Ticats sign four nationals on defensive side

CFL.ca Staff

HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Monday the football club has signed four national players, including defensive backs Jean Ventose and Malcolm Thompson, along with linebackers Jersey Henry and Ben Whiting. All four players have been placed on the suspended list while they complete their quarantine period and will be eligible to practice with the team on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

Ventose, 26, attended training camp with the Tiger-Cats earlier this season after being selected by Hamilton in the sixth round, 54th overall, in the 2020 Canadian Football League Draft. The six-foot, 200-pound native of Calgary, Alta. appeared in 15 games over two seasons at the University of British Columbia (2017-2018), recording 31 total tackles, one interception, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He spent the 2016 season as a redshirt with the University of Calgary.

Thompson, 26, attended training camp with the Calgary Stampeders earlier this season after originally signing with the team in Nov. 2019. The five-foot-11, 200-pound native of Windsor, Ont. was a three-time Ontario University Athletics all-star at Wilfrid Laurier University, earning first-team honours in 2016 and a second-team nod in both 2015 and 2019. He was also a first-team all-Canadian in 2016. In 31 career games with the Golden Hawks, Thompson recorded 120.5 total tackles, nine interceptions, two sacks, eight knockdowns, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, with nine punt returns for 56 yards and one kickoff return for 27 yards. Thompson added 11 tackles and one interception in two career playoff games at Laurier.

Henry, 26, was selected by the Montreal Alouettes in the sixth round, 51st overall, in the 2020 CFL Draft and attended training camp with the club earlier this season. The six-foot-one, 215-pound native of LaSalle, Que. played 23 regular-season games over three seasons at Concordia University (2017-2019), registering 80 solo tackles, 39 assisted tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and five pass breakups with the Stingers. He also suited up in the 2019 U Sports East-West Bowl.

Whiting, 24, attended training camp with the Stampeders earlier this season. He was originally selected by the Alouettes in the seventh round, 57th overall in the 2019 CFL Draft and attended training camp in Montreal before returning to the University of Saskatchewan that season. The six-foot-three, 225-pound native of Saskatoon, Sask. played 46 games for the Huskies over five seasons (2015-2019), accumulating 244 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups, three quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. Saskatchewan saw postseason action in four of Whiting’s five seasons, including a Hardy Cup victory as Canada West Champions in 2018.

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