Montreal Alouettes sign Colorado DL Chidozie Nwankwo

Photo courtesy: Colorado Athletics

The Montreal Alouettes have signed American defensive tackle Chidozie Nwankwo.

The five-foot-11, 290-pound pass rusher concluded his collegiate career at the University of Colorado in 2024, where he was named an honourable mention All-Big 12 selection. Through 11 games with the Buffaloes, he totalled 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, while also forcing one fumble and recovering one.

Nwankwo transferred from the University of Houston, where he appeared in 40 games over four seasons. He recorded 94 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and four sacks as a Cougar. He earned the nickname “Block Bully” in college.

The native of Houston, Tex., was a two-time state champion wrestler in high school, capturing the Class 5A belt as a sophomore and senior. He was the state runner-up as a junior and finished in third place as a freshman, posting a 102-5 overall record on the mat.

The Montreal Alouettes finished second in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Davis Alexander went 7-0 as a starter during the regular-season, though he missed 11 games due to a hamstring injury.

The Alouettes ranked eighth in net offence, first in net defence, and third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Stevie Scott III with 418 yards, the leading receiver was Tyler Snead with 1,129 yards, and the leading tackler was Darnell Sankey with 103 tackles. Montreal finished sixth in attendance with average crowds of 21,132, which was a 0.8 percent decrease from the previous year.