The Edmonton Elks signed former Tuskegee University linebacker Woodly Appolon and former Sacred Heart punter Noah Gettman on Thursday.
Woodly Appolon is six foot four and weighs 220 pounds. The 26-year-old from Montreal, Quebec, was acquired by the Elks from the Ottawa Redblacks on February 27th, for a 2023 second round pick (12th overall).
Appolon was drafted by the Redblacks in the fifth round (40th pick) in the 2022 CFL Draft. His brother, Wesly, was drafted one sport ahead of him by the Elks in the fifth round (39th pick). Appolon did not sign with the Redblacks and returned to Tuskegee University with 18 tackles in eight games for the Golden Tigers in 2022.
Collegiately, Appolon started at Highland Community College in Kansas in 2018 with 17 tackles and one pass breakup in eight games for the Scotties. Then, he went to Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, in 2019 with 13 tackles and one interception in 13 games for the Grizzlies.
Afterward, Appolon transferred to Northern Illinois in 2020 and played in one game before transferring to Tuskegee University (2021-22) with 88 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 18 games.
Noah Gettman is six foot five and weighs 210 pounds. The 22-year-old from Daytona Beach, Florida, played one season at the University of Akron in 2022 with 61 punts for 2,478 yards (40.6 AVG), five touchbacks, 21 fair catches, 13 from inside the 20-yard line, six punts for 50-plus yards, 22 kickoffs for 1,245 yards (56.6 AVG), six touchbacks, and two kicks that went out of bounds in 12 games for the Zips.
Before Akron, Gettman played four seasons at Sacred Heart (2018-21) with 200 punts for 7,928 yards (39.6 AVG), 19 touchbacks, 65 fair catches, 68 from inside the 20-yard line, 27 from 50-plus yards, and one blocked punt.
In addition, he had 77 kickoffs for 3,815 yards (49.5 AVG), nine touchbacks, and six kicks that went out of bounds, converted ten of eleven field goals (90.9 %) with his longest field goal for 35 yards in 40 games for the Pioneers.
Gettman was named AFCA Second-Team All-American, Stats Perform Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-NEC, and selected to the FCS ADA All-Star Team in 2021.
