RedBlacks Sign Six, Four Retire
CFL Ottawa RedBlacks

RedBlacks Sign Six, Four Retire

Published on May 1, 2025 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Ottawa RedBlacks News Release


OTTAWA - The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced the following transactions, today:

SIGNED:

American quarterback Miles Hastings

HEIGHT: 6-1 | WEIGHT: 205 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 2000-09-22

HOMETOWN: San Marcos, CA | SCHOOL: UC Davis

Hastings capped off his five-season tenure at UC Davis with a career year in 2024, as the San Marcos, California native completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,493 yards, and 38 touchdowns, setting program records with the latter two, helping the Aggies finish second in the Big Sky with a 7-1 record. Hastings' prolific season saw him finish as a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, also walking away with the UC Davis record for career passing yards (11,168). The REDBLACKS announced him as one of the 10 players revealed from their negotiation list on December 13, 2024.

American running back Jaylen Samuels

HEIGHT: 6-0 | WEIGHT: 225 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1996-07-20

HOMETOWN: Charlotte, NC | SCHOOL: North Carolina State

No stranger to the ranks of professional football, Samuels most recently suited up for the Houston Texans in 2021, but was a mainstay over three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018 through 2020. He appeared in 42 games for the team during that span, rushing 131 times for 459 yards and a touchdown, also catching 82 passes for 550 yards and four touchdowns. During four seasons with NC State, Samuels rushed for a total of 1,081 yards and 28 touchdowns, making 194 catches for 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also returning 12 kicks for 230 yards. He earned First Team All-ACC honours as an all-purpose player in 2017.

American defensive lineman Deandre Johnson

HEIGHT: 6-3 | WEIGHT: 260 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1999-05-27

HOMETOWN: Miami, FL | SCHOOL: Miami

Johnson spent part of training camp with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, before moving on to the Houston Roughnecks for the 2023 campaign. He played his final season of college football for his hometown Hurricanes in 2021, posting 26 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, four and a half sacks, and a forced fumble in nine games. Prior to his season in Miami, Johnson spent four years at Tennessee, where he appeared in 41 total games, recording 58 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and five forced fumbles.

American defensive lineman John Morgan III

HEIGHT: 6-2 | WEIGHT: 270 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 2000-06-06

HOMETOWN: Upper Marlboro, MD | SCHOOL: Arkansas

Prior to a training camp stint with the New England Patriots last season, Morgan finished his college career with Arkansas in 2023. He appeared in 11 games that season, recording 15 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Morgan spent the prior five seasons at Pittsburgh, where he racked up 73 total tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, two pass breakups, and three forced fumbles.

American defensive back Derrek Pitts Jr.

HEIGHT: 6-0 | WEIGHT: 177 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1998-08-08

HOMETOWN: Dunbar, WV | SCHOOL: North Carolina State

Pitts was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2023 season, seeing game action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 of that year. In college, he transferred to NC State ahead of the 2021 season, and started 11 of 12 games that season, recording three interceptions to combine with 43 total tackles, following it up with 51 tackles in 2022. Pitts began his college career at West Virginia in 2017, racking up 36 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception across two seasons. He moved on to Marshall from 2019 through 2020, making 13 total appearances, with 46 tackles, and three for loss, before joining the Pack.

American defensive back Shakur Brown

HEIGHT: 5-11 | WEIGHT: 190 lbs | BIRTHDAY: 1999-04-01

HOMETOWN: Stockbridge, GA | SCHOOL: Michigan State

Before a stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during last year's training camp, Brown suited up for the Arlington Renegades (XFL) in 2023, making nine starts and nabbing an interception. He split 2022 with the Tennessee Titans, and with the Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL), after stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions in 2021. Brown played his college football at Michigan State, where he was a three-year letterwinner. In 26 games over three seasons, he racked up 54 tackles, two sacks, seven interceptions, and nine pass breakups, finishing his career eighth in program history with 186 interception return yards.

RETIRED:

American running back Devonte Williams

American receiver Kahtero Summers

National receiver Jeremy Murphy

National offensive lineman Cooper Hamilton

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