The Edmonton Elks have signed seven players, including American quarterback Zach Zebrowski, American receivers Justin McGriff, JJ Jones, and Justin Lockhart, Canadian receivers Kolby Hurford and Jackson Tachinski, and Canadian offensive lineman Domenico Piazza.
Zebrowski joined the Elks in September and spent the rest of the season on the practice roster. The six-foot-two, 208-pound passer was a two-time winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, while playing at the University of Central Missouri. Previous winners of the award include Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent and former NFL running backs Danny Woodhead and Joique Bell.
The native of Decatur, Ill. completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 9,938 yards, 102 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions over 25 games with the Mules, going 20-5 as a starter. He also rushed for 1,165 yards and 12 scores.
McGriff joined the team’s practice roster in October. The six-foot-six, 215-pound target participated in training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023 and 2024, though season-ending injuries prevented him from seeing action during the regular season. The native of Tampa, Fla. caught four passes for 58 yards in a 2023 preseason game against the Toronto Argonauts, playing mostly with the first-team offence.
Jones spent a brief period on Edmonton’s practice roster in the fall. The six-foot-two, 200-pound target played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where he made 110 receptions for 1,794 yards and 11 touchdowns over 47 games.
Lockhart played 51 collegiate games at Nevada and San Jose State, making 156 receptions for 2,305 yards and 10 touchdowns. The six-foot-two, 200-pound native of Los Angeles, Calif. led the Mountain West Conference with 18.5 yards per reception in 2024. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent earlier this year but didn’t make the team’s final roster.
Hurford was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft out of the University of Alberta. The native of Redwater, Alta. made 127 catches for 1,850 yards and 14 touchdowns over 42 collegiate games with the Golden Bears.
Tachinski attended training camp with the Elks earlier this year where he converted from quarterback to receiver. The six-foot-four, 215-pound native of Winnipeg, Man. played 43 collegiate games at the University of Manitoba, throwing for 6,190 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions, and rushing for 1,867 yards and 28 scores.
Piazza was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 CFL Draft out of McGill University, where he returned for his final collegiate season. The six-foot-two, 298-pound native of Mercier, Que. was named a second-team U Sports All-Canadian with the Redbirds this year. He played 40 collegiate games at McGill, starting at left tackle, left guard, and centre.
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.
