REDBLACKS bring in four National players
12/17/2024 11:12 AM
OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Tuesday they have signed four National players, including defensive lineman Deionte Knight, offensive lineman Cooper Hamilton alongside receivers Jeremy Murphy and Darius Simmons.
Knight dressed in two games for the Toronto Argonauts this past season, before being signed off of their practice roster by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 3, and going on to make 12 tackles in 14 appearances. The Ajax product was drafted in the second round, 10th overall by the Double Blue in 2022, going on to appear in two games that season.
Knight made 17 appearances the following year, posting 17 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. He helped lead the Western Mustangs to a Vanier Cup in 2021, earning the J.P. Metras Trophy as U Sports’ Most Outstanding Down Lineman, with a total of 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, ten sacks, and two forced fumbles.
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Hamilton spent time with the REDBLACKS during their 2024 training camp. He returned to the Golden Hawks for the 2024 season, helping them capture both the Yates Cup, and the Uteck Bowl, en route to a Vanier Cup appearance. The Innisfil native earned OUA Second Team All-Star honours in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, lining up at tackle. He appeared in both the 2023 FCS National Bowl, and U Sports East-West Bowl.
Drafted in the third round, 26th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2023, Murphy has spent the last two seasons with the team, after making his CFL debut in Montreal on Canada Day of that year. A product of St. Bruno, Quebec, Murphy has since appeared in three CFL games, after a standout collegiate career with the Concordia Stingers.
The 2022 season saw him bounce back from an injury suffered the prior season, making 29 catches for 589 yards, and two touchdowns in seven games. Murphy was named U Sports Rookie of the Year in 2019, and earned an All-Canadian nod in 2021.
A three-time All-Canadian and RSEQ All-Conference receiver, Simmons made 29 catches for 611 yards, and a pair of touchdowns across nine games in 2024, helping the Redbirds to a win in the 55th Shaughnessy Cup game vs Montreal.
In three seasons with McGill, Simmons appeared in a total of 23 games, catching 117 passes for 1,818 yards, and five touchdowns. Before his time with the Redbirds, Simmons was a two-time RSEQ Division II All-Star in two seasons with John Abbott College.
