The BC Lions signed former Hawaii wide receiver Jared Smart, former Western Oregon wide receiver Justice Murphy, and former Illinois State defensive back Christian Uphoff on Tuesday.
Jared Smart, a 23-year-old from Dublin, California, attended a rookie mini-camp with the Arizona Cardinals. Collegiately, he began at Laney College (2018-19) with 70 catches for 817 yards, and seven touchdowns in 19 games for the Eagles. He helped the Eagles capture the school’s first-ever CCCAA state championship. In 2018, Smart earned First-Team All-League honors.
After Laney College, Smart transferred to Hawaii (2019-21) with 149 catches for 1,863 yards, and eight touchdowns in 37 games for the Rainbow Warriors. In his final season, Smart had 26 catches for 414 yards, and two touchdowns in 13 games. In addition, Smart was an all-Mountain West honorable mention in 2020.
Justice Murphy, a 24-year-old from Vancouver, Washington, played one season at Riverside Community College (2017) with 20 catches for 308 yards, and three touchdowns in 11 games for the Tigers. Then, he transferred to Western Oregon (2019, 2021) with 27 catches for 411 yards, two touchdowns, and one tackle in 14 games for the Wolves. In his final season in 2021, Murphy had ten catches for 158 yards, and one touchdown in five games.
Christian Uphoff, a 25-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Collegiately, Uphoff played four seasons at Southern Illinois (2016-19) with 30 tackles, four pass breakups, 17 kick returns for 473 yards, and one touchdown in 17 games for the Redbirds.
In his final season in 2019, Uphoff made 16 tackles, one pass breakup, and two kick returns for 24 yards in four games. He was an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention selection in 2018.
