Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS have signed eight players, including seven from their 2025 CFL Draft class, the team announced on Thursday.
The signings include National receiver Keelan White, National offensive lineman Sam Carson, National defensive lineman Muftah Ageli, National receiver Ethan Jordan, National linebacker Jayden Griffiths, National defensive back King Ambers, Global punter Callum Eddings and National offensive lineman Tristan Fortin.
Selected third overall by the REDBLACKS, White caught 57 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, receiving the 2024 Jon Cornish Trophy, annually given to the most outstanding Canadian student-athlete in NCAA football. Averaging just over 11 yards per catch and 48 yards per game, earning him a place among the Big Sky’s 15 best receivers and Second Team All-Conference honours, White finished his career with the Grizzlies with 161 catches (11th in program history) for 1,862 yards (21st in program history), and 14 touchdowns.
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Selected in the second round, 12th overall by Ottawa, Carson made nine starts for the Warhawks during the 2024 season. He was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the top college football player with the best combination of academics, leadership and on-field performance by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame. Prior to his time in Louisiana, Carson played for the Calgary Dinos, anchoring an offensive line that helped the team average 175 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry.
Ageli was selected in the fourth round by the REDBLACKS, 33rd overall. He was named Third-Team All-Conference after recording 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one reception over 10 games. Before suiting up for the Rangers, Ageli spent time with the Windsor Lancers, where he recorded 80 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four pass knockdowns, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception over 25 total games. In 2023, he was named a Second Team U Sports All-Canadian, and a First Team OUA All-Star, also earning a Second Team OUA All-Star nod in 2022.
A four-year mainstay for the Golden Hawks, Jordan enjoyed the most productive year of his career in 2024, helping Laurier to reach the Vanier Cup. Through 13 games, he caught 99 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns, ending the year as U Sports’ leader in yards per game, and touchdowns. Jordan was named an OUA First-Team All-Star and U Sports First-Team All-Canadian for his efforts. The REDBLACKS selected him in the sixth round, 51st overall.
National linebacker Jayden Griffiths.
Selected in the seventh round, 60th overall by Ottawa, Griffiths suited up in 13 games last season, recording 31 solo tackles, 17 assisted tackles, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. Alongside Jordan, he helped Laurier to capture both the Yates Cup and the Uteck Bowl, en route to an appearance in the 59th Vanier Cup. Over 40 career games with the Golden Hawks from 2021 to 2024, Griffiths racked up a total of 58 solo tackles, 35 assisted tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.
Ottawa’s final pick in the 2025 draft, Ambers was selected in the eighth round, 68th overall. The Pickering, Ontario native recorded 29 total tackles, one forced fumble, two pass deflections, and an interception in 2024, appearing in 13 games. In 37 games played from 2021 through 2024, Ambers tallied 35 solo tackles, 24 assisted tackles, three interceptions, seven pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Selected fifth overall by the REDBLACKS in the 2025 CFL Global Draft, Eddings transferred from McNeese State to Stephen F. Austin last season, averaging 45.3 yards per punt, with a total of 2,265 on 50 attempts, including a career-high 67-yarder against UIW on November 16. The Ivanhoe East, Victoria, Australia native was named Southland Conference (SLC) Special Teams Player of the Week following his team’s contest against Nicholls on November 2.
Fortin appeared in all eight games for the Gee-Gees last season, and was a U Sports Academic All-Canadian for 2023-24. A 2022 OUA Second Team All-Star, Fortin attended the East-West Bowl in 2023, after anchoring an Ottawa offensive line that racked up 406.1 yards per game, while averaging 30.4 points that season.
