The Calgary Stampeders signed offensive lineman Khadere Kounta and defensive lineman Cedric Wilcots II on Monday.
Khadere Kounta is six foot six and weighs 310 pounds. A native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Kounta went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Collegiately, Kounta played three seasons at Old Dominion (2019, 2021-22) playing left tackle in 33 games for the Monarchs. In 2022, Old Dominion averaged 19.50 points per game, 92.3 rushing yards per game, 247.2 passing yards per game, 339.4 total yards per game, 29 touchdowns, and allowed 35 sacks finishing 3-9 for the season.
Then, Kounta transferred to UCLA in 2023 as a reserve offensive lineman playing 10 games. In 2023, UCLA averaged 26.46 points per game, 197.9 rushing yards per game, 229.15 passing yards per game, 427.1 total yards per game, 46 touchdowns, and allowed 42 sacks finishing 8-5 for the season winning the LA Bowl over Boise State.
Cedric Wilcots II is six foot three and weighs 249 pounds. The 27-year-old from Dallas, Texas, signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on December 23, 2020. He did not play for the Blue Bombers in 2021. In 2022, Wilcots II made two tackles in ten games before Winnipeg traded him to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on October 4, 2022.
In Hamilton, Wilcots II made two tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble for the Ticats in 2022. He finished the 2022 season with four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 14 games.
In 2023, he played one game while spending the rest of the season on the practice squad. Wilcots II re-signed with the Ticats on December 19, 2023. Wilcots II played two preseason games making two tackles. The Ticats released him on June 1, 2024. The Houston Roughnecks signed Wilcots II on July 26, 2024, and released him on March 20, 2025.
Collegiately, Wilcots II played four seasons at New Mexico State (2016-19) with 109 tackles (49 solos, 60 assists), 29 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, four pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and one block on special teams. Wilcots II was a First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2017.
