The Ottawa Redblacks signed wide receivers Maurice Ffrench and Darius Simmons, and offensive lineman Cooper Hamilton on Wednesday according to the CFL Transactions page.
Maurice Ffrench is five foot eleven and weighs 200 pounds. The 25-year-old from New Brunswick, New Jersey, signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on August 2, 2023, and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. The Redblacks released him on April 22, 2024.
Ffrench signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020, making the practice squad, and later signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, playing three games with one catch for three yards.
Then, Ffrench signed with the Edmonton Elks on November 23, 2022. Ffrench made 15 catches for 190 yards, and one touchdown in four games for the Elks in 2023 before he was released on July 24, 2023. The Ottawa Redblacks signed Ffrench on August 28, 2024, and spent several weeks on the practice squad.
The Redblacks released him on October 18, 2024. He re-signed with the Redblacks on October 21, 2024, and was released again on October 24, 2024. He would return to Ottawa on October 28, 2024, and spend another week on the practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on November 3, 2024.
Collegiately, Ffrench played four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh (2016-19) with 156 catches for 1,637 yards, ten touchdowns, 49 carries for 379 yards, four touchdowns, 27 kick returns for 652 yards, two touchdowns, and 28 punt returns for 164 yards in 46 games for the Panthers. He was named to the All-ACC third team in 2019.
Darius Simmons is six foot and weighs 192 pounds. A native of Lachine, Quebec, Simmons went undrafted in the 2024 CFL Draft. At the 2024 CFL Combine, Simmons had 14 bench presses, ran a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash, 30.5 in the vertical jump, 9′ 6 1/4″ in the broad jump, 7.19 in the 3-cone drills, and a 4.27 in the shuttle drills.
Collegiately, Simmons played four seasons at McGill University (2021-24) making 147 catches for 2,419 yards, eight touchdowns, two carries for 8 yards, completing one pass for 28 yards, one touchdown, two kick returns for 32 yards, and three tackles (1 solo, 2 assists) in 28 games for the Redbirds.
In 2024, Simmons made 29 catches for 611 yards, two touchdowns, and one tackle (1 assist) in nine games. He was named a two-time Second Team All-Canadian, two-time RSEQ All-Conference, and a First Team All-Canadian. Simmons also played for the John Abbott College Islanders (2017-18) where he was named a two-time RSEQ Div. 2 All-Star.
Cooper Hamilton is six foot seven and weighs 310 pounds. The 24-year-old from Innisfil, Ontario, went undrafted in the 2024 CFL Draft. The Ottawa Redblacks signed Hamilton on May 21, 2024. In 2024, he played in two preseason games for the Redblacks. Ottawa released him on June 2, 2024, and he returned to Wilfrid Laurier for his final collegiate season.
At the 2024 CFL Combine, Hamilton made 20 reps of 225 bench presses, ran a 5.47 in the 40-yard dash, a vertical jump of 28.5, a broad jump of 8’ 8 7/8”, an 8.09 in the 3-cone drill, and a 5.08 in the shuttle drill.
Collegiately, Hamilton played five seasons at Wilfrid Laurier University (2019, 2021-24) playing left tackle in 35 games, of which 33 were starts. He is a two-time Second Team OUA All-Star and a Second Team OUA Football All-Star in 2022. Hamilton participated in the U Sports East-West Bowl and the FCS National Bowl.
In 2024, Wilfrid Laurier’s offense averaged 508.6 yards per game, 334.3 passing yards per game, 174.4 rushing yards per game, and 36 touchdowns going 8-0 in the season on their way to winning the Yates Cup and the Uteck Bowl.
