ACQUIRED: Signed by Roughriders in February 2026.

YEARS WITH ROUGHRIDERS: 1

YEARS IN CFL: 1

2026: Signed by Roughriders, Feb. 27.

2025: Attended San Francisco 49ers’ rookie mini-camp.

COLLEGE: French played collegiately at Gardner-Webb (2020-23) and West Virginia (2024). At West Virginia, he played linebacker in 13 games in 2024, registering 22 total tackles, including three for a loss, three quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. In 41 games as a defensive end at Gardner-Webb, the Georgia-born French amassed school-record totals of 34.5 career sacks and 61 tackles for a loss. He was an All-Big South Conference selection all four of his seasons at Gardner-Webb, posting 239 total tackles. His peak single-season totals were 12.5 sacks in 2022 and 22.5 tackles for a loss in 2023. He set a Big South single-season sack record in 2022. In 2022 and 2023, French was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). French was named the Big South’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, when he was also a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award (given to college football’s Most Outstanding Defensive End).

FAST FACT: French is the first Roughrider to hail from Moultrie, Ga.

MEDIA

• Feb. 27, 2026: Roughriders sign four-time All-Big South defensive end Ty French