The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed a pair of American defenders for the 2026 season, defensive back Garnett Hollis Jr. and defensive lineman Jaylen Pate.
Hollis wrapped up his college career at West Virginia in 2024, recording 46 total tackles, one tackle for loss, six pass deflections, and one fumble recovery in 13 games. He spent the previous four seasons at Northwestern, appearing in 26 games for the Wildcats and amassing 73 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
The six-foot-one, 199-pound cornerback attended the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl and performed well at the Big 12 Pro Day, recording a 4.51-second forty-yard dash, a 36½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-five-inch broad jump. However, he went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Nashville, Tenn., native signed contracts with the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills in advance of the season, but was subsequently released each time.
Pate was teammates with Hollis for two seasons at Northwestern and played three years for the Wildcats in total. In 33 games, he tallied 55 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass deflection. He transferred from Wyoming, where he made seven tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one sack in six games.
The six-foot-three, 272-pound pass rusher registered a 36-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-three-inch broad jump and an unofficial time of 4.8 seconds in the forty-yard dash at Northwestern’s pro day. He went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders finished first in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 12-6 record, finishing first in the West Division for the first time since 2019. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the team’s first championship in 12 years. Trevor Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
The Roughriders ranked second in net offence, second in net defence, and tied for third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was A.J. Ouellette with 1,222 yards, the leading receiver was KeeSean Johnson with 1,159 yards, and the leading tackler was A.J. Allen with 91 tackles. Saskatchewan finished second in attendance with average crowds of 28,427, which was a 2.7 percent increase from the previous year.
