QBs Mellott, Wooldridge among players on Calgary Stampeders negotiation list

Montana State Bobcats quarterback Tommy Mellott runs with the ball as South Dakota State Jackrabbits linebacker Logan Backhaus gives chase in Bozeman, Mont., on Dec. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Tommy Martino

Vernon Adams Jr. is the present for the Calgary Stampeders but the CFL club could have two interesting future candidates for its starting quarterback job.

Montana State's Tommy Mellott and Louisiana-Lafayette's Ben Wooldridge were among the 10 negotiation-list players revealed Friday by Calgary.

Mellott was the Big Sky Conference's offensive player of the year this season with 26 touchdown passes and just one interception. He completed 172 of 242 passes (70.7 per cent) for 2,280 yards while rushing 78 times for 659 yards (8.4-yard average) and 11 TDs.

Montana State (13-0) faces Idaho (10-3) in FCS playoff action Friday night.

However, at just six-foot and 208 pounds, Mellott might be deemed too small by NFL scouts.

The six-foot-three, 216-pound Wooldridge was the '24 Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the year and first-team all-star. He was 185 of 271 passing (68.3 per cent) for 2,392 yards with 17 TDs and five interceptions, guiding Louisiana into the New Mexico Bowl versus TCU on Dec. 28.

All nine CFL teams unveiled 10 negotiation-list players Friday, the second of two revelations this year. The first came in September.

CFL teams can have up to 45 players on their negotiation lists. That gives them exclusive negotiating rights to those individuals should they decide to play in Canada.

Players can be added or removed at a team’s discretion on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Negotiation-list players are often a crapshoot as many never set foot in Canada. But the lists can bear fruit as Hamilton rookie quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa — the younger brother of Miami Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — signed with the Tiger-Cats after being placed on their negotiation list.

And in 2018, Hamilton signed Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel after placing him on its negotiation list.

Eastern Washington's Efton Chism III was on the B.C. Lions' list. The five-foot-11, 200-pound receiver broke NFL star Cooper Kupp's single-season receptions record (117) with 120 catches for 1,311 yards and 13 TDs this season.

B.C. also revealed Washington State quarterback John Mateer, the Pac 12's top offensive performer with 44 TDs (29 passing, 15 rushing). Mateer had 3,139 yards passing but also ran for 826 (most by a quarterback in school history) and will lead the Cougars into the Holiday Bowl versus Syracuse on Dec. 27.

Jacksonville State quarterback Tyler Huff is on Edmonton's list. The six-foot-one, 215-pound senior was third in Conference USA rushing with 1,343 yards and 14 TDs while passing for 2,179 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jacksonville State faces the Ohio Bobcats in the Cure Bowl next Friday.

Saskatchewan's list includes Washington quarterback Will Rogers, who threw for 2,458 yards and 14 TDs with seven interceptions this season. The six-foot-two, 216-pound senior takes the Huskies into the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 versus Louisville.

Veteran Zach Collaros remains Winnipeg's starter but the Blue Bombers have three interesting quarterbacks on their list in South Dakota State's Mark Gronowski, Georgia Tech's Haynes King and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia.

Gronowski, a six-foot-three, 230-pound senior, passed for 2,343 yards and 19 TDs this season with six interceptions. The Jackrabbits (11-2) face Incarnate Word (11-2) in FCS playoff action Saturday.

The six-foot-three, 215-pound King, a junior, had 1,910 passing yards this season with 11 touchdowns and one interception. Pavia, a six-foot, 200-pound senior, threw for 2,133 yards with 17 TDs and four interceptions.

Georgia Tech faces Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 27.

Another interesting player on Winnipeg's list is Colorado's LaJohntay Wester. The five-foot-11, 167-pound senior was second among Buffaloes receivers in yards (880 on 70 catches, 10 touchdowns) behind Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter (1,152 yards from 92 catches, 14 TDs).

Colorado, coached by former NFL star Deion Sanders, faces BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who threw for 3,050 yards with 22 TDs and eight interceptions, was among the players unveiled by the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts. The six-foot, 189-pound sophomore leads the Mustangs against Penn State in American college football's expanded playoff bracket Dec. 21.

Other quarterbacks on Toronto's list include Virginia Tech's Kyron Drones — who'll guide the Hokies into the Mayo Bowl versus Minnesota on Jan. 3 — and Marcel Reed of Texas A&M, which faces USC in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 27.

UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings is on Ottawa's list. The six-foot-one, 205-pound senior threw for a whopping 4,148 yards and 35 TDs with just eight interceptions in being named an All-Big Sky second-team selection.

UNLV's Hajj-Malik Williams, a senior quarterback who'll lead the Rebels into the Art of Sport L.A. Bowl against Cal on Dec. 18, is also on Ottawa's list.

Running back Daijun Edwards, who helped Georgia win consecutive NCAA titles in 2021-22, is on Montreal's list. The five-foot-10, 201-pound Edwards signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in April but was waived by the NFL club in August.

Quarterback Brett Gabbert, who threw for 2,737 yards with 21 TDs and 11 TDs at Miami (Ohio), is also on Montreal's list. The Redhawks face Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 28.

Gabbert's older brother, Blaine, also a quarterback, earned Super Bowl rings with Tampa Bay (2020) and Kansas City (2023).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Dec. 13, 2024.