Damien Alford, the first overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft, will make his first career start when the Calgary Stampeders visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday night.
The six-foot-six, 224-pound target will start in place of Clark Barnes, who has been moved to the one-game injured list with an ankle injury he suffered last week against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Alford has recorded four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown over the first three regular-season games of his CFL career.
The 24-year-old native of Montreal, Que. played collegiately at Syracuse University and the University of Utah. He caught 67 passes for 1,291 yards and seven touchdowns over 46 total games and impressed scouts from both sides of the border with a 4.46-second forty-yard dash at the Big 12 pro day earlier this year.
Canadian defensive back Benjamin Labrosse (hamstring) and American running back Eno Benjamin (healthy scratch) have both been moved to the one-game injured list alongside Barnes.
Those three roster spots have been given to Canadian receiver Vyshonne Janusas, Canadian defensive back Kaylyn St-Cyr, and American return specialist Kaylon Horton. St-Cyr made nine special teams tackles over seven games last season, while Janusas was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft.
Veteran linebacker Adam Bighill, who recently signed with the team, remains on the practice roster as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered last year as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Calgary Stampeders (3-1) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-0) at Mosaic Stadium on Friday, July 11 with kickoff slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT. Calgary recorded a surprise upset win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week by a score of 37-16, while Saskatchewan was on a bye week.
The weather forecast calls for a high of 20 degrees with a 40 percent chance of showers and relatively little wind. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and on CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 770 CHQR in Calgary and 620 CKRM in Regina.
