{"id":633057,"date":"2026-04-28T01:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T01:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/633057\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T01:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T01:02:09","slug":"bc-lions-sign-american-trio-release-five-ahead-of-cfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/633057\/","title":{"rendered":"BC Lions Sign American Trio, Release Five Ahead of CFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

VANCOUVER \u2013 The BC Lions announced the signings of three Americans on Monday, wide receiver Michael Fitzgerald II, defensive linemen David Gusta and Buddha Peleti.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michael Fitzgerald II (WR)<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald (6\u20196, 210 lbs) \u2013 the Atlanta native suited up in 12 games at UMASS from 2021-22 before moving to Central Missouri across 2023-24. He transferred to Wyoming for his senior season, finishing out his collegiate career with the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

Collegiate Stat Highlights:
\n
\n Central Missouri Career (22 games): 55 receptions, 835 yards, 8 touchdowns.
\n Breakout 2023 Season: 32 catches for 526 yards and 5 touchdowns.
\n Career High: 136 receiving yards vs. Pittsburg State (2023).
\n Senior Season at Wyoming (12 games): 16 receptions, 228 yards, 3 touchdowns. <\/p>\n

CardBiz Angle: His large 6’6″ frame makes him an instant red-zone threat. If he translates that size into consistent CFL touchdowns, he could be a prime sleeper pickup for Lions.<\/p>\n

David Gusta (DL)<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

Gusta (6\u20193, 316 lbs; listed as 308 lbs in some reports) \u2013 played the bulk of his collegiate career at Washington State from 2021-24 before transferring to Kentucky for his senior year. The San Bernardino, CA native earned an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl and turned heads at the 2026 NFL Combine.<\/p>\n

Stat & Combine Highlights:
\n
\n 2026 NFL Combine: 37 reps on the bench press (1st overall among all prospects).
\n Combine Speed: 4.88 time on the 40-yard dash (ranked in the upper-half of defensive tackles).
\n Washington State Career (32 games): 62 total tackles, 6 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 4 pass knockdowns.
\n Senior Year at Kentucky: 12 total tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 QB hurries. <\/p>\n

CardBiz Angle: Gusta\u2019s elite combine performance makes him the highest-profile prospect of this trio. His sheer strength and SEC pedigree at Kentucky make him a player to watch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Buddha Peleti (DL)<\/p>\n

\"Buddha<\/p>\n

Peleti (6\u20192, 250 lbs) \u2013 the Adelanto, CA native built his resume over 36 games at New Mexico State from 2021-24. He moved to Washington State for his senior campaign, making an impact in high-profile matchups including the Apple Cup and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.<\/p>\n

Collegiate Stat Highlights:
\n
\n New Mexico State Career (36 games): 58 total tackles, 13 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, 1 pass knockdown.
\n Senior Year at Washington State (13 games): 22 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 sacks.
\n Clutch Performances: Registered sacks against Washington (Apple Cup) and Utah State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl). <\/p>\n

CardBiz Angle: Edge rusher with a knack for getting to the quarterback.<\/p>\n

Releases and Roster Moves<\/p>\n

The Lions also released the following players from the roster: defensive back Marquis Bridges, linebacker Marvin Grant, quarterback Gevani McCoy, defensive back Jamal Parker and running back Antonio Wimbush.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VANCOUVER \u2013 The BC Lions announced the signings of three Americans on Monday, wide receiver Michael Fitzgerald II,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[236840,49,48,521,522,520,236841,82],"class_list":["post-633057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-bc-lions-sign-american-trio","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-release-five-ahead-of-cfl-draft","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}