REDBLACKS sign American receiver Maurice Ffrench, four more
12/20/2024 10:18 AM
OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Thursday they have signed five American players, including receiver Maurice Ffrench, offensive lineman Darta Lee, receivers Latreal Jones and Kahtero Summers, alongside punter Noah Gettman.
Ffrench returned to the nation’s capital in August for a second stint, after spending time on the Ottawa practice squad in 2023. Prior to his time with the REDBLACKS, Ffrench suited up in four games with the Edmonton Elks in 2023, making 15 catches for 190 yards, and a touchdown. The speedy receiver has also spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs, following a collegiate career at Pittsburgh where he racked up 1,637 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 45 games.
RELATED
» CFL.ca's top 30 pending free agents
» Ranking the top 20 pending free agent receivers/running backs
» REDBLACKS bring back DBs Tobias Harris, Clay Fields III
» REDBLACKS extend Zack Pelehos, Marco Dubois
» Recapping every East team's 2024 season
Lee joined the REDBLACKS practice squad in September, having played both left tackle and right tackle for the Toronto Argonauts during the 2024 preseason, after a 2022 minicamp stint with the Houston Texans. He played four seasons at UTEP, following a year at Kilgore College in 2017, and Illinois in 2016.
Jones spent this year’s training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Taylorsville, Missouri native’s final season at Southern Miss in 2023 saw him rack up 498 yards on 36 receptions, and three touchdowns through 12 games, following a 2022 campaign where he picked up 124 yards on 10 catches. Prior to his time at Southern Miss, Jones spent three seasons at Pearl River Community College, where he tallied 874 yards and four touchdowns, on 66 receptions.
Summers was invited to New York Jets minicamp in 2024, after a 2023 season with Rhode Island that earned him a First Team All-CAA nod. The Coatesville, Pennsylvania native became the eighth player in program history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season (1,027), adding six touchdowns on 56 catches. Summers recorded 42 catches for 675 yards, and six touchdowns in 2022, following a stint with St. Francis from 2018 to 2021.
Following four seasons at Sacred Heart, in which he totalled 7,968 punt yards, Gettman moved on to Akron for his final season in 2022. The Daytona Beach product would go on to appear in all 12 games, with a punt yard average of 40.6, a long of 62 yards, and 12 punts inside the 20, in a 2,478-yard season.
