#ProTops: Quintet sign deals, Sterns nearing debut, Ruffin & Haggarty check-in
It's something of a ProTops grab-bag this week, with five new signings, Sterns almost seeing the field for the first time and a check-in on two CFL ProTops vets.
The slowest week on the American sporting calendar turned into one of the busiest off-season weeks for ProTops news we’ve seen in quite some time.
Three sports and two different countries took up ProTops discourse real estate this week, with four former Hilltoppers having signed professional contracts, either for the first time or with a new club.
We also check in on a pair of former Toppers still making strides north of the border who we haven’t heard from in a little bit.
Football
Jerreth Sterns - Signed With Saskatchewan Roughriders
Sterns signed with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 3, but we haven’t discussed it on the site yet so lets do it!
Since signing, he’s yet to be elevated from the Riders’ practice squad, though he’s reportedly quite close: He was warming up Saturday night in a jersey but didn’t make the roster. He’s the next man up, so if Saskatchewan gets a receiver injury, Sterns will be next in line to see some action.
We’ll find out if Sterns will be elevated to active status on Saturday, when the Riders head to Canada’s west coast to take on the BC Lions (who just so happen to be my CFL club).
Tyrrell Pigrome - Signed With Ottawa Redblacks
What was maybe the biggest story this past week north of our border was the signing of former WKU quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome by the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL.
Pigrome, as well as former Sacramento State and UC Davis signal caller Jake Dunniway, were signed by Ottawa after a season-ending Achilles injury to Jeremiah Masoli (the second Ottawa QB to be ruled out for the season this year).
Ottawa is the second team Piggy has spent time with this CFL season, initially making the roster for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers out of training camp after a pair of terrific performances in the Blue Bombers’ preseason games. He suited up as Ottawa’s QB3 this past weekend for their game against his former club, where the new starting QB, Dustin Crum, led an unbelievable comeback (thanks to a late pick-six from the Ottawa defense, too) to erase a 25-9 deficit and take down the Bombers in overtime.
For any Piggy stans out there, it appears Crum is the man for the job, for the time being, and his QB3 status may remain unchanged for a bit.
After leaving WKU, the Birmingham native spent a year at Ole Miss, where he didn’t see the field, before again transferring to FCS Towson. With the Tigers, Pigrome threw for 1,638 yards and 14 touchdowns to just six interceptions. With his legs, he rushed for 574 yards on 134 rushes and two touchdowns.
We’ll see what next week has in store for Piggy, as he and the RedBlacks head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders.
Jaylen Hall - Signed With Edmonton Elks
Sunday afternoon, the Edmonton Elks announced they had signed a pair of wide receivers to attempt to bolster what has, to this point in the year, been a league-worst offense, with former Hilltopper Jaylen Hall among them.
Hall caught 68 balls for 869 yards and six touchdowns for the Hilltoppers last year, finishing as the Tops’ third-leading receiver in terms of total yards and actually matched Malachi Corley for average yards per reception (12.8).
Prior to his time on The Hill, Hall spent four years at Western Michigan, totaling over 1,530 yards on 85 catches and 14 touchdowns.
Hall’s path to playing time appears much clearer than that of Sterns and Piggy. The Elks this year are, shall we say, not good: They’re one of only two teams to have played six games up to this point in the season and have scored the fewest points in the league (91). In fact, following a 37-29 loss this past Thursday to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Elks are 0-6 for the first time in the club’s 74-year history and have lost 20 straight games at home, one shy of the all-time professional record.
Much like Sterns, Hall will start his time with Edmonton on the practice roster, but I’d imagine he’ll see meaningful snaps sooner than later.
Edmonton is back in action against the aforementioned Blue Bombers
Dionte Ruffin - Hustlin’ and bustlin’ for the Montreal Alouettes
We’re including Ruffin in here not because there’s news surrounding him, but because we want to check up on our guys.
After spending last year with the Calgary Stampeders, Ruffin is now in Montreal, starting on the outside for the Alouettes.
He’s played in all five of the Als’ games so far this year, has recorded three tackles and forced a fumble two weeks ago in a loss to British Columbia, where he chased down former Auburn running back Shaun Shivers to end a 68-yard rush by punching the ball out at the 1-yard-line. Some impressive stuff.
Ruffin and the Als are back in action on Sunday, July 30 when they’ll host his former club.
John Haggarty - Still kickin’ it with the Toronto Argonauts
Like Ruffin, there’s no real news on Haggarty, we’re just doing a good ol’ fashion check-in on him to keep you up to speed on him.
Through his first four games, Haggerty ranks fourth in the CFL in average yards per punt, 48.7, and has totaled two rouges (along with three other punters). He’s not getting a lot of work - in fact, his 24 punts are the fewest in the league - but when you’re kicking for the team that has scored 32 or more points in each of their first four games, it just comes with the territory.
Haggerty and the Argos return to the field Friday when they head to Hamilton to take on the Tiger Cats.
Baseball
CJ Weins - Drafted by Boston Red Sox
Hilltopper hurler CJ Weins became the first player since 2019 (Jake Sanford, New York Yankees) to hear his name get called in the MLB Draft, being selected 178th overall by the Boston Red Sox.
Weins spent just one season with the Tops, being a key piece to Marc Rardin’s bullpen: In 27 appearances, he allowed just 15 runs and 18 hits in 31.0 innings, collecting eight saves and striking out 42 (while walking just eight).
The Illinois native, who spent time at South Carolina and Wabash Valley Community College before his 2022 campaign in red and white, signed with the Red Sox on Thursday for $50,000, well below the slot value of his sixth-round pick (thanks in large part to his being a senior and not having the ability to use the option to return to school as leverage).
Cam Tullar - Signed by Los Angeles Angels
He wasn’t drafted, but southpaw Cam Tullar was the second member of the 2022 Hilltoppers to join affiliated ball this past week, signing with the Angels.
Tullar - another SEC-to-Wabash-to-WKU arm - appeared in 18 games for the Hilltoppers, making two starts, and going 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA, striking out 49, the second most of a member of the WKU arm barn.
Prior to his signing with the Angels, Tullar had been throwing for the Billings Mustangs of the kind-of-independent-kind-of-not Pioneer League. In nine appearances, four starts, this year, Tullar has gone 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and 40 strikeouts, all of which are team highs.
Basketball
Emmanuel Akot - Signs With Ottawa BlackJacks (Canadian Elite Basketball League)
After averaging 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his lone season on the Hill, Canadian native Emmanuel Akot has returned home, signing with the CEBL’s Ottawa BlackJacks in time for their playoff run.
Akot, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, secured pre-draft workouts with three NBA teams - Indiana, Atlanta and Washington - before ultimately going undrafted.
Akot has yet to debut for his new club, who will next play on Thursday. The BlackJacks lead the Eastern Conference, and have already clinched a playoff birth, having won eight straight games and sitting at 12-5.