 season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats improved exponentially on the defensive side of the ball. In 2025, the Tiger-Cats were led by rookie linebackers Devin Veresuk and Julian Howsare, and defensive tackle Casey Sayles. Last year’s version of Hamilton’s defensive unit excelled at containing opponents’ passing games, pressuring quarterbacks, and forcing turnovers.
On the other hand, the Tiger-Cats’ defensive front seven struggled to stop the run game of their opponents. Therefore, for the Tiger-Cats to continue to see improvement on the defensive side of the ball in 2026, they need to add players who are strong run defenders. A few weeks ago, the Tiger-Cats signed former Kansas linebacker Craig Young to add more power to their linebacker unit. Hamilton’s next move, according to the CFL Transactions list, is that the Tiger-Cats have now added former Oklahoma defensive end Caiden Woullard.
Caiden Woullard is a 6’4″, 264-pound defensive end from Massillon, Ohio. Woullard started his college football career at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he played in 36 games from 2021 until 2023. While playing for the Redhawks, Woullard recorded 36 solo tackles, 38 assists, and 13.5 quarterback sacks.
In 2024, Woullard transferred to the University of Oklahoma, where he played in 11 games for the Sooners. While at Oklahoma, Woullard registered 4 solo tackles, 9 assists, and 1.5 sacks. Woullard was far from a sack master in college, but could be a good fit as a run-stopper who could help upgrade the Tiger-Cats’ defensive line for the 2026 season.
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