Count ’em up: Ticats re-sign four Canadians

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have re-signed four national players, including long snapper Gordon Whyte, linebacker Jarek Richards, offensive lineman Joseph Bencze, and defensive lineman Malcolm Campbell.

Whyte, 24, appeared in all 14 regular season games and all three playoff games for the Tiger-Cats in 2021, serving as the team’s long snapper and registering four special teams tackles and one fumble recovery. The six-foot-two, 240-pound native of Toronto was originally selected by the Ticats in the eighth round, 67th overall, in the 2019 CFL Draft after playing five seasons (2015-19) at St. Francis Xavier University.

Richards, 26, appeared in five regular season games for the Tiger-Cats in 2021, registering one special teams tackle. The five-foot-eleven, 200-pound native of Montreal was originally selected by Hamilton in the fourth round, 36th overall, in the 2021 CFL Draft after playing three seasons (2017-19) at Saint Mary’s University.

Bencze, 25, appeared in one regular season game for Hamilton in 2021 after spending most of the season on the practice roster. The six-foot-five, 287-pound native of Peterborough, Ont., was originally selected by the Tiger-Cats in the fifth round, 45th overall, in the 2020 CFL Draft after playing four seasons (2016-19) at McMaster University.

Campbell, 25, spent training camp with the Tiger-Cats in 2019 and 2021 after being originally selected by the club in the eighth round, 65th overall, in the 2019 CFL Draft. The six-foot-three, 240-pound native of Mississauga, Ont., played 37 games over five seasons (2015-16, 2018-19, 2021) at the University of Toronto, registering 149 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 19.5 quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, three pass blocks, and one blocked kick.